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Beckley
Beckley maps
Historic maps of Beckley and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Beckley maps
Beckley photos
We have no photos of Beckley, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Hinton| Walkford| Hinton Admiral| New Milton| Highcliffe| Barton On Sea| Bransgore| Downton| Mudeford| Sway| Christchurch| Sopley| Burley| Hengistbury Head| Everton| Milford On Sea| Southbourne| Boldre| Keyhaven| Brockenhurst| Hurn| Holdenhurst Village| Lymington| Ringwood
Beckley area books
Displaying 1 of 18 books about Beckley and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Beckley
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Dorset memories
A Strong Memory
I was born in 1931. During the war I spent about 1 year in Walkford, at the home of a great aunt in the village of Walkford. The maternal ancestry of my family is in Walkford. My great aunt had a house on I guess the Ringwood road. She had a hand laundry and at that time she would collect linen from the big houses in a van. Mondays, I believe was the day the linen soaked in an outhouse, the following day boiled, the next dried, the next ironed and finally delivered back.
I do not know my great aunt's family name, as I never knew my grandmother's maiden name. I remember the name `Cuppage' or perhaps `Cubbage', and their descendants still lived, and continued to live I guess, in Walkford. There was a daughter, and the daughter's son was named Dennis. I believe he moved to Highcliffe in later years. As you walk down Ringwood Road from Highcliffe end towards Hinton Admiral, they lived in a house... Read more
Lost Love
I met my late wife Angela in Walkford in 1960 when we were both very young. I was on holiday on my motorbike with three of my pals, and she was on a bicycle. It was a hot August bank holiday. She lived in Heath Road and was very girlish for 15. I thought at least one year older I was much more sophisticated. I went home to High Wycombe after spending two nights on the beach with my pals and disturbing the local constabulary. But we kept in touch and courted as it was done in those days. I visited many times and we would stroll over the common or through the Chewton Bunny. After five years we married and she came to live in High Wycombe, where eventually we raised our kids. We moved house several times and made a good life for ourselves, eventually settling in the village of Naphill where I still live today.
Sadly she was taken from us in 1994 but I continue... Read more
Holidays by The Sea
Just after the war my father (Harry 'Ginger' Scott) and a friend (Ralph Phillips married to Maggie Mullins, Eastleigh's scrap merchant) built a small caravan which they towed with our old Ford 8 to the caravan park at Highcliffe, which in those days was still in Hampshire, a movement of the county lines I only noticed on this site. Most weekends we had spare the three of us, Mum (May Eleanor, nee Butcher), Dad and I would have a mini holiday by the sea. In 1948 I began senior schooling at Peter Symonds in Winchester and became friendly with one of the boarders who came from Highcliffe (The Ruffhead family) and when Princess Elizabeth and Prince Phillip were to be wed my friend mentioned that there was to be a large TV screen in the local church in Highcliffe to view all the ceremony and we went, but now I am writing about it I keep feeling it may have been the Coronation, such is the mist of memory. Although... Read more
2 Solent Drive, Walkford
My parents Evelyn and Tom Williams leased this home from the owners (Clarks) from 1959-1961 - it was a big house surrounded by high laurel hedges with a walnut tree in the back garden.
Childhood Memories
My sister and I spent many happy holidays in Highcliffe. We used to stay in a chalet that was situated in a field at the back of a pub. There were chalets all the way round the edge of the field and there was a shower block at the bottom. Very primitive by today's standards but what fun we had. I can't remember the name of the pub but it was on the main Lymington road. My mum used to see us over the main road to the children's park and there was a path that led down to the beach. We had great adventures. Our chalet was called wee hame. If anyone can recall the name of the pub or can remember the chalets I would be so grateful for any information.
Part of my Childhood
I spent many enjoyable school holidays in this town. My Uncle had a store called Staggs the Drapery and clothing store. Back then we used to spend many an hour wondering over to the Quay & the Priory. We also used to take the ferry over the Avon into Southbourne where my Aunt lived. Then we would walk to Hengisbury Head. Sometimes we would fish in the Avon. It was a wonderful little town and when I visit it I still have a touch of nostalgia because a lot is still unspoilt. Unfortunately the wonderful garden that backed on to my Uncle's store is now part of a car park. Progress I suppose where beauty has to give way to necessity.
The Trolley Bus Turntable at Christchurch
I moved to Boscombe near Christchurch in 1954 when my father's job with Williams Deacons Bank took him to their newly opened Bournemouth Branch. I was amazed! I was just eight years old and all I had ever really known in the way of public transport were the London Transport red or green buses, plus some red trams and trolleybuses. Yet here in Christchurch were bright yellow buses and trolleybuses which plied the route into Bournemouth. Better still for a fascinated young boy, was the amazing trolley bus turntable in Christchurch. The driver took the trolleybus onto the turntable in a little cul-de-sac in the middle of Christchurch and then the conductor would get off and disconnect the pantograph on the roof and they would push the trolleybus round to face the way it had come ready for the return journey. Any watching youngsters were invited to help push so I had great fun with this!
