Reflections: Hidden history in New Milton, Hordle, Milford, Lymington and Brockenhurst

The Kennard family sold off plots of land for development around the new railway station. Manor Road and Avenue Road were among the first areas to be developed for housing. A catalogue was issued for the 1890 sale, which contained an artist’s drawing of the Milton Railway Station and surrounding area. In the drawing there can be seen a small hut with windows and an advertising board on the roof. Apart from the railway station, there is nothing other than farm land, fields and the first streets of the new town. The hut is labelled as ‘Office’ and is on the Fernhill Manor Estate land.

A postcard image of the railway yard circa 1900 to 1907 clearly shows the hut in place. A 1915 dated postcard depicts Indian soldiers from the nearby convalescent depot on parade in Station Approach waiting for a train to take them to France. The advertising board tells us that the hut is being used by W. Read and Son, Coal and Coke Merchants.

The late George Stickland, a local businessman and newsagent, owned the hut in the 1960s and into the 1970s. The newspapers for our town were delivered onto the station platform by overnight train. George would then take the bundles of papers to the hut and divide them up into smaller packages which would be taken to all the newsagents in town. When George sold the hut it was used as a taxi office until quite recently.

The wooden building in Station Approach is linked to the very early history of New Milton. It was certainly in place by 1890 when the first catalogues were published for the sale of the Fernhill Manor and Barton Court Estates. It would appear that this is one of the earliest buildings in New Milton. Although the hut is of little architectural merit, it is an important part of our town’s history and heritage.

The church that moved

Driving from New Milton to Milford, there is a small layby at Taddiford. A nearby gate leads to the remains of a church and churchyard. There is no record of a church in Hordle in the Domesday Book, which was written in 1086. However, a church is mentioned in a charter granted by a Richard de Redvers, who died in 1107. Possibly, this first church in Hordle was built between 1086 and 1107.

This site was once a central part of Hordle parish. The principle employment for the villagers at this time was agriculture and producing salt by distillation of sea water. However, salt production in this area could not compete with the cheaper methods employed by the salt mines of Cheshire, and slowly the industry died out. Employment opportunities were increasing within the Forest in terms of timber production, management of the Forest and associated industries. Therefore, in the 19th century there was a shift in the Hordle population away from the coast and nearer to the Forest.

The church had been poorly maintained and there were annual repair bills simply to keep the building in a usable condition. A decision was made that the church be dismantled and the stones and other material moved to a site closer to the centre of the village of Hordle where a new church would be built using the original materials.

The site chosen is where the current church of All Saints is today in Hordle Lane. To pay for this, the villagers of the parish were taxed at one shilling in the pound. Alternatively, villagers could work on the transportation of loads of stone and building materials until it was assessed that their share of the costs had been paid. The cost of the construction of the new church was estimated to be £1,262, less £185 for the use of the recycled material.

The new church was consecrated in 1831 but was of poor design and construction. When an attempt was made to alter or improve the new building it was realised it needed to be taken down and a completely new church built. This third church was built in red brick and slate, and was consecrated in 1872. The stone from the original church was not reused and has turned up in odd corners all over Hordle parish.

Victorian pillar box

At the corner of Victoria Road and Cornwallis Road in Milford is a pillar box. While we take for granted these red metal boxes as part of the street furniture, this particular one deserves a second glance. It is an early Victorian example manufactured in about 1856. Following the 1839 postal reform, from May 1840 ordinary members of the public could send letters and packages anywhere in the United Kingdom for one penny an ounce in weight. Prior to this, letters were carried by the mail service at a cost of a penny a mile, making the posting of letters unaffordable for those on low income.

As the service developed it was realised that convenient, secure receptacles were needed to enable customers to deposit letters without the need to travel to the nearest town or village. Before Anthony Trollope became a famous author he worked as a clerk in the Post Office. In 1851 he was sent to the Channel Islands to research how to improve the postal service in rural areas. He noted that metal boxes were being used at the side of the road to hold letters until they were collected, and he recommended using an improved version of this idea on the mainland. This was adopted and, after a successful trial, the Post Office agreed to pay for pillar boxes to be placed throughout Britain.

