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Lower Waterditch
Lower Waterditch maps
Historic maps of Lower Waterditch and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Lower Waterditch maps
Lower Waterditch photos
We have no photos of Lower Waterditch, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Christchurch| Hinton Admiral| Hinton| Sopley| Bransgore| Mudeford| Highcliffe| Walkford| Southbourne| Hengistbury Head| Holdenhurst Village| Hurn| Barton On Sea| New Milton| Boscombe| Burley| Bournemouth| Downton| Ringwood| Sway| St Ives
Lower Waterditch area books
Displaying 1 of 18 books about Lower Waterditch and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Lower Waterditch
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Dorset memories
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!
Christchurch Trolleybus Turntable
Where's the turntable?
High Street
I was born and lived in Christchurch for 10 years (1952-1962) but still count it as my home. Iremember walking down the High Street with Mum and my sister, when she stopped to talk to someone I looked around and saw them knocking down some building at the top of the street ready for the by-pass.
Turntable
I remember as a small lad being taken by Dad to the back of the (I think) Dolphin pub to watch the trolly buses being put onto to the turntable. First one of the men would get a long pole and disconnect the overhead poles, then the two would turn the trolly bus round using two push bars at 180, then they would re-connnect the poles - sometimes it would spark as they put it back.
Rail Station Name Plate Machine
Recall using a machine on the platform at Christchurch Railway Station. It punched letters onto a aluminium nameplate strip of metal for 6d. I still have one of them.
Film of the Trolley Bus circular turning table can be seen on the youtube site, plus black & white footage of trolley buses' final parade journey round Bournemouth.
