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You are here: Home / Community / The Main Road Through Chandler’s Ford: Historical Snapshots (Part 2)

The Main Road Through Chandler’s Ford: Historical Snapshots (Part 2)

October 19, 2021 By Christine Clark 4 Comments

Part Two: 1913

Chandler's Ford War Memorial. At that time it stood at the end of Hursley Road on railway company land, only moving to its present site (outside St Boniface Church )in 1973 being re-dedicated on 4th August 1974. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.
Chandler’s Ford War Memorial. At that time it stood at the end of Hursley Road on railway company land, only moving to its present site (outside St Boniface Church ) in 1973 being re-dedicated on 4th August 1974. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.

If we now time-travel twenty years or so to the eve of the First World War, let’s see what has changed on our route. Once again, we come up from Southampton to the Asda roundabout and up Bournemouth Road. Chandler’s Ford now has a police constable who lives at the police house at 5 York Villas, Bournemouth Road. We pass the home of one R. E. Burke, a lounge steward on HMS Titanic who sadly perished when the ship foundered last year. As we pass the Hut Hotel (see image below, forgiving the cars!), we may see Chandler’s Ford United FC training in a field behind, using the hotel as their changing room. The big brickfield on our left is still busy.

Hut Hotel, image by Christine Clark
Hut Hotel

At the junction with Hursley Road, a post office has opened and if we peer up Hursley Road we might see the Railway Hotel (now the Monk’s Brook pub) and opposite it Albert Dean’s coal, corn and seed premises. As we continue up Winchester Road, we pass the end of King’s Road. If we glance down it, we’ll see not only the home of the vicar, Rev Rene Pierssene, but also the new infant school, built a few years back (making the older school at School Lane the senior school).

Fryern Hill shops, Chandler's Ford, Autumn 1988. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.
Fryern Hill shops, Chandler’s Ford, Autumn 1988. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.

At Fryern Hill there are now some more cottages and larger houses. On the corner with Pine Hill Clump (Brownhill Road) a private house has been built (later Brownhill Surgery and now Co-op Funeralcare). Just a short way down Brownhill Road the first Methodist church has been built (now the Age Concern hall). Where the Co-op is now there is some open space called The Green, where children play amongst the trees, scrub and a small pond. Opposite, the Halfway Inn has had some bay windows added (see right). There is a baker’s shop on the corner of Oakmount Road and if we want to stop for tea there is a tea-garden behind. If we were to turn right down Oakmount Road, we’d come to Fryernhill Brick Works (around where Constantine Avenue is now).

1900: The first Methodist Chapel was opened in Brownhill Road. Image: Children looking down Brownhill Road. (Image credit: Chandler's Ford Methodist Church)
1900: The first Methodist Chapel was opened in Brownhill Road. Children looking down Brownhill Road. (Image credit: Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church)

 

The Halfway Inn, image by Christine Clark.
The Halfway Inn

But we stay on the main road. Somewhere around the present-day Roman Close is a leech pond (perhaps leeches are bred for medicinal use?) and opposite, on the corner with Crescent Road (later Merdon Avenue) is ‘The Mount’ boarding house (now the King Rufus pub). Just opposite Pitmore Farm there is another wood confusingly also called Fryernhill Wood. And so on to Winchester …

Our town grew steadily over the next hundred years: between the wars, post-war and in the latter years of the twentieth century. Even now infill housing goes up, as well as bungalows being replaced by flats or larger houses. It can be difficult to envisage how it looked all those years ago. But if you look carefully at the development on the old roads you can pick out what is really old and what is more recent.

The Railway Hotel in Hursley Road, Chandler's Ford, now the Monks Brook, around 1905 from FGO Stuart postcard 1170. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.
The Railway Hotel in Hursley Road, Chandler’s Ford, now the Monks Brook, around 1905 from FGO Stuart postcard 1170. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.
R&K Martin's heating and plumbing shop at the junction of Bournemouth Road in the 1970s. It was demolished to make way for the roundabout outside the Chandler's Ford shopping precinct a few years after this photo was taken. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.
R&K Martin’s heating and plumbing shop at the junction of Bournemouth Road in the 1970s. It was demolished to make way for the roundabout outside the Chandler’s Ford shopping precinct a few years after this photo was taken. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.

 

Winchester Morris Men at Chandler's Ford Precinct in July 1971. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.
Winchester Morris Men at Chandler’s Ford Precinct in July 1971. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.
Baddesley Road, Flexford Close junction, Chandler's Ford, pre-Millers Dale, April 1976. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.
Baddesley Road, Flexford Close junction, Chandler’s Ford, pre-Millers Dale, April 1976. Image via Eastleigh and District Local History Society.
Chandler's Ford Age Concern, Brownhill Road, behind Co-op
Chandler’s Ford Age Concern, Brownhill Road, behind Co-op

Sources: Maps of 1985 and 1913 by Frances Frith and various books by Barbara Hillier.

The Main Road Through Chandler’s Ford: Historical Snapshots (Part 1)

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Related posts:

Reverend Peter Cornick, Barbara Hillier, and her daughter Jo Nash: re-dedication of memorial plaque of Wilfred Herbert Hillier at Chandler's Ford Methodist Church, 28 Feb 2015.Barbara Hillier: Story of My Great Uncle Wilfred Herbert Hillier and His Memorial Plaque Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research: Part 3 Re-dedication Service For Chandler’s Ford War Memorial A restored plaque at the Dovetail Centre in Chandler's Ford Methodist Church: remembering Wilfred Herbert Hillier.In Loving Memory of Wilfred Herbert Hillier Book Review: Margaret Doores’ Love’s Greatest Gift – Remembrance
Tags: Chandler's Ford, community, culture, Eastleigh, education, history, Hursley Road, local history, local interest, memory, St. Boniface Church, storytelling, war memorial, World War One, writing

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Del scorey says

    October 20, 2021 at 2:49 pm

    This is so interesting,thank you

    Reply
  2. John Willkinson says

    October 20, 2021 at 5:32 pm

    Another excellent article, many thanks.

    Apropos the picture of R and K Martin’s Heating and Plumbing shop on the corner of Hursley Road, in the 1950s it was the local office of Southern Gas. It was widely known by bus conductors of the 46, 47 and 47A routes as such. There was no need to mention Chandlers Ford when buying the tickets. “One and two halves to the gas office”, was all my mother would say.

    Reply
    • Marny says

      October 21, 2021 at 1:52 am

      That is absolutely true!

      Fabulous pictures that bring back memories, thank you!

      Reply
  3. Mike Sedgwick says

    October 21, 2021 at 9:09 am

    I like the picture of the motorcycle and sidecar. I had forgotten about that mode of transport. Wasn’t there a branch of Hilliers Gardens behind the ‘Gas Office’ at one time?

    Reply

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