The pillar box at Milford is an object of cast iron beauty with a tapered body and fluted sides. Around the cap are cast V. R. and a royal crown along with the words ‘Post Office’. It has a vertical slot with the words ‘Letters Only’ around it. The slots were changed to a horizontal design by December 1857, helping to date the Milford example.

This pillar box was used elsewhere until it was placed on the corner of Victoria Road. It was probably relocated here as there were a number of large houses and the Hotel Victoria nearby. The box would have saved postal users the walk into Milford village. It is uncertain when the box was placed there, but it is shown on the 1897 OS map. This is probably one of the earliest pillar boxes in Hampshire and is listed.

Lymington gas lamp

Near the Royal Lymington Yacht Club is an impressive silver-painted lamp. It consists of a tapered, fluted Doric column with two lamps set on ornate ironwork. At the base there is an inscription on all four sides which provides some history of the lamp and of street lighting in Lymington.

Empowered by acts of parliament in the early 1830s, the corporation of Lymington set about creating a system of gas-powered street lighting in the town. Seventy-two shareholders raised £3,000 to create the Lymington Gas and Coke Company for the purpose of manufacturing the gas and maintaining the lighting. Admiral Sir Harry Neale offered to pay for the fluted columns, and his nephew George Burrard MP offered to pay for the lamp standards and lamps. Fifty-two lamps were erected in the town, and 100 more were paid for privately.

On 20th September 1832, the system was operational with a formal switching-on ceremony taking place on 29th of that month. A memorial lamp was unveiled on 9th October 1833 as a tribute of thanks to Admiral Neale and Mr Burrard. The lamp was initially situated in the vicinity of the town hall in the high street. When that was demolished it was relocated to the pavement outside St Thomas’ church in 1858. Photos of the lamp in place prior to the First World War clearly show it was powered by electricity with a different type of standard.

In the New Milton Advertiser edition of 6th September 1958, the Lymington Historical Society published a letter asking for donations to save the lamp. In 4th October edition it was announced that the society had raised £70 and the lamp would be rescued. It was moved to its current location near the Royal Lymington Yacht Club, where it was refurbished with new wrought iron brackets to support two lanterns. Following storm damage in 2016 the lamp was once again refurbished. This well travelled lamp is now grade II listed.

Brockenhurst fire bell

At the junction of Sway Road and Brookley Road can be seen a large bell mounted on a tall wooden post. This is the village fire bell and was first erected in October 1912. It is intrinsically linked to the creation of the fire brigade in the village.

On 9th April 1909 there was a serious fire at the New Forest Steam Turning Works in Lyndhurst Road, Brockenhurst. With no local fire service in existence, assistance was summoned from Lymington, Lyndhurst and Southampton. The inadequate water supply hampered efforts to extinguish the blaze. The fire spread to other buildings and over 300 tons of timber was destroyed.

At a parish council meeting on 21st April 1909, it was agreed to upgrade firefighting arrangements in the village. This included the installation of fire hydrants to overcome the low water pressure problem. By 1911, 24 fire hydrants had been installed throughout the village, and the parish council now turned its attention to creating a village fire brigade. Appliances, equipment and a fire bell to raise the alarm were required. The Brockenhurst Coronation Committee offered to pay for the bell, which would also be a permanent memorial to King George V and Queen Mary. This was gratefully accepted.

At the end of October 1912 the bell was installed at the junction of Brookley Road and Sway Road, in the front garden of a private house. The Morant Trustees paid for the post and fittings. The bell was rung for the first time by five-year-old Edward Morant on 23rd July 1913.

In 2004 the bell and the post were refurbished and placed back in the same spot on the road junction. Present at the unveiling were Brockenhurst fire service and the deputy chief fire officer for Hampshire, Alan House. He had started his career in the Brockenhurst fire brigade having been born and raised in the village. In 1998 he published a book entitled A Village Served, telling the story of the local brigade and the history behind the fire bell.

We are blessed with a wealth of local history in our area. Take some time to pause and enjoy it.