Old Photo Gallery

This is obviously an event, with the mayor or some other important man in the car, with people relaxed enough to line the street to see him, and in one case for a man to tip his hat in respect. But the date looks too late, so is there good evidence for it? The car in the foreground is very grand, but the wheels were common in the 1920s. The small Austin van is very probably 1920s, and the nearer lorry still has solid tyres. All of these are feasible at a later date, but too many of the ladies' hats look like variants of the 1920s cloche hats. Look further, and not a single thing shows wartime considerations - no white mudguards on any lorry, car or bike, and if the white sign at left gives useful directions, the council should have had it removed. I cannot say for certain that the shop should have had its glass taped, but one might have thought so. Of course this could still be the "phoney war" before France was invaded and put German bombers so close to Hastings, and maybe this wasn't quite so stringent as the other precautions. Personally, though, I'd put the date around 1925-32.

My Granmother was born here in 1910, at number 43, which I believe is the shop on the corner, her father was Charles Elphick I think his wife was Gertrude Freeland. He was a mineral water bottler. I would love any information about these families. Elphick and Freeland.