From Our Files: Calling it a day... golf course row... relief road... lightning strike

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THE New Forest Trades Council held a meeting at New Milton on Thursday in last week when it was reported that in answer to the Trades Council’s request of 15th February to free the toll bridge at Lymington, the Ministry of Transport had replied stating that the initiative rests with the Southampton County Council, who are already considering the question.

The Ministry added that they would give sympathetic consideration to any application by the County Council for a grant from the Road Fund towards the cost of acquiring the toll rights.

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THE fact that when the hospitals are taken over by the State, the Government will only provide the bare necessities of hospital life, and that the continuance of any luxuries which patients now get will depend on voluntary subscriptions, was mentioned at the annual meeting of subscribers of Milford-on-Sea War Memorial Hospital.

Owing to expenditure being increased by £2,000 and a drop in ordinary income, the hospital accounts showed a deficit of £2,192 on the year’s working.

50 YEARS AGO

DECLARING their “irrevocable opposition” to any change of use of the 45-acre Highcliffe Castle golf course, members of the Highcliffe Citizens’ Association overwhelmingly agreed on Monday to urge the Borough Council and County planning authorities to reject any application to allow residential or similar development there.

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AT the annual meeting of the Lymington branch of the Christchurch & Lymington Liberal Association held on 29th March, Cllr A.P. Miall said that he was opposed to the sale of council houses in the Borough so long as there was a waiting list of would-be tenants.

Cllr Miall, who was speaking after his re-election as chairman of the branch, also referred to the controversial plans to build on part of Woodside. He said that he was in favour of the scheme as it would enable the larger part of the council-owned Woodside land to be developed as sports fields.

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THE proposed Highcliffe relief road, as at present planned, was no longer acceptable as a solution to the problem of traffic congestion in Lymington Road, and provision should be made for a road to run north of the village rather than cutting through it, Highcliffe Citizens’ Association are to tell the County planners.

25 YEARS AGO

DENNIS and Joan Knight set up their own business in a humble way in 1950, and had to overcome several setbacks before their timber and DIY centre became firmly established in North Close, Lymington.

Now, having both reached the age of 73, the pair are at long last calling it a day, passing the business over to two of their children as an inheritance, which will allow Dennis more time to continue the restoration and maintenance work on his five vintage cars and 18 tractors.

The couple, who have nine grandchildren, are seen in the picture with Gerald and Janet, along with one of Dennis’ cars, a 1932 Morris Minor.

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CONTRACTS have been signed by the Beaulieu Estate for a second social housing scheme in the village costing £465,000, and building work is expected to commence next month.

The first such housing scheme is Beaulieu comprised 10 houses and has proved an unqualified success, particularly as regards their design, widely acknowledged to complement Beaulieu’s age-old architecture.

That was the first phase of a Village Plan drawn up by Ralph, which now continues with this latest scheme, and still has provision for a further five dwellings at the southern end of the High Street.

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WITNESSES spoke of a bright flash then a deafening bang as lightning struck Station Road, New Milton, on Tuesday afternoon, wreaking havoc for several shops and leaving two pedestrians needing treatment.

Many phones were put out of action over a wide area, and two ladies suffered as a direct result of the freak weather conditions; one collapsed whilst crossing Station Road and the other is understood to have had an epileptic seizure.