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Medstead memories

Here are memories of Medstead and the local area. You can start now: Add your own Memory of Medstead or a Medstead photo.

The War Years

The School c1955
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I went to this school during part of the Second World War years and was in Miss Backhouse's class, she used give you the ruler across the back of your hands if you were caught talking. Other boys that were there at that time were Chris Prier, Terry Jeffries and the Rawling brothers. Happy Days.

Medstead School

The School c1955
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I also went to Medstead School from 1970 to 1975. I loved this little school, I can remember some of the teachers, Mrs Hill, Mrs Westlake, Miss Shaw, Mr. Orbell, Mr. Roberts, Mrs Macartan. Headmaster was Mr. Benham. School dinners here were THE best! The late Mrs. Wooster was the brilliant Cook, along with her team, Mrs. Letts, and Mrs. Keenan.

1963

The School c1955
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This was my school from 1962-1965, the last year l was in Miss May's class where she was the bully, she made my life a misery. The village was a delight to grow up in. l loved it there.

This Was my School!

The School c1955
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I went to school here from about 1971 when I had just turned 6 until the age of 11 when I was sent off to the Amery Hill Secondary, in nearby Alton.

The school house and St. Andrews Church played a huge part in my life back then as I was also in the Church Choir, Brownies & later the Girl Guides lead by Miss Jennifer Lines - who I adored. I was one of two girls to get sick with Scarlet Fever at this school and there was a big hush up so as not to panic the "simpleton villagers" as the Doctor put it. Charming! I then got Coxsackie Virus and I was off school for a long time that year and it was touch & go for a while. Prayers were said in Church and obviously they must have worked! :)

I hated my school days as the bullying was terrible - all the way through unfortunately, mainly by the same group of girls... Read more

Great Dane

Post Office c1955
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I remember the Great Dane in the picture. My Grandma had a Yorkshire/Manchester Terrier cross, and the two animals looked so incongruous when they met. My aunt Doris Greenslade lived in a tiny cottage owned by Walter Little Senior situated 100 yards to the left of the post office in the picture.

My Younger Days up Redwood Lane.

i can remember menia cottage from a very early age.its not there anymore knocked down to make way for modern and bigger houses.to me that little tinned roof bungalow was heaven i lived there with mum and dad and my 5 brothers and 3 sisters until i was 23.now we have lost another brother (andy) i wish we could go back to how it was then,you could trust anybody leave doors and windows unlocked day and night not worry about where our next meal was coming from.we never had a lot of money because you did not need it then, but we never went without we were always happy.

Memories of Hampshire

I Was Baptised in This Church . . .

St James' Church 2004
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and so was my mum, her dad, his dad, his dad, etc etc.
I was born in Upper Wield in 1949. The churchyard is full of us Giles'

Batt Family

My faher, Herbert Alexander, was born in Church Cottage, Bentworth in 1893. His mother waa Emma Alexander (nee Batt). The Batt family had lived in Bentworth for many years. In the 1950s a descendent of the Batt family, William Loren Batt, came to England from America searching for his ancestors from Bentworth. In the 1850s his great-grandfather and several other members of the Batt family emigrated to America. He traced the family back to 1784 when Thomas Batt married Frances Gardiner at Old ALresford. On his return to the USA Wiliam wrote a small book entitled "Hunting Batts in England" about his experiences in tracing the Batt family. He also arranged for a gravestone to be erected in Bentworth Churchyard to the memory of John & Martha Batt, married in Bentworth in 1804, and other descendents of the Batt family interred in the Churchyard.

Lindsey Cottage And The White House

In 1949 my mother and I moved to Bentworth when my mother became the Health Visitor for Alton. We first stayed at rooms in the White House which was diagonally across from the Dugdales in the Big house at Bentworth. We then moved to Lindsey Cottage, opposite the Star, which introduced both of us to an outside khazi! But it was a lovely cottage and I used to listen to 'Dick Barton' on the radio whilst have a bath in the old tub in front of the sitting room fire. During the bad 1948 winter I can remember returning to the village by bus from Alton. During those days the bus went via Medstead which meant turning right to Bentworth and going down the perilous twisty road (I believe it was staightened and widened in the 1960s). The bus slid and got wedged in the narrow lane. It was a happy time as I met up with the Dugdale kids and used their tree house. After that I went off to prep school and only... Read more

Farringdon Beat

I was the village beat bobby from 1983 until 1994, I lived in the police house in lower Farringdon, I covered the villages of Chawton, Newton Valence and east Tisted.I was PC 1609 Clive Cutts, but later changed my surname back to Renowden. I made some good friends in the village, and I miss my late friend Joe Lonsdale. I am now retired from the Hampshire Police and live back in my native Cornwall. anyone in the village who knew me. please contact me at Clivejac@fsmail.net

Family Bible

I have recently been given for safe-keeping a family Bible listing dates of family births, deeaths and marriages and christenings, all within the village of Farringdon and the church of All Saints. The earliest record was dated 1757. My great-great-grandmother was Mary Knight who married William Newell from Arylsford, their daughter Ellen Sophia was my great-grandmother and she married George Radfod from the village of Bentley in Hampshire. They all lived in Farringdon during periods of their lives. The surname Christmas is mentioned a lot as godmother or godfather and while visiting the churchyard I found a gravestone with this name on it.

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