I saw a photo of Station Lane on this website: Chandler’s Ford Memories (Facebook). It is the bottom end of Station Lane before going onto the Railway property and yard and Station beyond.
The year is unknown but very old as the railway line that served the old brickworks at the bottom of School Lane can be seen through the gate this is way before my time.
The photo must be late 19th or very early 20th century as both brickworks and the line to it were gone completely I think by the 1920s.
I believe that many of the bricks were made for the building of Eastleigh Railway Works by the brickworks at School Lane, probably most of its entire production. Not sure of the exact date when the works was built, 1880 / 1890 I think, when Southern moved down from Nine Elms in London.
Interesting photo as I think that is a church in the background (St Boniface?) and what looks like the Station Master’s house just beyond the platform. It’s about the right place where I remember it to be when I was friends with Alan, the Station Master’s son.
Station Lane is not even the cobble stone that it was when I lived there but just grass and dirt. The house on the left was still there when I was a boy that was Mr and Mrs Eydeman’s house.
Here are some old photos of Chandler’s Ford. Credit: Eastleigh and District Local History Society
Related posts:
- Roger White: Where is “The Parade” in Chandler’s Ford? Memories from my 1950s Childhood
- Roger White: Roger White: My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley
Beautiful story, Roger. I walk past the station everyday. It’s lovely to know your link with the railway station, and those sweet memories. Keep your stories coming.
St Boniface church was not built until 1904 so this photo is not late 19th century and you are correct that is St Boniface in the background. The footpath from the station through to the industrial estate is the original single track railway line route. The brickworks also supplied bricks (35 million) for the building of the law courts in London and the parliament building in Cape Town, South Africa.
My top Chandler’s Ford fact is the Royal Albert Hall is also made of Chandler’s Ford bricks! I’m not sure I should be as proud as I am but it’s a fun fact at the least
Janet, you do know that before 1847 this road was in fact Hursley Road?
If you go up to the top of the road by Selwoods and look down the road you will see it all makes sense that it was originally Hursley road before the railway line went in. It is a dead straight line. The house on the left is still there. No idea how old it is but it’s a nice house. At the top of the road also have a look at the garage on the right hand side. You will notice it has a chimney! Originally it was not a garage. It looks an old building. From what I have been told there was a builder operating from there. Not sure what the garage was used for before.
Yes, looking at a map and the straight line between Station Road and Hursley Road is obvious. I can also see the original road on a pre-railway map of about 1815, and clearly truncated by the railway on a map of 1897.
That makes sense , the house on the left (Eydermans) when I lived in Station Lane was old, old. Mr Eyderman used to be a barber and as boys we would be sent round for haircuts.
Fordington Villas where I was born, and Knightwood View the 2 terraces were also old I think, they certainly were not new houses when my parents moved in.
The garage at the top on the right does have a chimney and the fire place was still in it. My Father rented that from as long back as I can remember. He garaged his car there and in later years I put my motor bike and a car in the garage. It was rented from the company who owned the advertising boards. There was a small bit of land there as well where he grew vegetables, kept chickens and rabbits. We were lucky we had veg, eggs and meat during the war.
Interesting some of the places that were built from Chandler’s Ford bricks. It must have been turning out thousands at some time. Would love to find out more about the place but it seems to have disappeared into history with few records.
As children we used to play in among the ruins for hours although there was very little left of the buildings and the field was always known to us as the “brickfield”.
When did it open?
Who owned it?
Was my house in Station Lane a workers’ cottage ?
When did it close?
So many questions and very little historical information around, where would you start to look?
I did my uni dissertation about the brickworks. it is true there is very little to find anymore. have a look at old os maps, and also the census’s for that time. the whole set up eventually moved to bursledon and some of the original chand. ford machinery can still be found there.
Have been to Bursledon some maps and photos there and machinery still steamed up at certain times
I believe my mother was born in the station house in 1911. Family name Mason her father was I believe the station master
Hello Margaret
That was probably much earlier I was born 1942 and around the late 1940’s early 50’s the station Master was a Mr Horton and it was his son Alan that I used to play with when I was quite young .
Hi Roger I think my grandfather william mason was station master when my mother was born in 1911. I went through chandlers ford a few weeks ago on the bus to Winchester. If you are able to obtain any information from that time I would be grateful. Regards
Hi Roger, hope you are well? Love Reading your memories of Chandlers Ford. I noticed in one of your memoirs you mentioned a girl that lived opposite the hut on Bournemouth. I’m wondering whether that was my Grandmother or Great aunt. Their surname was Biddlecombe?
Hi Michelle … I remember Betty Biddlecombe and her dad (I think) Bill Biddlecombe
Hi Doug, Yes Betty Biddlecombe is My great Aunt. She lived at 106 Bournemouth Road
Hi Doug, My Great aunt was Betty Biddlecombe. She loved at 106 Bournemouth Road. I’ve just spoken to her and she said your surname rings a bell. Bless her.
Hello Michelle , thank you am well , pleased you liked my memories , the family I mentioned were the Websters , all 5 sisters and one who I went to school with ,I do remember the Biddlecombe family who I think lived in the cottages bit further down from the Hut closer to the Off Licence the Wright family also lived there Trevor And Carrie with their parents.
Hi Roger … I remember an Yvonne Webster from that block of houses opposite The Hut