1852-1936

In 1932, a white-haired old man of nearly 80 summers sat under a blossoming apple tree and talked of Bexhill as it was in the days when he was young.  He was Mr Lester Spray and he lived at 1 White Cottages  Wrestwood Road, and he had a good memory in spite of his years....

 'When I came to Bexhill as a young man' he said 'there was only the Old Town.  South of the railway line the only buildings to speak of were three very old cottages and the coastguard houses at the end of what is now Sackville Road.  The rest was just ploughed fields and cornfields and grazing meadows.  From the Old Town there was a rough sort of a road which led to the shore, just about where Sea Road is now.  Carts used to go down there to meet the coalships when they called, and the horses had a hard pull getting back up the hill to the Old Town, I can tell you.'

'There were only two public houses, The Bell and the Queen's Head.  Of course there was The New Inn at Sidley, and it was a popular old coaching inn.  Travellers would call there and rest their coaches for the night and go on their way the next morning.  The present Sussex Hotel was a beer shop.'

'I remember when the branch railway line from Crowhurst to Bexhill was built and how pleased everyone was about it.  Where the West station was msited there used to be a farm belonging to Mr Reeves and later to Mr Thwaites.  I can remember when the Devonshire Hotel was built and when Mr Webb built his sea wall.....

Mr Spray was born at Lunsford Cross in 1852 and for many years worked for Mr Arthur Brook at the Manor House Farm.  At one time he moved to Lower Worsham Farm where he worked under Mr Burnett, and later to Great Worsham Farm under the late Mr Walter Smith, who was succeeded by his son, Mr Percy Smith.  Mr Spray was a typical son of Sussex and spent a lifetime working on the land.

A grandfather of Mr Spray was John Vitler, one of the old smuggling gang, whom he remembered well, but said he did not really know what he did.  'They kept their smuggling pretty secret.'  Mr Spray died at Wrestwood Road at the age of 83 years.  He worked on until he was 78.

Lester was buried in Bexhill cemetery, find his headstone in Round the Graveyard.
 

Edith Spray

Burton Spray

Raymond Lester
Spray

Frank Spray

Alma Elizabeth Spray