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History: Memories of Greatstone                                     Latest memory

Greatstone has a special place in the hearts of many people. Here are just some of their memories.

1948 onwards

My memories of Maddiesons Littlestone Holiday Camp and the area of Greatstone in general, go back as far as 1948 when I was 10 months old!  I went with mum and dad until I was 16 and then with my boyfriend/fiance/husband and two children until 1980 when my husband died.  We only had a couple of years going somewhere else.  In particular I remember the Post Horn Gallop with everybody coming out of their chalets at meal times and running to the dining hall.  I remember the two rocking horses in the games room, one brown and one black and white which were there year after year.  I cried the year I arrived, went to see the horses straight away, and they weren't there.  I also remember the ramble through the back streets to the Ship in New Romney every Monday and the trip back by the little train.  When the weather was bad the staff laid on team games for everybody in the ballroom (which reminds me of the ice-cream sodas!).  As my children grew up they went there own way.  In 1997 I remarried and took my new husband down to Greatstone where we stayed at the Camp which was by now a caravan site called Romney Sands.  Although mainly caravans it still had some of the old chalets and, boy, were they cold! He loved the area as well and we have been down every year since then, although not to the Camp again, as it's not the same.  A couple of days ago we came back from our annual trip down, this time staying in a Pine Lodge, a couple of miles from New Romney.  The area is still unique, Dungeness doesn't change and you must visit Lathe Barn in Donkey Street, near Dymchurch for a smashing tea (boiled eggs with brown bread amongst other delights).
I have really enjoyed reading the reminiscences of others - they were such happy times.
Linda
Maddieson's Holiday Camp

Early 1950s

In my mid teens to  early twenties I recall many happy holidays  with mum, dad, aunt Norah, cousin Noreen and husband John, and several good friends of  the family, all driving down to Greatstone for our annual one week vacation at this fabulous holiday camp. Along with some black and  white photos, and memories of all the goings on, plus of course Mr.  Maddieson, Leslie Hambridge, the entertainment staff - Don, Wally,  the photographer Dave, the ballroom band - Ron the bandleader (I  recall he owned a local newsagents shop), Gillie on saxophone, Sid  Brown on piano.  Happy days.  I did my 2 years National Service (RAF)  from 1953-55, and on return to Civy St., continued to holiday with  the family and friends into the early sixties.
Pete Lavender
Maddieson's Holiday Camp

1952

During the summer of 1952 my parents took my sister and me on our first holiday. We left London early, journeyed to Ashford and changed in the bay platform for the tank engine to take us to Greatstone Halt. My first memory as I lent out of the window was the freshness of the air. 

We stayed in a bungalow called Braemar right next to the entrance to Maddison Holiday camp. We visited Greatstone on further occasions staying in the next bungalow called Creaksea. One year we got double booked and the owners allowed us to stay in their rather plush bungalow. I believe their surname was Austin. 

It was a time of great happiness and I remember those holidays with great affection. My parents used to put me on the RHDR train and would go up and down all day in the care of the guard!"
Colin Arterton

"Further to my son, Colin Arterton's, memories of Greatstone.  The name of the Guard on the RH&DR train was Daphne. Not only did she keep my son happy all day riding up and down on his beloved train but she used to throw a newspaper into our garden as the train went passed.
Both Braemar and Creaksea faced the sea and the train ran along the bottom of the garden.  A fisherman used to bring us shrimps most days.  I always felt it was our first home because due to the housing shortage we had to live with my parents.
Another memory was going to a travelling circus in Romney.  Having come from London I thought it would be like Billy Smart's.  It was fantastic.  Only four performers, but each one changed their costume and did all the turns, clowns, acrobats, trapeze artiste, horse riding, elephant riding - the whole show!  We all sat on wooden benches whatever price ticket we bought.  It really was a real experience.
Happy memories!!!
Peg Arterton
Maddieson's Holiday Camp         RH&DR

1950s

I cannot hear a wind without remembering our cosy caravan in the New Romney Caravan Park.  We lived in a London suburb and my parents bought the caravan in the late 1950s when I was a very young child.  It seemed so exotic to close up the London house, pack the boot of the Morris Minor convertible (then later a Wolseley 1500!) with enough clothes for the easter or summer holiday, and drive down to Greatstone through the night to avoid the holiday traffic on the A roads.  
Daddy was school master so we took advantage of the long breaks.Daddy and Mummy (Cliff and Pauline Coppack) created a beautiful garden around the caravan which was situated with the large pond behind and small stream on the side.  Daddy placed white painted stones to stop people driving over the grass!  Our fridge was a couple of breeze blocks sunk into the ground with a posh lid on top;I still recall picking the inevitable slugs off the side of the milk bottle as I pulled it from the "fridge" but the milk was always cool and fresh.  Mummy had an aversion to using the camp shower block, although we did have an Elsun chemical toilet in the van, so we had weekly baths in a portable camp bath (canvas lined with plastic, slung on a metal frame and erected in the van on a Sunday evening and filled from the kettle and buckets of water heated on the gas stove).  We shared the water!  The rest of the week, we had strip washes at the kitchen sink. Mummy and I liked nothing better than to creep around dressing in the early morning and sneak out for a long and windy walk to Dungeness.  Sometimes we would come back with beautiful fresh fish for Daddy to gut.  Sometimes we would come back covered in sand because we had played roly-poly down the sand dunes.  
We had no television, although we listened to the radio often, family friends often came to stay, occasionally we would go to the cinema in Folkestone or for a ride on the "little train", Mummy like shopping in Hythe and I loved walking to New Romney, especially when I was older and allowed to go alone!  I also loved the children's play lake and of course the marvellous sandy beach. My parents went to see Psycho at the cinema and afterwards Mummy was so scared we all had to spend the night at the Dormy House Hotel until she had recovered! We made friends in Greatstone and met up with them again year after year.  Last summer, in need of some personal time, I spent four glorious days back in the area.  In some aspects little had changed, in others there was a huge change.  I was sad to see the sandy beach and concrete sunbathing "steps" covered with shingles, the Dormy House had burnt down I heard and new flats built instead, the "white house" is now a lovely place to stay or to stop for coffee or tea whilst enjoying my favourite walks, I was badly sunburnt but had a fantastic time!
Lesley Stagg
Maddieson's Holiday Camp

1958-1964

Just blinking away the tears at looking at those photos of Maddisons at Greatstone.  How I remember holidays there from 1958 to our last one in 1964,  I can almost see my mum and dad on the dance floor and my sister and I playing tennis on the outside courts or table tennis in the games room.  I can almost see us standing outside our chalet - we always asked for chalet 45 which was just inside the camp.  I can hear the Post Horn Gallop which summoned everyone to meal times.  I can hear the wind which never died down until the evening and I can remember our camp entertainers who always seemed to be there - Don, Ken, Jamie and Auntie Diane.  My little sister always went in for the fancy dress and I remember when I got to the grand old age of 14 how I was enlisted into the chorus line for the camp concert which was every Thursday night.  I remember the jukebox in the games room and I remember the first year the swimming pool was opened - and how unbelievably cold it was!  I remember the camp shop which displayed all the photos from the day before.  I remember the cycle hire hut and those carefree cycling hours out of the back of the camp on those fantastic traffic free back roads across the marsh.
No foreign holiday in an exotic place could ever have the magic of that place.
Vivien Gladen
Maddieson's Holiday Camp

Do you have any any memories of Greatstone? If you do, please let Peter know emai

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