Station Road – derrickjknight

Advent Day 21

This morning we collected our chair from Brockenhurst’s Andrew Sharp Antique Restoration, who had done an exemplary job on our chair, and left him another. We also carried out a little shopping.

“New Milton is a market town and civil parish in the New Forest district, in southwest Hampshire, England. To the north is in the New Forest and to the south the coast at Barton-on-Sea. The town is equidistant between Lymington and Christchurch, 6 miles (9.7 km) away. In 2011 it had a population of 19,969.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Milton

Station Road, being the main road through New Milton, dates from “March 1888 [when] New Milton railway station, still in operation today, was opened, and a new town developed, which expanded rapidly with the coming of the railway and the name New Milton was used for the first time and can originally be traced back to the Post Office that stood opposite the railway station….”(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Milton) It is this street that now forms the main shopping centre on which we focussed today.

“New Milton dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, and encompasses Old Milton, Barton on Sea, Ashley, Bashley, and Wootton. It is recorded as having a population of 25,717 in the 2011 census.^[1]” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Milton

The history of both Old and New Milton is headed Milton by Wikipedia:

“The manor of (“Mildeltune”) is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 and literally means “Middle farm.” It was part of the lands belonging to Hugh de Port, and the estate was held from him by William Chernet.^[3] The Chernet family maintained possession of Milton into the 13th century, although lesser families were managing the estate on their behalf.^[3] The most important of these were the Chaucombe (or Chalcombe) family, who were probably the first people to build a church in Milton in the mid 13th century.^[4] In 1303, Thomas de Chaucombe was given permission to hold a weekly market on Tuesdays at Milton, as well as an annual fair on the feast day of Mary Magdalene, but this attempt to create a market town seems to have failed.^[4]

“From 1365 to 1565, the manor was in the possession of the Tyrrell family.^[3] The manor passed through various hands in subsequent centuries. The last significant owners were the Bursey family in the 19th century, and in the 1890s the remaining lands of the estate were subdivided and sold.^[3] In close proximity to Milton was the manor of Fernhill. In the Domesday book, it was held by Nigel from Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury.^[3] In the 15th century, John Fromond, the owner of this scattered estate, willed the lands to Winchester College, in whose hands the estate remained down to the 19th century.^[3] Another estate called “Gore” appeared by the 15th century,^[3] and still survives (partially) as a farm to the west of the town. (Jackie’s mother lived in Gore Road).

“The traditional village centre of Milton was just south of the church. Up to the 1960s, moated earthworks were still visible next to the road known as Moat Lane. Excavations of these earthworks in 1956 revealed a series of peasant enclosures and hut remains dating from the 9th to the 12th century, but no evidence of a manorial farmstead was found.^[5] The parish church of Milton is dedicated to Mary Magdalene and consists of a chancel with vestry, a nave and a western tower. The medieval church was pulled down and replaced around 1830, although the tower is of an earlier 17th century date.^[3] In 1835, a Church of England National Schoolwas founded on an island of land near the village green,^[6] where children were taught until just after World War I.^[7] In 1881, the population of the entire Milton parish was only 1489 people, and Milton was still a small village.^[8] The location of the village on the main Christchurch to Lymington road (now the A337) meant that there were two coaching inns – The Wheatsheaf and The George – the former of which is still operating. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Milton

Clicking on any image will access the gallery.

We undertook more shopping in the town.

Later we dined on smoked haddock melt in the middle fish cakes; piquant cheddar cheese and mustard white sauce; boiled potatoes; crunchy carrots; firm cauliflower; and moist spinach, with which I drank more of the Côtes du Rhône Villages.

I Remained In The Car

This morning first Max then Nick of Peacock Computers took remote access to my computer to resolve some issues with the landline phone.

Later on this cooler and greyer afternoon we drove to Milford Pharmacy for repeat prescriptions then to New Milton for a repair to Jackie’s specs at Boots.

A hold-up in traffic caused by the centre traffic lights returning to red

enabled me to focus on Station Road shops and shoppers.

Like us, a motor cyclist waited for his turn to travel on.

Around the corner a cyclist in Ashley Common Road risked entangling her dress.

Regular readers who recognise how narrow, winding, and potholed is Holmsley Passage will understand how difficult it was to negotiate a family car surrounded by children and mother while father knelt changing a punctured tyre. It seemed unkind to photograph the very tempting scene, but one little boy on one side was called to the other in order for Jackie to risk the car’s undercarriage while spanning a deep dip between nibbled tarmac and undergrowth.

I settled for a shot of the bracken and heather moorland.

The paucity of ponies noticed on our trip suggested that they may know something we don’t. It was certainly rather gloomy when we

met these ponies on the verge just outside Burley. One creature seemed to be sheltering behind a car, while the other two had no need for the head to tail protection from flies.

It will possibly be apparent that in the interests of taking it easy I remained in the car throughout.

This evening we dined on Ferndene Farm Shop pork and chives sausages; flavoursome Portobello mushrooms; creamy mashed potatoes; firm carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli; tender spring greens, and meaty gravy.

Reflections On Main Street

Comments from American friends on my recent post, ‘An Historic High Street’, have led me to reflect on our different terms for the main shopping streets in towns. The U.S. ‘main street’ is the U.K. ‘high street’. That of New Milton is Station Road, which I visited with Ian this morning as he needed to have a discussion at the Santander Bank.

When we left the bank, Ian left me at Fagan’s mens’ outfitters where I bought a jacket whilst my future son-in-law walked up to Costa Coffee where I joined him later.

En route from Fagan’s I photographed elements of this high street which could be no more different from that of Brockenhurst, only a handful of miles away.

This first image demonstrates that earlier architecture has made way for that of the modern era. Sandwiched between a toyshop and the Halifax Building Society is the British Heart Foundation, on of the many charity shops which are taking over from so many defunct small outlets in our towns.

That particular shop is reflected in the window of the Charity Boutique across the road. The Alliance Healthcare van speeding through the window display is a reflection of the gradual privatisation of our Health and Social Services.

Further up towards the eponymous station the NatWest bank stands at the corner of Ashley Road.

On the opposite corner stands Boots Pharmacy. On the other side of Station Road is to be found Charles Nobel, one of several jewellers.

The New Milton Lighting Centre gives us Christmas decorations all the year round.

The Hearing and Mobility Centre reflects the demography of the town and its environs, although Naomi House, a children’s hospice is a sad exception. Pets are a necessary addition to the local households, especially now their children have flown the nests. PamPurred Pets is quite a chain.

Flower Vogue has one of the few original shop fronts, and another jeweller alongside.

Morrisons is one of the supermarkets that has a presence here.

Satisfied customers are often to be seen outside waiting for a lift or having a fag. I think the fag in this picture was probably something else gripped in the lady’s teeth.

No self-respecting English high street is without its Betting Shop. This one is next to a greetings cards outlet.

Although there is a cycle rack outside Morrisons, mobility scooters, like this one outside Boots Opticians, are as plentiful in the town. Acupuncture & Herbs, off-licences and money lenders offer different curative measures.

Barclays Bank was also visited by someone with a disability.

Opposite Costa Coffee can be seen Scope, another charity shop, Lloyd’s Pharmacy and further hearing centre.

A little further along we find the Lloyd’s Bank building, a rare survivor from the early twentieth century.

This evening Jackie provided a superb sausage casserole, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, carrots and Brussels sprouts, followed by apple crumble and cream. She drank Blanche de Namur, I drank more of the Sotillo, and Ian drank water.