Picturing the Past- Henfield

The caps, the knee-length trousers and the long socks are all part of the rich detail in this glimpse back into a Henfield that has passed.

The photograph, which looks north up the road, is one of a wealth of images archived by the West Sussex Library Service and housed at Worthing Library '“ a treasure trove for anyone with an interest in the way West Sussex used to look.

It's a photograph well worth studying. Look and you will see that the first building on the left has a sign above the shop window saying F C Brunning. You can also read a sign saying Post Office and Public Telephone.

In the background on the right is the White Hart Hotel, a hostelry brought into closer focus in another image from pretty much the same era '“ this time featured on a postcard sent on June 19, 1915 to a Miss Stewart of 4 Seaton Terrace, South Lancing, Worthing.

A coach with four horses stands outside the White Hart Hotel, one of the staging posts for the Venture London-to-Brighton service, which was revived by A G Vanderbilt in 1908 and ran until 1914.

For full feature and other pictures see West Sussex Gazette February 4