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. [Read more…] about Memories of Station Lane, Chandler’s Ford
Have you tried writing Flash Fiction?
Yesterday I wrote a brief introduction to Flash Fiction and shared one of my flash stories as an example. Do you have a favourite Flash Fiction story to share with us? [Read more…] about A Peek into My Writing World – Tools and Inspirations
In the 1960s my Father, John Vining, and I decided to create a milk round in Chandler’s Ford direct from Hiltonbury Farm and deliver to a growing population wonderful Raw Jersey Milk direct from the farm.
From the Hiltonbury Herds beginnings in 1947 by my Father, we were at that time milking around 40-50 Jersey cows in a long shed that housed 36 at a time, so had to do a changeover during milking to accommodate all the cows. It was very time consuming and labour intensive. [Read more…] about Going Full Circle: the Journey of Hiltonbury Jerseys
“Doing it for Imogen” is a fundraising campaign, which I hope Chandler’s Ford Today readers would support.
Imogen is only 6 years old. She is suffering from a rare disease called Langerhans’ cell histiocytosis (LCH). [Read more…] about “Doing it for Imogen” – Bike Ride for Piam Brown Ward
I remember “The Parade” of Chandler’s Ford well. It is along Bournemouth Road, coming from Southampton, just past the School Lane lights, down past the advertising hoardings. It’s the row of shops on the left before you get to Hursley Rd.
At that time, the Butchers shop where I worked was the first on the left, L.S. Horn, next was Lowmans the bakers, then I think it was the Lloyds Bank, Jenkins sweet shop, G.H.Baker & Sons, and grocers. I can’t remember the next one or maybe two shops, and at the end it was Mr Perrot’s fishmonger. [Read more…] about Where is “The Parade” in Chandler’s Ford? Memories from my 1950s Childhood
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. [Read more…] about Roger White: My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley
Another episode from Boats and Bikes…
I found the competitive side of cycling to be just what I wanted at that time. I needed a new angle on cycling and this was it! I managed to be moderately successful and I improved my “Personal Best” times over the distances I raced – mainly 10, 25 & 50 mile events. [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: Rotrax Memories; Joy of Powerboat – Part 14
More favourite memories including thoughts about my boats and bikes……
1964 – The year that Radio Caroline started broadcasting! [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: Passions for Power Boat, Bike, and Lambretta (Part 13)
By Betty Brooking
When we lived on the Oakmount estate in the 70s, our son first went to Mrs Vincent’s nursery school at the Methodist Church Hall Fryern Hill.
He then started infant school in the annex with Mrs Moye at Kings Road School Chandler’s Ford (She always ran the sweet stall at the school’s annual fete, held at Merdon Avenue School). [Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford School Days: 1970s – 1980s by Betty Brooking
It is worth saying how different commentating on powerboat racing was then to how it is nowadays.
As the boat [competitor] of a personality raced past, the commentator would show a degree of deference. [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: the Joy of Powerboat Race and Cycling (Part 12)
When you are at your most vulnerable, you need all the help you can get. Do you get it? No. I live in a house full of women and I am well looked after in the most part but these girls turn the bathroom into a minefield.
There you are, in the shower, naked, enveloped in steam, water streaming into your eyes. You need shampoo. Your groping hand soon knocks several plastic bottles down into the shower pan. [Read more…] about Always Read the Label
Last year I shared my Easter with you. I’m going to share my day with you again.
I’m having a nasty cold so it was a struggle in the morning. I missed the church today, but my neighbours later told me the Parish church was packed.
Who said Christianity is on the wane? I never believe it.
At Chandler’s ford Methodist Church, the Easter breakfast was prepared by the men this morning. [Read more…] about Easter 2016: Family and Chocolate
As 1963 started, I found myself more embroiled in preparations for the crucial exams in the spring.
My real energies were directed towards bikes and boats though!
I was never a very keen scholar, and spent far more time studying boats in magazines, than I did revising!
I knew I was poor at maths and physics, so effectively gave up on those subjects, and concentrated on English, History and Geography, where I knew I had hopes of positive results. [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: Witnessing My First Powerboat Race (Part 11)
I returned to the weekly “Club Room” meets throughout the Autumn & winter of 1961/2, with The Cyclists Touring Club. Their Southampton Section, as it was titled, organised weekly Sunday club-runs (rides), to a variety of destinations, always with afternoon tea booked at a venue.
These venues varied in type, from pubs that provided simple bread, cake and tea, meals, to the few cafes, or even a couple of farmhouses! [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: Bikes, Boats, and Adventures (Part 10)
I think that my ‘awareness’ of motor boats probably came from the early days of our little family moving from London to Chandler’s Ford.
Dad used to take us to Southampton, on a Saturday afternoon, and would see motor launches on Southampton Water from the Royal Pier, and also from my favoured ‘window seat’ of Mayes’ restaurant, where we often enjoyed afternoon tea, looking out across the Pirelli factory towards the “New Docks”. [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: My Passions with Bikes and Boats (Part 9)
As a child in Chandler’s Ford, Christmas was a special time for my family and me, albeit mostly during WW2, as I was 5½ at the outbreak.
I was, to all intents and purposes, an only child (my sister, Jean, died from Scarlet Fever aged 7, 4 years before I was born), so, I guess, understandably, I was ‘spoilt’ (so I was often told). [Read more…] about Christmas Then and Now
Reading Andy Vining’s recent article, Farming in the Winter and Christmas at Hiltonbury Farm, sends me back to the 1950s and 60s, when my step-mother, Dad and I lived in the bungalows in the fourth service road (nowadays the third one!), on Hursley Road.
We looked from our back garden across the field to Hiltonbury Farmhouse where, in the 1960s, Andy was milking the cows and delivering milk. [Read more…] about Oh Happy Days! Fond Christmas Memories in Chandler’s Ford 1950s – 1960s
I am now going back to the 1962/3 before I was married, it was often very cold at this time of year. I used to get up at around 5.00 am to get the cows in for milking as we had yet to build the Cubicle House to keep the cows inside.
Sometimes when it was particularly cold and wet we kept the cows overnight in the cowshed but there was only room for thirty six of them in the cowshed so some had to stay under the lean-too to keep out of the weather, usually about 10 to twelve were the unlucky ones, usually the ones giving the least milk! [Read more…] about Farming in the Winter and Christmas at Hiltonbury Farm
I spent a fascinating and hugely enjoyable afternoon at Chandler’s Ford library yesterday where I attended a talk on “Growing up in Chandler’s Ford in the 50s and 60s” by local ‘lad’ Martin Napier.
Extra chairs had to be brought out to accommodate everyone. [Read more…] about An Interactive Local History Talk by Martin Napier
By Jean-Louis Bravard
Note: This short story is to be read after my previous article, Where is My Tattoo?.
The surgeon who took my tattoo away was delighted with himself when I met him two weeks after the surgery. He had a broad smile and told me convincingly that my cancer was gone. Big smile. Nice to hear about 6 weeks after I was first told, “you have a cancer”. But… this is England and there always is a but. [Read more…] about The Washing Machine
