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
Here is the 2015 Selwood Christmas Tree on Bournemouth Road in Chandler’s Ford.
The glow of the Christmas tree has brightened the sky in Chandler’s ford for the past three weeks. [Read more…] about Selwood Christmas Tree in Chandler’s Ford 2015
The Christmas lights will be switched on in Chandler’s Ford this Thursday.
Local traders from the Central Precinct have organised a friendly ‘Christmas light switching on’ ceremony for Thursday the 10th of December 2015, from 4.30pm to 5.30pm. [Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford Central Precinct: Christmas Lights Switching On: Thursday 10 December 2015
Have you been to the new Chandler’s Ford Produce and Craft Market yet?
The next market is on Saturday the 12th of December 2015 from 10am to 2pm, on Brownhill Road, at Age Concern Centre in Chandler’s Ford. [Read more…] about NEW! Chandler’s Ford Produce and Craft Market
Banks – love ‘em or hate ‘em – we are going to lose HSBC Chandler’s Ford Branch. Closure is scheduled for 13th November 2015.
This is the bank in the Central Precinct, famous for being the site of an armed robbery in September 2007. [Read more…] about Closure of HSBC Chandler’s Ford Branch. Do Bank Branches Still Matter?
This is a new Do you Remember series. You’re invited to share your fond memories of Chandler’s Ford.
Is there a particular shop, a person, or a service that you remember and want to share?
Today I start off this series with my favourite gift shop, The Precinct Gift Centre, which closed in February 2006.
The Precinct Gift Centre was a precious gift shop at the Central Precinct of Chandler’s Ford. [Read more…] about Do You Remember…The Precinct Gift Centre?
Update on 1st May 2015: Gibson’s Card Gallery reopened two weeks after this post was first published.
The owners of Gibson put a note on the shop window about its brief closure for 2 weeks: “Please use us or lose us!” [Read more…] about What’s Happened to Gibson’s Card Gallery at the Mall?
People blog about, talk about, write about and visit Fryern Arcade in Chandler’s Ford so there must be something good about it.
Shortly after Fryern was opened in 1967, Ian Nairn, an architectural journalist wrote in the Observer (October 8th 1967) about Fryern and compared it with a similar development, the Fairwater Centre, in Cwmbran, South Wales. [Read more…] about The Good and the Bad of Fryern Arcade
The joy of running Chandler’s Ford Today is that I get to know more people in the community.
We all want to find out about our community. We contribute to the discussions, and help each other research local history.
Chandler’s Ford resident Teresa Buckley recently contacted me as she needs to find out your views on the Fryern Arcade. [Read more…] about Have Your Say: Your View about Chandler’s Ford Fryern Arcade
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
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
Chandler’s Ford is like a well-engineered machine. It works smoothly, runs well and does not break down.
It is serviced thoroughly by Eastleigh Borough Council; traffic flows are fluid and it has good bus services and a railway station.
The shops here are more than adequate with three supermarkets (Co-operative Food, Asda, and Waitrose), [Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford Guide Book Entry
For me, Christmas only starts when the Christmas tree at Selwood on Bournemouth Road in Chandler’s Ford is erected.
This year, Selwood once again welcomes Christmas with a spectacular Christmas tree.
This handsome Christmas tree with a striking star not only arouses Christmas spirit, but also welcomes travellers. [Read more…] about Selwood: Spectacular Christmas Tree in Chandler’s Ford 2014
The “Precinct Pals” welcomed Christmas today with mulled wine and mince pies in Chandler’s Ford.
At the Central Precinct, Christmas celebration was done differently. There was no need for Santa Claus or a horse carriage.
Of course there was no need for road closure either.
Instead, the lights were delicately [Read more…] about Central Precinct: 2014 Christmas Lights Now Switched on
Christmas isn’t too far away.
Jimmy Peters, who grows and sells Christmas trees, has once again appeared at the Fryern Arcade of Chandler’s Ford selling Christmas trees.
Jimmy Peters’ Christmas trees come from Marwell.
Last year when Jimmy sold his Christmas trees at the Fryern Arcade, he was next to the conventional D & G Hardware store. [Read more…] about Fryern Arcade: Christmas Trees and Christmas Carols
There was a time when there were no sweets. Adults used to talk about Mars Bars, Kit Kats, Gobstoppers and Acid Drops. I had no idea what these were but they sounded desirable.
During WWII there were no sweets.
If you were lucky and could put on a cough, there may be a few pence worth of cough sweets. There were like the Fishermen’s Friends you can get today but bigger. You could suck one or maybe two but no more. They were good currency in the playground, you could swap one for a cigarette card. [Read more…] about Sweets Glorious Sweets
I am delighted to see WH Smith at the Fryern Arcade in Chandler’s Ford has started selling books.
Yesterday afternoon I saw a good selection of books at WH Smith. One book relevant to Chandler’s Ford is The Chandler’s Ford Story: From Earliest Times to the 21st Century, by Barbara Hillier and Gerald Ponting. [Read more…] about WH Smith Chandler’s Ford: Good Books In Community
The Central Precinct of Chandler’s Ford is a paradise for snooker players. Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club is located at the back of the Central Precinct, facing Ahmad Tea company.
It is the last remaining snooker club in Winchester, Chandler’s Ford and Eastleigh.
The family run club has ten well-maintained tables and is open seven days a week to members and non-members. [Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford Snooker Club and Central Precinct
Update 1st Nov 2016: Closed: Stairway Bakery and Coffee Shop at Fryern Arcade
Original post (below):
The last trading day for Asante coffee shop on Winchester Road in Chandler’s Ford will be on Saturday October 18th 2014.
Asante coffee shops were set up by Paul and Shirley Barter five years ago. Another Asante coffee shop is in Romsey.
The coffee shops aim to support the charity Citizens 4 change (c4c), to help provide funds to [Read more…] about Asante Chandler’s Ford Coffee Shop Closure
