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Rowland's Castle
Rowland's Castle photos
Displaying the first of 16 old photos of Rowland's Castle. View all Rowland's Castle photos
Rowland's Castle maps
Historic maps of Rowland's Castle and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Rowland's Castle maps
Rowland's Castle area books
Displaying 1 of 22 books about Rowland's Castle and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Rowland's Castle
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Rowlands Castle Brickworks
Rowlands Castle Brickworks originally established during the 1880’s, and must have been the biggest employer at the time, next to agriculture. Not all the workforce came form Rowlands Castle, but from local villages in the surrounding area, the site itself was a large sprawling layout, the clay pits took up most of the land. During its hay day as many one hundred people were working there, the work would have been hard manual labour, before electrification that relieved some of the hard work; there is evidence pottery production in the area going back to the Romano-British period.
Most of our family had work at the brickyard in the past; there was factory work in the local towns which of course these paid more. My Uncle Frank and Geoff were there along with my cousin Dave Jacobs, my Uncle Douglas also worked there for a short time driving the Lorries. Dad worked there as lad, before joining the Navy. One of his first jobs was barrowing coal from the wagons... Read more
Hampshire memories
St. Faiths
I was christened in this church in 1959. I was 13. I was a member of the church youth club that used to meet in the church hall in The Pallant every week. We played snooker, & table tennis, together with running a Sunday league football team. The guiding light then was the Rev. David Slater, who also played in our team with us, despite the need to wear spectacles at all times.
I remember the beautiful church, and I remember being allowed to take a brass rubbing, of a figure to the left of the altar, which I was able to proudly show my teacher at Purbrook Co. High School. This was probably in 1960.
I have very happy memories of the church, not least some of the great sermons, and not least, after Sunday morning communion service, when many people gathered at the Church Hall for a cup of tea and a hot buttered bun.
School Days in War-Time Havant
In the early 1940s I went to Manor House School. It was run by Dr and Mrs Wallace, and occupied the former Rectory in South Street (the site is now covered by a housing estate and the motorway to Portsmouth). Some of the names I remember at school were Sam Butt, Ray Tribe, Dinkie Bartholamew, Lewis Strong, R? Conyers (all more senior to me), Thelma Bugg, Jennifer England, John and Stuart Shoesmith, the Brown sisters (Janet and Mary), the Al Arabi brothers, Martin Beeston, John Wilson, Nick Stokes and Denise Wilkinson. Fr Williams was one of the best teachers I have ever had: absolutely inspiring. Madame Worrell, the doughty French Mistress, was a familiar sight around town riding her massive tricycle. You didn't argue with Madame Worrell. During this time the area around Havant and Hayling Island experienced frequent attacks from the Luftwaffe (bombers and flying bombs) and many a night I spent sheltering in the cellar of our home at 31 East St listening to the sounds of screaming... Read more
Wartime Havant
Preston Watson was the wine and spirit merchants of the town. The premises consisted of a fine three-storey house with shop, a large coach house and two or three other houses on both sides of The Pallant that were used for mineral water production, bottling and storage. One of my favorite memories is helping to bottle and label cider, taken from large hogsheads. In recent years these premises were demolished and the modern Waitrose super market stands where the old house and shop were. During the war, the firm was allowed to retain its Morris Commercal lorry for deliveries. Accompanying Mr Jack Shoesmith, the proprieter, and his sons on these runs all over the south Hampshire area was one of the pleasures I looked forward to.
The Red Lion And The Square
My parents ran the Red Lion between 1953-83. I was brought up here and went to Blendworth School, Mrs Byrne was the headmistress. The pub was situated on a tight bend on the old A3 and was regularly hit by vehicles unable to make it round this corner. A blocked up archway on the left of the building had a date brick of c1750. In the Square adjacent to the Red Lion was Smith & Vospers, grocers and bakers managed by Mr Mitchell. Across the A3 was the Post Office run by the Hancock family. Baileys ran the general hardware store and Ellis's ran a store next door selling produce from their market garden in Westbourne. Further round the square was Pescotts, the butchers, their slaughterhouse was behind the shop on Blendworth Hill, across from this was the Newsagents run by Maurice Bond and then the Bedfords.
Blendworth Primary School
I started school here in 1954, in the Infants class run by Mrs Pead, after 2 years I moved into the next door classroom which housed children aged 7 to 11. This class was run by Mrs Byrne the Headmistress, and later by Mrs Borrow part time. The Rector William Rees would come and teach 1 lesson a week, I remember throwing snowballs at him over the school front fence! I left in 1960.
HORNDEAN WAR MEMORIAL
I am seeking help in identifying two soldiers recorded on the Horndean War Memorial. I have found the details of all of the others. I intend to publish the results of my research.
The two men are recorded as follows
Turner C G
Larcombe F G (possible a Corporal)
I believe that Mr Turner is Charles George 315153 Gunner, Royal Garrison Artillery. He left the Army on 21st April 1919 and lived Lovedean Horndean His wife was Bertha nee Pocock. Charles was born in 1889 @ West Meon.
If I am correct, Charles died during the period Apr 1919 and mid 1920, when the War Memorial was dedicated. I have been unable to find details of any Charles George Turner who died in this period.
Mr Larcombe is a complete mystery. Three Larcombes with these initials are recorded by the Commonwealth War Grave Commission, (CWGC). One came from Berkshire the other... Read more
