Sidlesham Land Settlement Association, A History.

Welcome to the offline trail app, this app uses your phone or tablets GPS signal to locate you on the trail, the starting point is the Lay-By of the Sidlesham Primary School, Keynor Lane, Sidlesham, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 7NL.
Tap Search in the bottom left of the screen and the application will try to locate your position on the trail.

Due to the lack of footpaths in certain areas we would not recommend the entirety of the trail to those with assisted mobility or groups of small children, please contact us and we can advise which parts of the trail might be suitable.

The Trail (offline)

School Lay-By

The Sidlesham LSA Heritage Trail starts from the primary school car park, Keynor Lane, PO20 7NL (OS GR 978847). Opposite the school car park are two semi-detached LSA houses (No 1&2) built in 1935, by Stirland Builders (Birdham) at a cost of ^50. The smallholdings, numbered sequentially (1-144) across the whole LSA, were initially known by their estate number (eg: 2 Keynor). After the closure in 1983 the Post Office allowed properties to have names as well as numbers (eg Numereuxdeux).

Exit the car park and turn left away from the school passing a row of cottages on the left. Just before Cow Lane on the right, note the name of No 39 (El-Es-Ay) where 'Darkie' Kemp an ex-shipbuilder from West Hartlepool arrived in 1936, the youngest of the early settlers at 28. Turn right into Cow Lane and after 400 yards you will reach Keynor (Farm) House.

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"The advent of the LSA in 1936, with so many children from the north of England, enforced an immediate enlargement of the school and in 1937 a scheme for improvement was carried out. Four large sunshine classrooms were provided, as well as medical, staff and headmaster's rooms and a kitchen. An up-to-date system of sanitation was also carried out and a playing field added. The accommodation was raised to 300." ('Sidlesham Past and Present').
Maurice Meeten was Headteacher in 1939, living in a house adjacent to the school.
Sidlesham School was the first school in England to serve hot meals, on account of the 'malnourished' children of the LSA.

CG Stillman, the County Architect, worked with a local caravan manufacturer to prefabricate a light-weight steel system in 8ft 3in lengths: three of these units making a standard classroom, and any number could be put end to end. A prototype at Sidlesham, in West Sussex, in 1936 marked the first major use of prefabrication in school building.

The Chichester Observer (February 1978) recorded the school's centenary reporting that the then 'Director of Education was concerned about malnutrition in some of the children and felt that they should have a hot meal in the middle of the day. With the help of volunteers a scheme, which was later adopted by other schools in the country and which was the forerunner of school meals as we know them today, was started at a cost of 3d per head, 1.5p in modern coinage.

"We walked to school and if it rained there was a cupboard at school which held a motley assortment of clothes which we could change into and our wet clothes were put on radiators until they were dry". (Joan Smith/nee Ruckley No 19)

"A special school bus was laid on to go to Sidlesham Primary and on to the Selsey Manhood Secondary Modern School (smokers upstairs!!!). Originally Southdown, it was referred to as the "Biscuit Tin". For Chi High the standard Southdown public single decker bus service was used morning and late afternoon".(Nigel Dungey)

"A Mrs Reed who lived very close to the school used to sell sweets and I think fruit from her front room. I was in the same class as her daughter Maureen. There was also a van which would deliver a small amount of groceries and sweets each week. There was also a Mr Binstead who lived near the school and he sold fruit. All this happened before 1947 when we left the LSA". (Joan Crees)

The primary school's admissions records show that several children from LSA properties left and their families returned north or to South Wales as not all original tenants adapted to the new way of life. For example:
John Hayman (66 Fletchers - Street End) left 25.6.1943 returned to Abertillery.
Derek and Joan Brown (69 Fletchers - Street End) left 24.9.1943 returned to Durham.

