The London and Southampton Railway was first proposed in 1831 and the bill approved by Parliament in 1834 at a cost of £900,000. The section between Basingstoke and Winchester opened on 11 May 1840 – and was the final part of the London and Southampton Railway to be completed. Prior to its construction, all of the traffic between London and Southampton was carried by eight stage coaches, four wagons per week, and one barge weekly on the Basingstoke Canal!
The London and Southampton Railway was first proposed in 1831 and the bill approved by Parliament in 1834 at a cost of £900,000. The section between Basingstoke and Winchester opened on 11 May 1840 – and was the final part of the London and Southampton Railway to be completed. Prior to its construction, all of the traffic between London and Southampton was carried by eight stage coaches, four wagons per week, and one barge weekly on the Basingstoke Canal!
The London and Southampton Railway was first proposed in 1831 and the bill approved by Parliament in 1834 at a cost of £900,000. The section between Basingstoke and Winchester opened on 11 May 1840 – and was the final part of the London and Southampton Railway to be completed. Prior to its construction, all of the traffic between London and Southampton was carried by eight stage coaches, four wagons per week, and one barge weekly on the Basingstoke Canal!
Dove Cottage
Dove Cottage 1895
Like one or two other houses in the village, this cottage, the centre portion of which dates back to the early 17th century, has seen a variety of uses. For much of the current century, this cottage, at one time thatched, was in the hands of the Bush family, and it was then the farmhouse for the farm now owned by Mr Clarke. After acting as a Post Office at the beginning of the century, this usage was discontinued, but Mr Bush still maintained the newspaper selling side of the business, and was a well known figure delivering papers on a tricycle. The thatch caught fire in the 1920's and was replaced by the current slate roof.
Mr Bunce, who lived in the adjacent cottage for virtually 50 years, recalled that Grandfather Bush, because of his early morning rise, used to go to bed at 6 o’clock with his grandchildren and together in bed every night they sang missionary songs such as “What a friend I have in Jesus”, and “I am H-A-P-P-Y”. The sound of this singing floating out of the bedroom window used to be much enjoyed by Mr & Mrs Bunce as they worked in their garden in the evening.
1895
1895