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Hiltonbury Farmhouse

Andy’s Story – Part 2 – Stories from Beechcroft

August 23, 2021 By Andy Vining 5 Comments

Photo by Andy Vining

Hello again, thank you for all the lovely compliments I received for my first Chapter.

This is not Chapter 2 as promised but more Part 1: Andy’s Story – Part 1: Early Years, Hiltonbury Farm, and… My Old Morris as I have just returned from a visit to Devon where my older sisters Jennifer and Janet live and in conversations with them I have more to add to part 1.

My sisters’ memories about our Grandparents

My Father’s Mother died quite young. Jennifer thinks she died in the Sanatorium, a TB hospital in Chandler’s Ford just off Cuckoo Bushes Lane. It has been knocked down and the area is all houses now.

My Father’s Father was the gardener at Hiltonbury and my Father’s mother married him and it was terrible to marry beneath her. It seems that all the family except her Brother George Beattie disowned her but Uncle George was very kind to her.

The Beattie Family outside Hiltonbury
The Beattie Family outside Hiltonbury

Uncle George was the Farmer at Hiltonbury, who took my Father in after both my Father’s parents died and brought him up as his own son, sending him to Peter Symonds School in Winchester.

What an achievement! Cycling 15 miles a day for school.

Father used to ride there every day on his bike all the way from Chandler’s Ford to school, and that’s about seven and a half miles. I agreed there was no traffic in those days but all the same fifteen miles a day and the roads were not up to much either.

I presume he would cycle up Hursley Road to The Pound, go right through Hursley, past his Cousin’s Norman Coopers place – North End Farm,  and along through Standon to Winchester, then Chilbolton Avenue to Bereweeke Road and so to College.

What an achievement, rain and shine, hot and cold, along, not roads as we know them today but probably tracks some of the way. Amazing. You would not get the youth of today doing that. It’s even a long way to go in a car, probably take as long today with all the traffic as well!

Now back to Cantley in Wokingham where I was born, there are a couple of fuzzy photographs of me in a pram and sitting on the lawn having something to eat, also a photograph of Mr Watson who was the owner of the farm where my Father was the bailiff / manager.

Me aged 2 - Andy Vining
Me aged 2 – Andy Vining

[Read more…] about Andy’s Story – Part 2 – Stories from Beechcroft

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, education, family, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, local businesses, local interest, memory, storytelling, writing

Andy’s Story – Part 1: Early Years, Hiltonbury Farm, and… My Old Morris

August 6, 2021 By Andy Vining 7 Comments

A similar car to the old Morris

Having been asked to write some articles for Chandler’s Ford Today I thought for ages where to start and what to tell.

My Mother and Father had got married in around 1938 and my sister Jennifer was born on the 6th of Feb 1939, followed in 1941 by Janet, then the son that they craved (or so I was informed) dutifully arrived on 6th April 1943. I am told there were air raids while in the nursing home and I was shoved under the bed in a basket a number of times it seems.

Mum and Dad's wedding Circa 1938 (Photo by Andy Vining)
Mum and Dad’s wedding Circa 1938 (Photo by Andy Vining)

Not that I am into the stars but it reports that people who are born on the 6th of April in 1943 have an astrological sign of Aries ♈. Aries’ life pursuit is the thrill of the moment and a secret desire to lead the way for others. People of this zodiac sign like taking on leadership roles, physical challenges, individual sports and dislike inactivity, delays, and work that does not use one’s talents. The strengths of this sign are: courageous, determined, confident, enthusiastic, optimistic, honest, passionate. OK on most of that but not so sure about the physical challenges bit!! [Read more…] about Andy’s Story – Part 1: Early Years, Hiltonbury Farm, and… My Old Morris

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, education, family, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, local businesses, local interest, memory, storytelling, writing

When Authors Talk… by Allison Symes

November 15, 2019 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Feature Image - Richard Hardie_Antony M Brown author event

Author events are fun but they all have one thing in common – the writer always wonders if anyone will show up! The relief when people do is enormous.

So if you know writers and they are putting on events, do go along. Never underestimate the value of much appreciated morale boosting support here. (The other simple way of supporting writers is to review their books on the usual sites. The nice thing with this is the review doesn’t have to be a long one).

Warning - poems, blogs, stories, novels, all writing alike benefits from good editing - image via Pixabay
Writers at work! Pixabay

[Read more…] about When Authors Talk… by Allison Symes

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Tags: Antony M Brown, author event, books, Cold Case Jury series, creative writing, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, local writers, Richard Hardie, Temporal Detective Agency, writing

The Vinings Invade Hiltonbury Farmhouse!

June 11, 2017 By Andy Vining 1 Comment

On Monday morning 5th June 2017, I, along with my wife Val, my sister, Heather Witham (Nee Vining), my brother Simon Vining and his son Bob Vining met with Rob Preston to see what progress had been made in the refurbishments of Hiltonbury Farmhouse since I was last there a couple of weeks ago.

