You are here:
Finchdean
Finchdean maps
Historic maps of Finchdean and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Finchdean maps
Finchdean area books
Displaying 1 of 22 books about Finchdean and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Finchdean
No memories of Finchdean have been shared yet - be the first!
Add your memory of Finchdean
or of a photo of Finchdean.
Hampshire memories
Rowlands Castle Brickworks
Rowlands Castle Brickworks originally established during the 1880’s, and must have been the biggest employer at the time, next to agriculture. Not all the workforce came form Rowlands Castle, but from local villages in the surrounding area, the site itself was a large sprawling layout, the clay pits took up most of the land. During its hay day as many one hundred people were working there, the work would have been hard manual labour, before electrification that relieved some of the hard work; there is evidence pottery production in the area going back to the Romano-British period.
Most of our family had work at the brickyard in the past; there was factory work in the local towns which of course these paid more. My Uncle Frank and Geoff were there along with my cousin Dave Jacobs, my Uncle Douglas also worked there for a short time driving the Lorries. Dad worked there as lad, before joining the Navy. One of his first jobs was barrowing coal from the wagons... Read more
The Red Lion And The Square
My parents ran the Red Lion between 1953-83. I was brought up here and went to Blendworth School, Mrs Byrne was the headmistress. The pub was situated on a tight bend on the old A3 and was regularly hit by vehicles unable to make it round this corner. A blocked up archway on the left of the building had a date brick of c1750. In the Square adjacent to the Red Lion was Smith & Vospers, grocers and bakers managed by Mr Mitchell. Across the A3 was the Post Office run by the Hancock family. Baileys ran the general hardware store and Ellis's ran a store next door selling produce from their market garden in Westbourne. Further round the square was Pescotts, the butchers, their slaughterhouse was behind the shop on Blendworth Hill, across from this was the Newsagents run by Maurice Bond and then the Bedfords.
Blendworth Primary School
I started school here in 1954, in the Infants class run by Mrs Pead, after 2 years I moved into the next door classroom which housed children aged 7 to 11. This class was run by Mrs Byrne the Headmistress, and later by Mrs Borrow part time. The Rector William Rees would come and teach 1 lesson a week, I remember throwing snowballs at him over the school front fence! I left in 1960.
HORNDEAN WAR MEMORIAL
I am seeking help in identifying two soldiers recorded on the Horndean War Memorial. I have found the details of all of the others. I intend to publish the results of my research.
The two men are recorded as follows
Turner C G
Larcombe F G (possible a Corporal)
I believe that Mr Turner is Charles George 315153 Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. He left the Army on 21st April 1919 and lived Lovedean Horndean His wife was Bertha nee Pocock. Charles was born in 1889 @ West Meon.
If I am correct, Charles died during the period Apr 1919 and mid 1920, when the War Memorial was dedicated. I have been unable to find details of any Charles George Turner who died in this period.
Mr Larcombe is a complete mystery. Three Larcombes with these initials are recorded by the Commonwealth War Grave Commission, (CWGC). One came from Berkshire the other... Read more
My Young Days at Catherington
MY YOUNG DAYS AT CATHERINGTON, RANDELLS COTTAGE, LINKHORN Born in 1942 in Cornwall, my early years of school were at Clanfield. My holidays were spent at my grandmother’s house at Randells Cottage, my father was in the R.A.F and our family moved from Cornwall into a small house on the causeway. In those days the field opposite was used for the local fete, later it was moved to Catherington in the field beside the Farmers Inn. I remember that when my dad got posted to Egypt in 1950 mum had organized a party for my two sisters and me it was held in the old shed in the field next to the Farmers Inn once used by the Home Guard, all the family of my uncles and aunties came with my cousins, the day after we set off to Egypt from Southampton docks on the ship 'Empire Orwell'. When I used to go to my gran's it was a long walk up Catherington Lane, especially at night with bats flying across the... Read more
Padnell Avenue Etc.
We were the first family to move into the newly built Padnell Avenue Council Estate, moving there in around 1947, our house was one of a pair on the corner of Winscombe Avenue. Where the Council flats are now situated was prefabs and I can name most of the occupants who lived there at that time. I lived there until I married my wife Maureen at St Wilfred's Church, Padnell Road in 1971. I have many fond memories of the entire area and I'm sure people of Cowplain will share my memories of Padnell Recreation Ground, 'The Swamps' - 'The Humps & Bumps' - going to the 'Bob-Bon' at the top of Padnell for sweets - 'Joey's Field' - the 'Lily Pond' the 'Boat Pond' - the 'Tanks' in the Queens Enclosure and then there was the 'Farm Pond' at Padnell Farm where we would spend hours fishing for 'Sticklebacks'. There was Bert Steer's Transport Cafe at the top of Latchmore Forest Grove and the Cowplain Boys Club up towards... Read more
Phone Box
I was born in Kings Road in 1964, and have fond memories of Cowplain.
My parents still live there but I have moved to the other side of the world (New Zealand).
The phone box in the picture was used to phone would be girlfriends, as the home phone was not very private, many a 2p coin was lost in there.
I don't remember the concrete plant pots having plants in they were filled with concrete at some stage.
I do remember Martins newsagents just past Pinks in the photo and then a Bank on the corner of Kings Road.
Its great to see the photos, I wish I could jump in and revisit good OLD Cowplain.
