"Ah, that see is a funny story.  I applied to the council for a flat and the housing officer then said there's nothing available yet there's nothing we can offer you.  So I lived at home at the wife lived at her brother's place.  We was like that for two years.  And my work then was landscape gardening, and we were doing a big job at Burwash.  I was talking to this chap up there and er..he says 'are you married', I said 'yeah.. I keep trying to get a house, but the housing officer said there wouldn't be anywhere coming empty, so I've got no hope of getting a place, but er we're having to live apart'.  So he said, 'your name Weston?' So I said 'Yeah.' So he said 'I'm on the housing committee and I don't remember your name coming up'. So I said 'well we're certainly on there!' So he said 'I'll see what I can do for yer'.  Within a month, I went back up to the farmer's yard, the bloke that come round he said, 'oh Bert, he said, the housing officer's coming to see you.  He said he'll be coming to see you on the job you're on'.  He said 'now don't grumble at him or swear' he said, I'm not going to tell you what he said.  I saw this car come up the drive and he said 'good morning Mr. Weston'.  I said 'good morning, you've come to see me about a house I suppose'.  He said 'how do you know', he said 'my boss told me you was coming to see me'.  He said 'come and sit in the car', so we sat in the car and talked, he didn't say anything about a house, I though what's he on about and all of a sudden he said 'if I told you I've got a little flat for you, he said what would you say?' 'I'd say thank you very much and soon get on to the wife'. And that's how we started.  Yes so I've been here 52 years." Burt Weston

"There was no interview, we were just, I suppose in the first instance we had to get in touch with the council and put ourselves on the list as it were.  But it was in those days, fairly straight forward, unlike today, I can't remember exactly the procedures we had to go through, but they weren't very extensive and we did, yes there was some sort of questionnaire, because they did ask where you wanted to be placed.  We didn't ask for any particular site, but we were given this one which was very good in fact. Because we are not opposite any other houses we are not overlooked by any other houses.  We were overlooked by the other estate rather than anyone else." Alfie Witcher

"Yes we applied, we hadn't got 2 ha'pennys for a penny ourselves so we applied for a house but didn't get one.  Because we went to live next to the ambulance station.  There was a house there that was divided into 2 flats run by the council and we eventually had one of these the downstairs flat.  But we applied for a house but didn't get one." Barbara Ovenden

"BC: When you think about it, the original (Nevill) houses when there were only jobs available in the village Mr ______ was a groom, your granddad was the local blacksmith

SC: They all had jobs in the village

BC: They were almost really, e the artisans of the community.  Bu the rich people, I seem to remember someone telling me,  I know it's called social housing now, but apparently when they first started, it was to sort of provide for the poor.... not the poor but people wanted in the community.  But before they got the housing they had to have three references off people to say that are of use to the community of Ditchling." Barry and Shirley Cox

"We had to write to the council, we were in a partly furnished apartment and my husband earned £6 a week....with two children and ourselves to feed and the rent was £2.50 so that was a big chunk before you paid gas, electricity, food - food was rationed..but..even after the war." Mrs Henty