Waterlooville

A Memory of Cowplain.

My name at the time was John Hancock and I lived in Stakes Hill Road, Waterlooville, Hampshire before Philip Road was built. With fields opposite my home and the Convent Church along the way, it was so idyllic. The horse and cart milkman and the Corona drinks delivery still in my mind. I went to the Waterlooville primary school with the tin huts along the main road and then on to Cowplain secondary School, that seemed a long walk in those days. I earned a few bob as a paper boy for Coxons the News agent in the village, then of course there was the Curzon cinema and the sweet shop (yellow shop) on the corner of Stakes Road.
Where I lived was the bomb crater in the fields opposite, with dirty water, yet fish still lived in it. As the development of Philip Road and Elizabeth Road grew, I gained more friends localy.
Of all the houses that existed then, the only house that was demolished was ours (172 Stakes Hill Road) to date. The cottage on the corner of Philip road and Stakes Hill road was then owned by a Mr & Mrs Ryder, Mr. Ryder would always have wonderful flowers on display and the old oak tree that stood there for hundreds of years has now been removed.
Whilst I lived in Waterlooville I saw the new development off of the Hulbert Road and on my door step the Philip and Elizabeth road leading to the Mill road development and the Berg Estate off of the Hambledon road.
Much of my young leisure time was spent in the local woods behind the Convent, known then as Primrose Hill, that lead to the Hulbert Road, now torn apart for the motorway and the Oaklands School.
Gauntlets Dairy Farm played a bit in my younger years as I used to help in the dairy and got to clean Gordon Gauntlets Sunbeam Talbot car (anything for a few bob).