Living In Stubbington From 1953

A Memory of Stubbington.

I moved to Stubbington as a 6 year old to the Red Lion Estate. My father like so many  on that estate was in the Royal Navy based at Portsmouth. I remember Foster's school and especially the daffodils by the fence in the Spring. I remember the bakery on the corner of the lane by the school and the row of cottages alongside which then housed the doctors surgery. There was Mr Davies the chemist, Don Read from the Post Office if I remember correctly. Dougie Wareham who ran the garage and the local taxi. Mr Farthing was the headmaster of the Infant school and Mr Fletcher was one of the teachers along with Mrs Covey-Crump who taught amongst other subjects needlework, Mr Mogford who was Welsh. The classrooms were wooden huts with big black heaters in the middle of the room where the milk crates were put in the winter giving us warm milk to drink. There were also two pubs in the village - The Sun and the Red Lion and a fishmonger and the Hardware store. There was a hut just inside Beresford Road on the estate which was used for Brownies, Scouts and Girl Guides. Also the SJAB held meetings there. I remember the Village Fetes and the dancing round the Maypole. As we grew older we could ride our bikes all round May's Lane, Burnt House Lane, Cuckoo Lane, down to Hill Head and Lee on Solent where we could go to the Tower Cinema on a Saturday morning to the matinee. We learnt to swim at the Swimming Pool along the sea front. As teenagers we used to go to the Village Hall which was in Bell's Lane to the weekly dances. We were sent on postings a couple of times but still kept the bungalow until we eventually moved to Fareham. The village has changed so much over the years both the village green and the surrounding areas. My memories are very fond memories and probably tinged with a bit of rose coloured spectacles. I remember as a teenager every move I made my parents knew about much to my dismay, but that was village life and that's how it was. It wold be nice to hear of other peoples memories and yes I remember Dr Loughborough and Dr Packman - he was my doctor. Soothills bakery also made wonderful cream buns which were a special treat on a Friday.

---

---