Fordington

A Memory of Fordington Down.

Fordington has changed a lot over the years in that there has been much infilling with houses. At the top of Pound Lane was Moule's Coffee Tavern which was used as a hall and a community space. Nearly opposite over the High Street, was the old grey stone vicarage where the Reverend Henry Moule once lived. The local school was nearby on the hill and at break-time one could hear the small children shouting and enjoying themselves in the playground. Going down the High Street towards Kings Road on the left was a working farm with livestock. Salisbury Field was frequently used as a sports field for school children. Mr and Mrs Barnes lived in one of the terraced houses on the Green, they ran a riding stables in the grounds of Fordington House where there were stables and a paddock in front of the house, now built on. They also had stabling in old buildings on the Kings Road. This might have been the old dairy. Every St George's Day an ox was roasted on a spit on the village green, the first slice of meat being sent to Prince Charles, Lord of the Manor. The church tower was open for people to clamber up to look at the view and there was a real holiday atmosphere.

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