These recollections have been supplied by villagers who have lived or worked in the village during the past. Some of them are are still living here. The earliest recollection is from a Mr. V.A. Dibble, who was the son of the first schoolmaster of Baddesley School and he was born in 1889.
We believe they provide a fascinating glimpse of what village life was really like in the past and I hope you will find them to be as interesting a read as I most certainly did.
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Please Note: As some of the recollections are quite long you will need to scroll the bar on the right hand side to access all the content.
| V. A. Dibble | E. Marsh | D. Peckham | B. Myall | M. Gradidge |
| P. Farmer | J. Hibberd | E. Cosier | J. Fowler | D. Biggs |
| P. Haws | E. Gardner | J. MacKenzie | M. Watts | R. Cobern |
Talked to her at Castle Hill, Flexford Road, 18:5:76
When Miss Gradidge went to school (1920's?) the houses standing at that time were the school and school house, the two cottages near the school called Carisbrook cottages, the two cottages opposite them on the corner of Castle Lane, and the two called Castle Cottages at the back of the recreation ground. There was a shop; Mr Hatch’s shop, a grocer and Post Office in the front room of a house where the estate agent's premises are now. The other houses in that terrace were built on later. Miss Gradidge remembers the Baddcsley Arms being built and thinks that Sear’s shop, the present Post Office, was built first about 50 years ago.
On the corner of Nutburn Road on the right as you go up towards the church was a Sawmill with a pair of cottages (Sawmill Cottages) then two more pairs of cottages before the allotments. Further up on the right was ‘Nutburn Farm’ tucked away in the corer of Sandy Lane and another old cottage where the bungalow ‘Nutburn’ now stands. On the other side of the road (The left as you go up to the church) was “a green” until you reached Street End which Miss G, called “the Barracks” There were two cottages where a chalet bungalow now stands set back a little from the road opposite ‘Nutburn.’ Opposite the Vicarage there was supposed to be a house where ‘Weeks’ lived on what was then called ‘Weeks Hill,’ Miss G, lived at Body Farm.
Other cottages which have gone include the four in Pound Lane, two on each side of the road, which were knocked down about six months ago, Emer Cottage in Pound Lane is still there. In Flexford Road the buildings now gone include The Blacksmith which was by Ryders Farm a cottage where the house ‘Castlehillside’ now stands, a cottage in the yard of Castle Hill across the lane frorm Miss Gradidge's house ‘Castle Hill’ which (was the farm house) and two cottages opposite ‘Castle Hill’ across Flexford Road which were burned down during the war.
Other odd Bits of information from Miss Gradidge:
Ram Alley is a bridge to Chandlers Ford by the railway line. There are cottages on Viney's farm called Ramalley Cottages.
There used to be a race-course over towards Chandlers Ford.
There was another sawmill in Rownhams Road near where Borden’s is now, owner Roy ? Ron? Lewis?
Ringwood Park was called Peewit Bottom.
There used to be a field called Bartholomews ?
Old Mrs Colbourne was a Betteridge,
Old Mr Dibble married a Miss Bull. The Bulls used to have Manor Farm.
The Red Hut (half way down the hill) was built after the first world war. Miss G remembers her father, sister and others fetching the hut. The Red Hut was erected by Toch.
It was the only recreation place in the village and they used to have good dances in it. People used to walk over from Romsey to them.
During the war people used to come out from Southampton on corporation buses and they would Park for the night in I Castle Lane to avoid the blitz. A big shelter was built at Body Farm.
Bungalow development used to be called Tintown because that was all you could see from the bus when it reached Baddesley crossroads. The land in the triangle which belonged to Flemings, was all gorse scrub. Fires were very common. They sometimes spread from the railway line near Ampfield and spread over the surface of Emer Bog (which Miss G pronounced Eemer).
There was a garage opposite Reema.
Repeated the story of the Horse stampede when talking about the army encampment on the common near where Reema is.
One villager recalled how in the 1950’s before the roads and pavements were made up, when it rained they would walk up to the bus stop in their wellingtons change into shoes, tuck their wellies in the hedge, then reverse the procedure on their way home.
Said parents married 1901 when father was 24. He had come to village at age 11. Doesn’t believe story of tunnel to church. Played all over the Manor when it was empty and found no trace of anything. Discredits one witness to tunnel. Says he only came here during the war so he couldn’t have known.