Uploaded September 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
How did the coronavirus lockdown impact a small British Town? How do residents feel the community has changed during the pandemic? And what was it like to grow up in Steyning, a quaint English town?
After 1.5 years on the road, I returned to Steyning, my hometown, as a pandemic swept across the world. In the midst of all the Covid restrictions, I spoke to locals in socially distanced interviews to find out how they thought their community had changed during the lockdowns.
Steyning is a sleepy British town in West Sussex, nestled next to the South Downs national park. nowadays around 6,000 people, myself included, call Steyning home, and about 31% of them are over 65. Founded when Saint Cuthman built St. Andrews church back in the 857, it’s a typical town in the Southeast of England; despite being a stone’s throw from Brighton, and just over an hour from London, it’s pretty sheltered, conservative, and not particularly diverse. With Chanctonbury ring to one side, and Devil's Dyke to another, it’s stunning surroundings have always been what I miss most when I’m away, along with the “small town charm” it exudes.
That said, Steyning can be a little closed to outsiders, particularly those from unconventional backgrounds. Being from a single-parent, Jewish household, we experienced that first-hand when we moved here. But once you do find your place, you’ll see the sense of familiarity that people here feel towards one another, and that’s a big part of what holds a community together through something like a pandemic.
In this closer to home episode of Tieran Meets the World, I spoke to Janine Dee, who the owns Cobblestone teahouse just off Steyning high Street on cobblestone walk, and also met with locals Mike Kelly and Jane Oxley, who’ve lived in Steyning for years. Examining the town I grew up in through a different lens, along with my conversations with locals, left me appreciating it more than I ever had, and I found myself reflecting on the fact that we were all very privileged to be riding out the lockdown in a place like Steyning, where the South Downs national park is on our doorstep, and people tend to have gardens and green spaces they could spend time in when they were unable to leave their homes.
Accompanying article here: tieranmeetstheworld.com/steyning-lockdown-gives-locals-time-to-reflect-in-a-typical-english-sussex-town
00:00-01:26 - Welcome to Steyning
01:27-02:58 - Janine and the Cobblestone Teahouse
02:59-05:25 - How has coronavirus changed Steyning's community?
05:26-07:07 - What was it like to grow up in Steyning?
Facebook Page: facebook.com/tieranfreedman.co.uk
Instagram: instagram.com/tieranfreedman
How did the coronavirus lockdown impact a small British Town? How do residents feel the community has changed during the pandemic? And what was it like to grow up in Steyning, a quaint English town?
After 1.5 years on the road, I returned to Steyning, my hometown, as a pandemic swept across the world. In the midst of all the Covid restrictions, I spoke to locals in socially distanced interviews to find out how they thought their community had changed during the lockdowns.
Steyning is a sleepy British town in West Sussex, nestled next to the South Downs national park. nowadays around 6,000 people, myself included, call Steyning home, and about 31% of them are over 65. Founded when Saint Cuthman built St. Andrews church back in the 857, it’s a typical town in the Southeast of England; despite being a stone’s throw from Brighton, and just over an hour from London, it’s pretty sheltered, conservative, and not particularly diverse. With Chanctonbury ring to one side, and Devil's Dyke to another, it’s stunning surroundings have always been what I miss most when I’m away, along with the “small town charm” it exudes.
That said, Steyning can be a little closed to outsiders, particularly those from unconventional backgrounds. Being from a single-parent, Jewish household, we experienced that first-hand when we moved here. But once you do find your place, you’ll see the sense of familiarity that people here feel towards one another, and that’s a big part of what holds a community together through something like a pandemic.
In this closer to home episode of Tieran Meets the World, I spoke to Janine Dee, who the owns Cobblestone teahouse just off Steyning high Street on cobblestone walk, and also met with locals Mike Kelly and Jane Oxley, who’ve lived in Steyning for years. Examining the town I grew up in through a different lens, along with my conversations with locals, left me appreciating it more than I ever had, and I found myself reflecting on the fact that we were all very privileged to be riding out the lockdown in a place like Steyning, where the South Downs national park is on our doorstep, and people tend to have gardens and green spaces they could spend time in when they were unable to leave their homes.
Accompanying article here: tieranmeetstheworld.com/steyning-lockdown-gives-locals-time-to-reflect-in-a-typical-english-sussex-town
00:00-01:26 - Welcome to Steyning
01:27-02:58 - Janine and the Cobblestone Teahouse
02:59-05:25 - How has coronavirus changed Steyning's community?
05:26-07:07 - What was it like to grow up in Steyning?
Facebook Page: facebook.com/tieranfreedman.co.uk
Instagram: instagram.com/tieranfreedman
