Fordingbridge and the surrounding area is a fascinating corner of Hampshire, almost isolated from the rest of the county by the heathlands of the New Forest. The town itself nestles in the valley of the River Avon, with its distinctive bridge at what was always an important crossing point. To north and south lie the fertile 'valley villages' of Beamore, Burgate and Bickton. To the east, the 'forest-edge villages' of Hale, Woodgreen, Godshill, Blissford, Stuckton, Frogham, Hyde and North Gorley are different in character; while to the west Rockbourne, Damerham, Martin and Whitsbury form a third group - the 'Chalk downland villages'.
The area has a long and varied history, with the ancient past represented by the Iron-Age hill-fort at Whitsbury and the Roman Villa at Rockbourne. In A.D. 519 a battle at Charford marked the beginning of the Kingdom of Wessex and thus, in a sense, the birth of England. With Fordingbridge as its focal point and market town, that area survived the problems of the Middle Ages and the religious and civil upheavals of Tudor and Stuart times. Rural life and landscapes changed little till the coming of the railways and, fortunately, photography arrived soon after, to record the ancient scenes and then the changes of the late 19th and 20th centuries.
In a super collection of carefully-captioned old photographs, the authors provide fascinating glimpses of line in Fordingbridge and the surrounding villages throughout the Victorian and Edwardian eras and up to 1959. They reveal farmers, workers and shopkeepers, children and school, people at play in early football and cricket clubs of at the famous Fordingbridge Regatta; weddings, celebrations, outings by charabanc and many other aspects of the local past.
Residents of the area will find much to arouse interest and evoke memories, in this book. It will also have strong appeal to the increasing number of visitors who choose to spend their holidays in this delightful corner of Hampshire.
Contents:
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Fordingbridge Street Scenes
Forest-edge Villages
Valley Villages
Downland Villages
Schools and Churches
Special Days
Regatta and Carnival
Sports and Leisure
Military and Youth Groups
At Work
Shops
Landowners and Merchants, their Homes and Families
Farming
Bibliography
