THIS IS FINDON
VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com
created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West
Sussex, U.K.
DID CHRISSIE GET AS FAR AS FINDON VILLAGE?
Copyright Valerie Martin 2004
This
is a famous horse named Chrissie. She was far-famed in her
heyday as every housewife knew her and was aware of her name. She
was not a celebrated racehorse from the Findon stables — but Chrissie of the Highfield and Oaklands Dairy (the biggest dairy in nearby
Worthing years ago).
The Highfield and Oaklands Dairy had all horse-drawn milk deliveries with about forty horses on
the go each day.
Chrissie was photographed here progressing
along Coombe
Rise in Findon Valley with the escarpment. Her milkman was Peter May who worked for many years
on the milk rounds and drove a variety of horses during his career.
On leaving the dairy he took up shoe
repairing and years later was still mending shoes with the able assistance of
his grandson at 2 Cotswold Road in Worthing. He was a master
shoe repairer for over fifty years doing traditional repairs, walking/riding
boots a speciality. A far cry from the milk delivering days......
and Chrissie.
Dear Valerie,
Chrissie
I remember Chrissie and
her predecessors well.
The picture brings back so many memories. As a boy I used to hitch a
ride on the milk cart to "help" the milkman and was impressed at the way
the horses knew exactly which houses to stop at without having to be
told. They all knew their rounds. They also knew that when they reached
a certain point on the round, a nosebag full of goodies was put on!
Those were the days when milk
bottles were closed with cardboard disks ... foil tops came later!
Keep those pictures coming Valerie!
Mike.
Mike Cooksey,
Bristol.
|
4th March 2004.
Greetings Valerie,
Chrissie
I have a "fixation" that the Dairy that
supplied our milk (pre-war) was called the "Highfield and Sompting
Dairy". And that "Oaklands" covered another area. In those
days we lived just off Crockhurst Hill, in Half Moon Lane.
Certainly I agree with Mike about the
cardboard tops - which were tom-tit proof, which could not be said for
the tinfoil variety! An added advantage to the card tops was that
the centre of the disc had a pre-indented circle through which you poked
your finger to remove it from the bottle. And got a finger covered
in real cream...
Have I got the name wrong? Does
anyone remember?
Best wishes,
Peter.
Peter Archbold, Ashburton, South Island,
New Zealand.
|
My question was.... did Chrissie ever get as far
as delivering milk to Findon Village?
In October 2006 Pam Stepney in Findon emailed to
comment... "As far as I know the
delivery round of the famous blue roan flyer was the east side of Findon Valley
and did not extend to the village.
I believe I wrote to you before about how she fell coming down Central Avenue
before it was made up and cut herself quite badly. Her milkman had the reins
hooked up and was making up his books while she no doubt was begining her usual
dash for home.
Highfield and Oakland dairies had an open day each year which was very popular
with children who came to see their own milkman`s horse at home in its stable.
The horses were mostly in stalls but a few had loose boxes. I remember going
with my father to see Mr Madgwick the blacksmith shoeing the horses. In a narrow
passage we had to go past Chrissie was looking over the door of a loose box with
her ears back making faces. Not the best tempered animal."
Also in October 2006, Roger
Moulds wrote in to confirm ...."I am
certain that Chrissie did not come as far as Findon village.
The furthest that Highfield and Oaklands dairy delivered was the top end of
Findon Valley.
As I remember it, the dairy was in Northbrook Road Worthing. A cousin of mine
lived near there, and during WWII, my grandfather used to perform firewatch
duties from the roof of the dairy.
I would think that it would have been too great a distance for a horse to draw a
milk float all the way from there to Findon and back in a day, and in any case,
there was another milkman in Findon was there not? (At this point, memory fails
me again!).
I seem to remember that Highfield and Oaklands came about from a merger between
two dairies, but I can't remember what the original names were".
Lawrence May in Antigua in the West Indies
adds....."Most of my neighbours worked
on farms and used to bring milk home from their respective dairies in steel
containers. The rest used to go to Findon Farm where round the back an elderly
lady (Probably a member of the Short family) used to doll it out. When the farm
eventually closed down deliveries were started by Oaklands dairies and Mortimers.
Mortimers used a modern orange painted Bedford if I remember correctly, the
Oaklands van was a more unusual vehicle which I think was a Morris Commercial.
Like Roger, I dont think deliveries were made by horse and cart in Findon. My
stepfather, John Turner, used to work for Short's farm and I don't recall him
ever mentioning milk deliveries.
My wife Anne thinks that two horse and carts from what became Highfield and
Oaklands serviced Findon Valley as well as Mortimers. The milkman on the west
side was Fred and he used to give Anne and her brother lifts in the cart
sometimes. Unfortunately Anne doesn't remember the horses name ! She thinks the
Highfield and Oaklands cart only went as far north as Marshall Avenue. Perhaps
it was too far from Worthing to go any further.
I sometimes used to help an old family friend Les Cooper who drove the Highfield
and Oaklands Bedford that picked up milk from the farms West of Worthing. This
included daily trips (very early in the morning) to little farms all around the
Arundel Littlehampton area.
For those old vehicle buffs the lorry was a very old Bedford (TJ?) and I can
without doubt say that the starter was live with the ignition switched off. I
tried it once when Les was in the depot causing the lorry to shoot forward in
gear knocking over churns in the back.
Handling the full churns was pretty hard work and the greatest moment of the day
was to pull in to a transport cafe for a fry-up !"
John Stepney of Findon has sent me this photograph taken on the last day that
horses were used for milk deliveries in nearby Worthing.
Yes, it is outside Marks and Spencers in Montague
Street. The dairy is again the Highfield and Oaklands from the Sompting
Road.
Continue if you would like to read
Myrtle Grove Remembered.
This
is Findon Village —
www.findonvillage.com is
a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for
documenting life in Findon.
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