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Rockbourne
Rockbourne maps
Historic maps of Rockbourne and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Rockbourne maps
Rockbourne photos
We have no photos of Rockbourne, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
Fordingbridge| Alderholt| Coombe Bissett| Cranborne| Downton| Bishopstone| North Gorley| Broad Chalke| Bodenham| Ibsley| Bowerchalke| Britford| Linwood
Rockbourne area books
Displaying 1 of 22 books about Rockbourne and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Rockbourne
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Hampshire memories
Growing up in Fordingbridge
I grew up in Fordingbridge between 1949 when I was born and 1967 when I left for University. I have so many memories that I couldn't possibly put them all down here, so I am just selecting a few good or striking ones. Anyone who remembers the town will know that it once had two chemist shops, four pubs (or more) four grocers, three butchers, a shoe shop, a gents' tailors and of course a proper department store - where I used to buy seamed stockings! I remember well the fun we used to have in the 1950s, roaming the felds around my early childhood home, catching sticklebacks in jam jars and swimming in the streams and in the river by the rec'. I remember the winter of 1963 when it snowed on Boxing Day or thereabouts - it was a Saturday night any way - and we were then snowed in for about three days. The winter was so cold that the snow didn't melt fully until March.... Read more
More Memories of Blissford
My previous memories caused quite a bit of interest and several people who either knew me, or the area got in touch. I thought I would add a bit more to those memories. I mentioned how close we were to the bombing range which the RAF had fenced in. Some ten thousand acres were involved and after the war the RAF kept a small bomb disposal section to deal with unexploded bombs. They were based at Godshill and one one occasion Peter Skinner and Billy Sheen found an unexploded 28lb bomb on the edge of the forest. They were given a ride in a half track to show the bomb disposal squad where the bomb was. It made me so jealous at the time not to have been one of the ones who found that bomb. Sandyballs was owned by the Westlake family who were Quakers and for many years it operated as a campsite with a few permanent residents and as a holiday... Read more
Growing up in Blissford
I was born here in 1939, three weeks before the outbreak of war. We lived at Hilltop a bungalow built for my parents in 1937. There was no electricity until 1952 although we had mains water. The road outside was only partially sealed. I remember seeing shot up aircraft being taken down through the village and up on to the bombing range. I attended Godshill C of C school from 1944 - 1949 when I passed the 11+ and went to Bishop Wordsworths grammar school in Salisbury. This involved a forty minute bus journey, changing at Breamore. My father was a market gardener, we had about 9 acres of land. He bought one of the first Ferguson tractors in 1947 and paid cash as I recall seeing the money being counted out on the kitchen table.
We grew rhubard and made quite a lot of money out of it during the war years as fresh fruit was very scarce. We also kept chickens and one of my most hated jobs... Read more
Flying G Western Riding Ranch
How lovely to find some photographs of The Flying G, but I am surprised that there are no other comments when so many people went there. I went there twice, once in 1966 and again in 1967. The first time I was studying at St Godric's in London and Maureen Smith was going there in the holidays. She was a very focused and enthusiastic person. My friend Bev Chapman and I decided to go with her for a laught too. Bev's parents drove us there the first time. It was wonderful. Bev fell in love with cowboy Pete, who Carrie (a cowgirl working there) was also in love with, but we didn't find that out until the next time. I fell in love with Dave who was engaged to Sheilagh, but at 17 (and in those days) that's what crushes and growing up was about. It was a safe and nurturing environment to grow in. Better still it fulfilled dreams - it was like living in a Western movie. The... Read more
Ringwood High Street
I rember walking up to the High Street as a small child, there was a shop, I think it was a hardware or ironmongers, at Christmas time the shop was always lit with lovely fairy lights. There was also a supermarket called Pricerights and another shop called Coxs and Hicks which sold a full range of clothes and soft furnishings, wool, material, all that kind of stuff.
Coxstone Lane.
I was born in a bungalow on the corner of Coxstone Lane in 1962 and my nanny lived in a thatched cottage called Brookside in Coxstone Lane. I had some very dear friends on that lane, I would love to know what happened to them all.
Matchams House 1960's
With a large family of Uncles and Antys we were very fortunate to have our Grandparents live in Matchams House. Wednesdays always being a special day as it was market day in Ringwood with one bus in the morning and one returning mid afternoon. I recall very clearly walking the dogs from the big house across were now the spur road stands to the river were one of my Uncles was the river warden. In the late 50s my sister and our cousins found it very strange for my uncle's bungalow to have no running water or electricity, but oh what great times we all had with the freedom, open air, peace and quite and space. I still recall the large fire plae as we entered the very large entrance hall, and how cosey it was in the winter with a fierce burning log fire to welcome our arrival having travelled from Bournemouth in Dad's unheated car.
I was once told there was a smaller timber built Matchams House standing... Read more
