Thank you David for the photos, the memories of walking up to the Water Works, and then on the hill to the dew pond, and to the left on a bank of sweet smelling grass surrounded by yellow flowered, prickly gorse bushes, and around Easter time violets growing, and maybe an occasional primrose. The view of 'old' Mile Oak, brought tears to my eyes from happy childhood memories; the streets seemed to go on forever. The kids in the new council houses at the paddocks joined in playing racing games starting at the bottom of Beechers Road, up to Sefton, then down Stanley into Foxhunters back to the starting point (Beechers and Stanley had slight hills). One kid would run the course as stated and the other would go in the reverse direction, who would win, what a healthy way to pass the long hours of school holidays? Thank you again I hope you have plenty more pictures.

Yes  - used to all walk to the Water Works get a nice drink of water from the tap on the wall outside.Then we could walk through the gorse and go up what they used to call the Dewpond. The lovely fresh air and the views, and the wild strawberries we used to pick.
David I think I even remember you. We may have a shared interest in a wooden rocking horse as kids.
I was home at Christmas but did not get to Mile Oak. Everyone is now global you never know where I shall end up.
Cheers From Idaho

Hi Lynne
You may see on the Mile Oak page that we are planning a get together for kids from the 30's-40's and 50's on July 27-28th. With your input and memory and hopefully your presence, we can put together so much more for Mile Oak Revisited. Mary, David and Pat Bunting and myself have taken on this delightful plan and thanks to email and the internet plans are going along at a rapid pace. Contact Bonnycother@yahoo.com if you would like to contribute, by memories and or would be able to join us.
I had forgotten the tap on the wall outside the waterworks, lovely cold fresh water.
And thank you for the additional names of those living on the corner of Sefton Road. Do you remember Joan Stanford in the black wooden house? She is living in Graham Ave now, her son Clive lives in Australia. And lucky you, your mother still alive. My dad passed away two years ago age 92.

Lynne, I am David's sister. We still have the Rocking Horse. My Grandson is now playing on it. As you were home at Christmas I don't suppose you will be able to make the reunion in July. If you can't we will think of you.

I cannot believe you still have that rocking horse. That totally blows my mind. I remember riding it, it sat in the hallway. I call my mum every Saturday, hopefully she is coherent and I will tell her about the rocking horse, maybe it will lift her spirits. The lady that lived next door to you up Mile Oak, mum used to call her Queenie, she was still alive a couple of years ago as she used to see my mum when she worked in Help The Aged in Portslade; Was her name Mrs Barbour?
I would love to come home again, but right now the cost is a killer and this year I must travel to see my kids who are all back in the Eastern part of the USA. Also I'I a great nanny now - boy I'm old. Anyway keep in touch look after that horse, god knows where my mum got it, would love to know its an antique as its over 60 years old.

Lynne, Dad did the rocking horse up years ago when I had my children. I renovated him for my grandson. It now has new paint, new saddle, new mane and tail, new reins and stirrups, and also quite a lot of polyfiller. Queenie is Mrs Harbour and she is still living in her bungalow at the top of Chrisdory, not quite next door to us, just up the road a bit. She is in her mid nineties now and still getting about. Dad died in 2005 at 91 and mum died in 2006 also 91.
Sorry you won't be able to get home for the reunion. Maybe next time you are over.

Glad to know that the horse is still alive and well. Something made today would never last that long. I think Queenie must be closer to late 90s; mum is 95 and Queenie was older than her. I must say they have long lives. Must have been the Sussex air and all the hard work they did in the old days. Mum had told me Queenie looked after her husband for years. I think she said he was blind? When I came home I stayed in Hangleton for a week and checked out Easthill Drive. The old house was a mess. Mum used to have a beautiful garden. New people knocked the wall down and put the car there.

Hi Lynne, if you lived in Easthill Drive, you probably new the Hill family, three sisters? Carolyn was my age and we worked together at the Southern United engraving factory, downtown Portslade, the old village really. Carolyn and I went to work at a holiday camp in Norfolk then lost contact, until many years later I bumped into her in Western Australia, a small shopping center in Bassendean. She had not changed one bit. Her parents lived on for many years in their old home. I have again lost contact with Carolyn.
I remember the rocking horse and Mary and Ann's home, used to be in their bedroom/playroom, by the window, I used to ride it.
I wonder if anywhere there are the original plans of construction of Mile Oak, who chose the name, and a decent map of the old area.

Hi Bonny, Mrs Hill was two doors up from us, Pat was in my class. I saw Janet moons ago when I think I was still in Germany. Mr Hill used to walk up and down to his allotments Moggy they called him, really nice old man he was. And I even remember his dad, they were so much alike. Would be interesting to find out who named Mile Oak. I wonder if it was the name of a Horse? I suppose we had better try and find out who did name our nice little village.

We have found several maps of old Mile Oak that we are getting printed in time for the reunion.

Hello Mary, that sounds interesting about the maps. I did try to google the history or who named Mile Oak but no luck. Is there anyway you can send me a photo of the horse?
I just talked to Mum, she said she can still see that bloke with the horse on the barrow. She asked him what was he going to do with it?
Mum also mentioned a couple of actors used to live up Mile Oak, but could not remember their names. Funny she perks up when I talk about Queenie said she rented that house the whole time shes lived there. I am sure she coiuld have bought it twice or maybe more.

What an interesting web site. I was in the TA in the early 1960s and had a friend who lived at Mile Oak, he was accidentally shot on the hills and died as a result. Does anyone remember this, I wish I could remember his name, can anyone help?

Lynne, if you send me your email address I will send you a photo of the Horse. You can get in touch with me at MPythonEsq@aol.com.

When you look at the above postcards you have to admit we had the best playing fields in the whole world. Safe - without danger and miles of downland to run and keep fit. Why did we ever want to leave such a small part of paradise? Why did construction have to swallow up so much of the downs and our playing fields. We had it all and then some.