What’s On: Tiptoe history exhibition, Young Farmers Hall in Wootton Road

A FREE exhibition exploring the history of Tiptoe will be on display at the Young Farmers Hall on Wootton Road later this week.

Tiptoe was first recognised as a settlement after the enclosure of Arnewood Common in the early 19th century. However, the history of Arnewood Manor goes back to the Domesday book, when it was recorded as being on the edge of King William’s New Forest.

Being on enclosed land, the village started life as a modest agricultural settlement, with simple cob cottages where a number of inhabitants lived in poverty.

However, the village gradually became more prosperous during the 20th century as the area increasingly became a commuter settlement.

The exhibition details this change over the two centuries of the village’s existence, and documents the ongoing efforts to maintain a sense of community and purpose among the inhabitants, despite Tiptoe losing its shops and post office.

The cast of characters includes religious visionaries, writers, a champion of Norwegian resistance, senior RAF officers, an Australian governor as well as the more mundane but equally important shop keepers, teachers, farmers and ordinary folk of the village.

The exhibition has been put together by local historian Jon Linin, author of ‘On the skirts of the Forest, a short history of Tiptoe’ in partnership with St Barbe Museum and Gallery.

The Story of Tiptoe will take place at the Young Farmers’ hall, Wootton Road, Tiptoe, from Thursday 17th until Saturday 19th October. Admission is free and the exhibition runs from 10am to 4pm.