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Snow

1962/63: One of the coldest winters

By John Leach

Photo:Bottom of Freshfield Road in the 1960's

Photo:St Georges Terrace taken in the 1960s

These photographs where taken in the 1960s. They were taken during one of the coldest winters of that decade. I can't remember exactly which year but I think it was probably 1962 or 1963.

This page was added on 26/06/2006.

Comments about this page

This is likely to be the very heavy snowfall that took place in early December 1967 - starting in the late morning. The clue is the registration numbers of the cars in Freshfield Road.

By David Packham (30/03/2006)

The Ford Cortina in the photo of Freshfield Road has an F number plate which would date it to 1967 or 1968 I believe, so it's more likely these photos are of the heavy snow fall of 8th December 1967.

By Alan Phillips (30/03/2006)

I remember a heavy snow in 1967. I was living in Peacehaven at the time. My husband and two friends had gone to Brighton in the morning. It took them 5 hours to walk back to Peacehaven.

By Maralyn (30/03/2006)

I agree as well, it's definitely 1967, the clothes worn by the youngsters in the photo of East Street Groyne give it away! The snow started late on the Friday morning and by lunchtime it was very thick and we were sent home from school. I had to walk from Cottesmore in the Upper Drive home to Hangleton as the buses stopped running. Unlike 1962/63, the snow did not hang about for any length of time, but it was great fun while it lasted!

By Peter Groves (02/04/2006)

The snow of 8 December 1967 caught everyone out. I was then Contingent Sergeant Major of Brighton Hove & Sussex Grammar School Combined Cadet Force and went to school in uniform but without my greatcoat. Then the blizzard started; I cadged the last greatcoat from the stores (meant for someone six inches taller than I) and trudged off home along the Old Shoreham Road, eventually directing traffic at the junction with Holmes Avenue. The hill past Hove Cemetery was a giant skating rink. When I got home I was more like a snowman than an army cadet!

By Chris Green (03/08/2006)

During the winter of 1962/63 I was living with my parents at the top end of Poplar Avenue in Hove, close to the Downsman public house. Due to the heavy snow fall, neither the buses nor the milkman could make the journey up the steep hills to where we lived. So my Dad, our two next door neighbours and I walked down to the milk depot that was then at the Boundary Road end of Hallyburton Road and bought a full crate of milk (20 pints). We took it in turns to tow this home on the end of a rope and make sure that two old couples and one with young children had milk.

By Alan Phillips (24/04/2008)

Yes it was 1967. That evening was the first anniversary party celebrating the opening of the then new Top Rank Ice Rink. If I remember correctly less than 10 paying skaters turned up but those of us involved in the organisation had a near-private party with not a little liquid refreshment - but it was a long cold walk home afterwards.

By David Ward (17/11/2008)

We were married in 1962, and lived in Landsdown Place, the snow was a good drift, cars were absolutely stuck, all except our three wheeler Bond. We were so poor that every days work counted, the rent had to be paid. So we donned our hats and scarves, and lifted my husband's car out of the snow and off he went to his days work leaving the posh cars behind!

By Sheila Jones (03/01/2009)

This is definitely 1967, I walked with a group from our Bass Charrington depot at Newhaven into Brighton, braving the blizzard. In 24 hours the snow was gone.

By James Jeffery (21/04/2010)

I was a Police Constable in Newcastle under Lyme. It started snowing about lunchtime. Snow flakes were enormous i.e. about 8 cms across. By 5pm the whole country was paralysed. People had to sleep in the police station corridors. We had to walk to 999 calls where possible. No public transport running, people were walking up to 10 miles home from work or booking into hotels. A miner at Parkhouse Colliery had renal failure but ambulances couldn't get to him. It all happened so quick. An amazing event.

By Clive Massey (24/11/2010)