If you want to see what was going on at the Brighton General Hospital over the Christmas in 1955 and several other Christmas years go to look at the following web site. www.communigate.co.uk/sussex/brightongeneralsrn

This photo brought back a lot of memories.  You were lucky to sometimes get a turkey and the bulk of all households made the weekly food ration stretch. As for the shops in Western Road they were always full of Christmas cheer - Wades and Littlewoods always had Father Christmas. But the best thing about the fifties was the family get together; if they had not seen each other all year it was a guarantee they would at Christmas.

We lived at 18 Blucher Place on the carpark. We did not have a washing machine, a fridge, a freezer or even a telephone. My nan who lived 3 doors down at no 21 only had an outside loo in the yard. We never used the front room, which had a piano nobody could play. Stew was very often on the menu, which probably included cheaper cuts of meat like scrag end of lamb. Everybody was in the same boat. Mum did char work for Molly Lacroix, who had a convenience shop top of Russell St and for Bertie Bassett , Brighton's Breeziest Butcher. We moved to Manor Farm in 1957 but Nan was the last resident to move out in 1960. I was astounded to see a picture of her outside her house on James Gray Collection Vol 29 no 106. The shops that I can remember in Western Road were Dorothy Normans, a ladies' dress shop and Home and Colonial, where they used to pat the butter with the wooden blocks. There was a coffee shop on the north side, which emitted a lovely smell of coffee being roasted. Woolworth's was very popular with the children because of its wide range of sweets.