It is certainly a “Proper” Building site now as it was a requirement for all of us to sign the visitors book and that we all wore high viz jackets and proper boots or to use the technical term we all had to wear “PPE” Personal Protective Equipment. [Read more…] about The Vinings Invade Hiltonbury Farmhouse!

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A Special Visit to “Hiltonbury Farmhouse”

May 26, 2017 By Andy Vining 14 Comments

On 22nd May I went to my old home Hiltonbury Farmhouse to meet Rob Preston the new tenant who is planning to open this wonderful old Farmhouse as a restaurant in early July this year.

Rob is a great entrepreneur who has been in and around the wine and drinks industry all his working life but always wanted to work on “The other side of the bar” as he put it and open a family restaurant setting a high standard for good food and excellent service. [Read more…] about A Special Visit to “Hiltonbury Farmhouse”

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Going Full Circle: the Journey of Hiltonbury Jerseys

September 7, 2016 By Andy Vining 10 Comments

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

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Protection of Open Space – Hiltonbury Farmhouse. What’s Your View?

June 28, 2016 By SO53 News 11 Comments

The Hiltonbury Farmhouse Pub, a grade 2 listed building in North Millers Dale, is leased by Punch Taverns from Cranbury Estates.  Punch want to re-open the pub and have made several planning applications to make alterations inside and outside.

The pub is adjacent to an open grass area about 35m x 50m which is subject of an agreement between Cranbury Estates and Eastleigh Borough Council made in 1980. The agreement and original plan of the area specifically commits Cranbury Estates to maintaining the community car park and public open space as a planning condition. [Read more…] about Protection of Open Space – Hiltonbury Farmhouse. What’s Your View?

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Tags: Chandler's Ford Parish Council, Chandler’s Ford community, community, Dovetail Centre, Eastleigh Borough Council, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, local businesses, local interest

Oh Happy Days! Fond Christmas Memories in Chandler’s Ford 1950s – 1960s

December 20, 2015 By Martin Napier 7 Comments

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

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, Christmas, Christmas 2015 in Chandler's Ford, community, culture, education, family, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, local businesses, local interest, memory, storytelling, writing

Farming in the Winter and Christmas at Hiltonbury Farm

December 19, 2015 By Andy Vining 6 Comments

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

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, Christmas, Christmas 2015 in Chandler's Ford, community, culture, education, family, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, local businesses, local interest, memory, storytelling, writing

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: Paper Boy; North End School (Part 2)

June 22, 2015 By Martin Napier 23 Comments

growing up in Chandler's Ford Martin Napier

I grew up in Chandler’s Ford in the 1950s and 1960s.

When I was about 12 years old, I started my first (part-time) job.

This was as a Saturday van-boy for Mr Smith, a greengrocer, who had a shop opposite “The Hut” on Bournemouth Road. (not to be confused with Mr Smith who had a grocers shop in Hursley Road, opposite the Railway Station.) [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s: Paper Boy; North End School (Part 2)

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, education, family, Hiltingbury, Hiltingbury Road, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, Hursley Road, Kings Road, Kings Road Infant School, local interest, memory, Merdon School, North End School, storytelling

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s (Part 1)

June 15, 2015 By Martin Napier 31 Comments

growing up in Chandler's Ford Martin Napier

I was born, not in Chandler’s Ford, but in Tooting, South London, in 1947.

My father came from Lancashire, and my mother from Tooting.

We lived in Streatham, a mile or two from Tooting, but just before my second birthday, my mother died from influenza. [Read more…] about Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s (Part 1)

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, education, family, Hiltingbury, Hiltingbury Road, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, Hursley Road, Kings Road, Kings Road Infant School, local interest, memory, Merdon School, storytelling

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse

January 21, 2015 By Andy Vining 19 Comments

History of Hiiltonbury Farmhouse, Chandler's Ford, by Andy Vining.

A few days ago my wife and I had the pleasure of meeting up with Janet Williams and her husband at the Hiltonbury Pub, my old home, and we discussed the way Chandler’s Ford had grown over the years.

In the entrance hall of the pub there is a photograph of Hiltonbury taken from the air in about 1974 and Janet suggested that I took a photograph of it and put it on the blog with some descriptions of some of the buildings in the photographs so here goes. [Read more…] about History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse

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Tags: architecture, Chandler’s Ford community, Christmas, community, culture, education, family, Hiltonbury Farmhouse, history, interview, local businesses, local interest, memory, storytelling, writing

The Vining Family and Hiltonbury Farmhouse

January 6, 2015 By Andy Vining 16 Comments

My family farmed the North and South Millers Dale and surrounding areas for over 100 years living in Hiltonbury Farmhouse until 1976.

On the 6th of May in 2012, my family gave a picnic table and benches at the corner of North Millers Dale (off Hursley Road) to the NMDCA (North Millers Dale Community Association), unfortunately the little plaque attached to the table was removed some time ago.

Vining’s Copse is named after my family. [Read more…] about The Vining Family and Hiltonbury Farmhouse

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Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

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

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

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

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Reviews of local performances and places

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