Roger White: My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley

I was born in Chandler’s Ford in 1942 and lived in Station Lane until about 1972.

I remember many of the old places. We used to play in the old brickfield then go off up to Knightwood where there was a big sand pit created allegedly by a stray bomb during the war.

This is me aged about 16 – my first year in the Royal Navy at Boys Training Establishment HMS St Vincent at Gosport 1958.

I now live in Hedge End. I drove through there not long ago and realised how much it’s changed. Nice to see the butcher’s shop is still operating on the Parade – that was my school job every Tues evening and Saturday morning delivering meat on a bike. L.S.Horn was the butcher; “Swithun” was what the adults used to call him, but to me, he was Mr Horn of course.

I also worked there for 6 months after leaving North End school prior to joining the Royal Navy at 15 and a bit!

The Laundry in the Country – in Chandler’s Ford

My Dad worked for the old Chandler’s Ford Laundry in the 1920s. Here are two iconic pictures of the laundry van, and the laundry girls. My father was the driver.

The vans carried a picture of a bridge over a river. In these pictures you could see the driver and the laundry girls were all smartly dressed.

His family moved to Chandler’s Ford from Hursley. My father fought in 1914 / 18 war and his name is on the war memorial at Hursley. This is quite unique in having ALL soldiers remembered including those that survived, luckily he did otherwise I would not be writing this.

They lived at Warbury Villas, somewhere along Hursley Road long since gone I imagine.

The Iron pond and story of ghosts

Another snippet from my childhood: there used to be a railway line from the station out to the Brickfield and beyond passing alongside Miss Eydeman’s house, the last in Station Lane. It went out past the Brickfield out in the woods to what we called the Iron pond.

Legend had it that a train came off the rails and went into the Iron pond killing the crew, and their ghosts would be around the area. It is probably a story put about by Mr Fortune the farmer to keep us children away from it as it was on his land. It was copper coloured, most likely a dumping ground for the brick dust, and just a dry big bowl in my time.

My paternal grandparents

My paternal grandparents lived in Hursley at one of the cottages on the main road. These were probably owned by the estate of Sir George Cooper, and I believe my grandfather (possibly grandmother as well) worked on or for the estate.

My grandfather was an engine driver (traction) so he would have the steam engine and all the agriculture “tackle” for ploughing furrowing etc and would go round the estate farms doing that work.

My dad and WWI

My Dad left school at 12 yrs old (as most did at that time). My Dad was born in 1899, the youngest of 9 children, and worked with his father on the steam tackle up untill he had to go into the army in August 1917, and was sent to France the following January with the Hampshire regiment.

My father fought at Ypres, the Somme and Cambrai, wounded and sent back to England. After he had recovered, he was sent back to France with the Lancashire Fusiliers until his demob in 1919.

Winchester Road, Chandlers Ford in 1951, taken from what is now the entrance to Fryern Arcade, looking north. pic.twitter.com/ljfQx1ILui

— Eastleigh History (@Eastleighistory) August 7, 2016

From Hursley to Chandler’s Ford

My grandparents Thomas and Ann White moved from Hursley to Chandler’s Ford sometime during or after the Great War. My dad was living in Hursley with them when he went into the Army in 1916. They lived at 3 Warberry Villas, Hursley Road in the 1920s.

Why they moved I have no idea perhaps they lost their job and house at Hursley as steam was quickly going out of fashion in agriculture, and Hursley had tragic memories for them they lost a daughter in 1906 through illness, aged 22. And, six years later, a son died also through illness aged just 20. They are buried in Hursley side by side and I have visited the grave. I never knew my paternal grandparents. They had both died long before I was born, and are both buried in Chandler’s Ford old cemetery in Cuckoo Bushes Lane.

“Hazlewood”

My Dad was working at a big house in Chandler’s Ford named “Hazlewood”. I’m not sure where it was, but I believe it was owned by a Major and Mrs Kendall. My dad was chauffeur / under gardener / handyman. H brother-in-law was Head gardener. My Mum was born in Andover and worked I think for the same family (in service) at their London house, eventually coming down to work at Hazlewood and that’s where they met and eventually married.

My Dad was the youngest of 9 children my Mum the eldest of 12, both had left school at 12 and started work. No doubt it was to help family finances and in Mum’s case being the eldest, it meant one less mouth to feed as she worked and lived at her employer’s house “below stairs”!

Credit: All images by Roger White

Related post:

Roger White: Where is “The Parade” in Chandler’s Ford? Memories from my 1950s Childhood

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