Packing Shed

Keynor Farm (Industrial Estate) was the LSA Packing Shed, Stores & Offices. All the tenants' produce was brought here to be graded, packed and sent off to market. In addition to the 120 tenants, the LSA was major employer in the area. Packing Shed Managers included Cyril Cooper (pre-1958, retired 1978) and David Lancaster (1978). Assistant managers/staff included Bill Campbell (his 2 brothers Mick & Alan still have their old holdings), John Cawte (left August 1968 Bulletin No 1026), George Umpleby from Jan 1969, promoted to Manager at Chawston LSA December 1970 (LSA Bulletin No 1153), David Lancaster 1976 (LSA Bulletin No 1449), R. Elliott (1978- ), N Cordery 1982 (LSA Bulletin No 1745) transferred to Potton LSA), and Miss S Dickin 1982 (LSA Bulletin No 1754) + David Gemmill (moved to props), Chris Dart (moved to props), Alan Tarrant (previously from Newent), Mrs Lawrence 1967 (LSA Bulletin No 962). Selling privately ('flogging') was an offence : "He was selling more down the Highleigh Pound than was going to packing shed and he got his cards". The offices was located adjacent to the packing shed where staff marketed the produce and managed tenants' accounts. The estate accountant included Eric Wiseman (moved to Newbourn in 1961), A Coldwell (from May 1961, left May 1967), Ken Batchelor (1968-78) and Kenneth Cotton (from September 1978). Other office staff: Norman Crees (1960s), C F Kingham, Personnel Manager (passed away 1069 (LSA Bulletin No 1076), Bob Middlemas (wages) left March 1967 (LSA Bulletin No 959), Mrs Campbell (1967), C Baines (Aug 1966), Doug Moorey (Assistant Accountant), Miss Woodland (resigned December 1982, Mrs Neller (wages) (retired April 1982), then Susan Parks took over. The stores, now Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital, stocked over '800 items' Storekeeper's names are recorded in the LSA Bulletins - G. C. 'Nobby' Clarke (pre-1958. retired Jan 1976) and then D. Thompson. LSA transport was based here (and First Avenue, Batchmere). Lorry drivers included Peter Jackson (31), Johnnie Barrell (102), Archie Carver, Sammy McCall and 'Wink' Edwards, who lived in a cottage on Easton Lane and his last job was ditching. Tractor drivers included Wink Edwards & lorries, Glad & Harold Downey, Archie Carver No 35) & lorries, Bill Stubbs Ken Wood, Bill (Bowser) Bull, known as "Bowser" because of his devotion to Callard and Bowser sweets, a very thick Sussex accent and difficult to understand, and Reg Collyer (77).

At the T junction turn right into Keynor Lane

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Selsey Road

To the right of the T junction with Selsey Road was The Jolly Fisherman Pub, Combes Bakery and further down Mill Lane Gnapps Stores where locals could place their grocery orders for delivery. The Crab & Lobster at Sidlesham Quay was a favourite watering hole for the tractor drivers. (See 'More' for other local businesses at the time of the LSA).

Turn left onto Selsey Road and walk north passing Sidlesham Recreation Ground, originally the location for Nos 47 & 48, but they were never built. Continue for about half a mile towards the village sign.

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Pound Inn

With your back to Highleigh Road, the property on the opposite side of the road (Highleigh Pound) was the 17th century Pound Inn, a local for the earliest LSA tenants who used the footpaths across the fields from Lockgate Road and Almodington, known locally as Piggery Lane.

To return to the school car park . . . . . . . Follow the direction of the signpost to Highleigh and Ham. Take care here, using the right hand side of the road facing on-coming traffic. As the main road bears to the right, continue ahead on a gravel lane (leading to Duncan & Davies Nursery). After some metal gates turn immediately right onto a footpath between a fence and a house which passes several glasshouses and fruit cages leading back to the school car park. Alternatively to continue to The Batchmere Estate (adding 4 miles to the trail) follow the signpost to Birdham and Witterings. Take care, using the right hand side of the road facing on-coming traffic for about half a mile to access a footpath after a farm on the left leading across fields to Almodington Lane. If travelling by car to the Batchmere Estate parking is available in First Avenue.

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First Avenue (No's 94-107)

Continue along the main lane passing Batchmere (Farm) House on the main road adjacent to First Avenue which, with 307 acres of land .was purchased for £11,500 in November 1936 and No 109 was the Propagation Unit for the Batchmere Estate.

Second Avenue (Nos 111-117)

Edward VIII visited the LSA. The back of the original photograph read Birdham 1936. At that time the eastern side of Almodington Lane was in Sidlesham and the western side in Birdham - now both are in Earnley Parish Council. It is well documented that royalty often visited the 'depressed areas' to maintain morale during the 1930s. The windows in the barn in the photograph are a similar design to those in the buildings now standing at the end of Second Avenue.

Continue south on Almodington Lane until the junction with Easton Lane.

Third Avenue (Nos 119-128)

The 1939 Census shows records for the Hermitage & Bottle cottage between Nos 118 & 119. At that time Jack & Gertrude Lambert were in The Hermitage. Jack's occupation was listed as Farm & Estate Manager. Kate Hoare was at Bottle Cottage (unpaid domestic duties) The early tenants kept pigs and chickens as part of the LSA. Some tenants kept additional livestock for their own use - goats (above), rabbits (No 86) and the Booths (No 15) had a cow!

Continue along the main lane.

No 94

No 96

No 95

No 96

138

Help With Using This App

This app is intended for use on the site at Sidlesham where there is no mobile phone signal, the contents of the trail has been saved to your phone, if you don't have GPS just scroll to the next set of instructions, if you do have GPS, enable it, and when your browser asks you to allow the user of location information say yes, then click the search button again and if you are within the area of a Location on the trail it will scroll the screen to that information.