Holland On Sea, Kings Avenue c.1945

Photo ref: H177001

My parents used to run this as a country hotel for 6 years in the 1950s, when I was growing up from the age of 10. There were 8 bedrooms - 6 in the new part, and 2 in the old part, plus 2 in the attic. I had one of the attic bedrooms, while there was a retired school teacher as a permanent resident in the other attic bedroom. My mother preferred people to book, so she could plan the food. My mother did classic ...see more

I used to come to Valley Farm for my holidays. My parents owned a caravan on there. We used to spend our days at the beach, lunch at Cordys Restaurant and back to the camp for the evening entertainment. I never wanted to go back home (in London). Sometimes the whole family came and they were such happy times. My brother and his family also later on had a caravan on there. In 1988 my husband and I moved to ...see more

I have just read an amusing story about the Walls ices girls and how pretty they were - I was one of those girls - I can't quite believe someone has written about us! What fun we had. We all worked in the school holidays in the beach cafes, hard work sometimes but such good times.The beaches were packed and we sold lots of Walls ices! The cliffs on this photograph were the source of much competition as ...see more

I first remember Holland-on-Sea when I worked my first 'season' as solo organist at Valley Farm Camping Ground (as it was then called) way back in 1969. I used to regularly have lunch with a work colleague at the little 'Peter Pan restaurant' at the top end of Sladbury's lane where it joins onto Holland Road. The two ladies that ran it were extremley pleasant and years later, I was ...see more