Over Wallop, Station Road c1965

My Home

I lived in Rose Cottage from mid 1965 to July 1966 when we were posted to Germany. At the time it was divided into two cottages. Myself, my husband and my 6mths old son lived in no2 which was the cottage on the left side looking front on. My husband was in the army. We had a choice of Rose Cottage or Apple Tree Cottage in King Lane. My next door neighbour was Margaret also an Army wife. We spent a fair bit of time on our own whilst are husbands were on exercises, so we became involved with the church fete and we spent hours making fudge to sell on the stalls. We had a great time. While living there my son was very sick with whooping cough and a very kind local couple I had made friends with who lived on the 'new estate' [sorry I cannot remember their names] took us to the doctors in Nether Wallop. I also remember my neighbour and myself walking once a week to Middle Wallop to the air force camp to play bingo. I remember the Morris dancers dancing outside the pub, summer of 66. It was great fun living in Over Wallop, long country walks, bus trips to Salisbury and Andover. It was beautiful. Huge eggs at a shilling a dozen [cracked of course] from a local farm. Nothing ever tasted that good again. The property was placed on the market during our time there. I cannot remember if it was one or the two cottages for sale but I do remember the asking price was 5,000 pounds. I was 20yrs old at the time. I was from Liverpool and a long way from home but everybody made us very welcome. It was just one of lifes adventures of which I have had many since. My son turns 42 next year and I went on to have another 3 sons and a daughter. I now live with my 'new' husband in Tasmania, Australia. We are retired now and hope to come to England in the next few years and will certainly be visiting the Wallops. Thanks for this great site and rekindling some off my greatest memories.

RAF Middle Wallop

1946, I was stationed at RAF Middle Wallop and remember the village with watercress beds. Rationing was of the vogue but next to the aerodrome was a bungalow that always supplied eggs and chips to ever hungry airmen.

If anyone remembers me please get in touch. Jack Lawford.

Nether Wallop 1930-1940

My uncle, Sir Howard Button. bought 2 cottages, Mallows and Yew Tree Cottage and a house, Straw Hall, in 1915. I have an album of photographs of the cottages from 1915 - 1926. My uncle let us (my parents, my brother and myself) and other members of the family use the cottages for their holidays. Straw Hall was used by 2 of his relations. We holidayed there from about 1930 to the beginning of the Second World War. It was a super place for holidays. There was a large barn (now I think a house) between Mallows and Yew Tree Cottage. One end had a full size billiard table (lit by acetyline) and the othe end had lots of room for children to play and a fire place. The gardens of the cottages were connected at the back and Yew Tree's garden led down to a tennis lawn on which we played cricket and then a stream with an island. There was no running water in the cottages and a morning job was to pump up the day's supply of water. The WCs were Elsan. We would get up early in the mornings to buy hot bread from the oven at the shop and lemonade powder and spoil our breakfast by eating it. I could go on but an anxious not to be too boring! John Donne 19.1.2010