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Other Gosport Books

New Book By

John Sadden

Discovery Centre Books

Gosport Gardening

Photos of the UK

Weather In Gosport

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Gosport Weather

Towards the end of the 19^th Century and the beginning of the 20^th, Forton was still a place of fields and farms.  On a map of 1898, Anns Hill Farm and Southcroft Farm were marked, as well as Brickworks between the Middlecroft and the Hermitage.  The Millpond Land was to the north of Forton Barracks.  The Crossways was much narrower than it is now, with a field on the opposite side from the Barracks field.

At the back of St. Luke’s Mission, (later Clement’s D.I.Y. Shop), and where Beryton Road is, there was Slocombe’s field.  It was a meadow, which stretched along the back of Forton Recreation Ground.  Forton Fair used to be held there and at the end of the 1920’s and in the early 30’s, there was a Greyhound Racetrack there.  Amongst the entertainment at the fair, there was a “Wall of Death”.  A motorcyclist would ride round and round perpendicular walls.  It was very frightening. Cows used to be taken across to these fields.  Where Stapleton’s yard was (now a brick yard!) a stream flowed from a spring to the mill Pond in Mill Pond Road.  There was a little footbridge over the stream where boys used to catch minnows.  The mill was in the place where the P.O. