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.
Click on the links below to access each recollection.
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 |
17/10/2007
I came to live in N. Baddesley in 1947, but did visit during wartime, one memory being of the only bus service which was a blue coach which travelled from Kings Somborne to Southampton and caused some concern and interest when it passed the large bomb crater adjoining the road in Rownhams, everyone moved over to view!! I am told this bus was so full that when it reached Shirley some people were asked to get off!
My parents who were here during part of the war, walked down their drive after a raid and the all clear had sounded, when a plane flying very low appeared, they realized it was a German bomber, threw themselves into the ditch, luckily it must have already dropped its bombs!
By 1947 there was the Hants & Dorset green bus service travelling hourly from Southampton to Romsey and at 8.10 am an extra small coach which started from Scragg Hill. This bus was very popular and usually packed after the ‘Baddesley Arms’ now Knights Cross stop. Roughly ten people would get this early bus and as some of us would have quite a long walk up Rownhams Lane we would beckon on late comers if we were early and seen the bus coming. A friend reminded me that the bus fare was 8d! These buses ran via Bassett, Chilworth, North Baddesley and Romsey. Firgrove Road was just a very rough track but if living well down Rownhams Lane although rough on the feet, we could take that route and get on the bus at a stop between Scragg Hill and the Baddesley Arms.
Shops in Rownhams Lane and very popular, were Oaklands Stores situated where the Bedes Lea stands now, owned by Ron Carter when I came to the village, but previously owned by a Mrs Long. This was also an Off License. Scragg Hill Stores situated between Broad Lane and West Lane, a small general shop which also sold the evening Southampton Echo, owned by a Mr. Harrison then Mr. Cadwallader, a Mr. Maurders and followed by Mr. Rogers. My children remember Mr. Rogers very kindly and were intrigued when buying loose sweets he would wrap them in a cone of stiff blue paper. This shop closed as a food store in the late 1960’and for a short while sold wallpaper and decorating items. It is now two semi-detached bungalows.
In the village the busy post office and general store was situated on the same site as now. Mr. & Mrs. Montgomery organised the grocery etc and Miss Montgomery was Post Mistress.
A Co-op grocery shop was on the site of the now Hardware store and the Co-op butchers managed by Mr. Todd (nicknamed I believe Sweeney Todd!) was where Trevor Mitchell hairdressing is now. Opposite the butchers was Waller’s grocery store. A fish and chip was on the corner of Botley Road and Six Oaks Road. A newsagent’s was in Botley Road where the Video shop operates now. This was owned by a Mr. Bartlet and later Mr. Hargreaves.
Lens café a transport café was situated approximately on the area of the Water Margin