Hi all, I would like to introduce myself briefly. My name is Jan Whiley and I was born and raised in Crawley. My Maiden name was Shouler, a name that might be familiar to some of our older generations. My father was Derek Shouler who ran Modern Car Services, the…
Ice Cream maker We can now announce that the mystery object we had on our stall at Ifield May Fayre was an… Ice Cream Maker. The machine probably from the late 19th to early 20th century was made by a Swedish company Husqvarna. The company was established in 1689 as…
We are delighted to be announce that we’re delivering a new project supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. The 18-month project, called “Belonging in Crawley” will run from April 2022 until September 2023. Designed to mark Crawley New Town’s 75th Anniversary year, the project…
Tuesday 29 March 2.00pm ‘The Friary Church of St Francis and St Anthony and the People Who Rest There’. The fascinating stories of some of those who are buried in the Friary graveyard.’ John Keaveney. Tuesday 26 April 2.00 pm ‘The Montefiore Family of Worth Park’. Liz explores the lives…
We always have children’s activities in our Learning Space. Recently we asked children to draw pictures of themselves in Crawley, and their first memories of Crawley. Here are some of the pictures that they drew.
by Martin Bastone Tilgate Park with view of the lake. CAMPBELL’S LAKE My earliest memories of Tilgate Park are from the mid sixties when I joined the cubs at their hut in the woods. These huts were previously army barracks and were cold and damp but, as we were required…
Lyons Bakery During the summer of 1966 I worked a week of twelve-hour night shifts at the bakery operated by J. Lyons and Co. in Telford Place, off Southgate Avenue. This was a famous restaurant chain and food manufacturing company, founded in 1884, which would later be a pioneer in…
London Road Bingo My older brother was friendly with the son of the owner of the Railway Hotel in Crawley and together the two young men ran twice-weekly bingo sessions at the Sea Cadets hut near to the old Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers depot on London Road, in Northgate.…
Part-time and temporary jobs in the 1960s When I was a pupil of the Thomas Bennett School (1959-1966) I was originally given a half-crown (two shillings and six pence or £0.125) a week as ‘pocket money’ by my parents, which would have bought me five Mars Bars, (had I been…
Cyril Victor Burr was born in London to parents James Arthur and Julia Hannah Burr on the 5thJuly 1908. In 1939 he was living with his father in Battersea and working as a printer. In 1941 he moved to Crawley where he worked in agriculture at Tysons Nursery to help…
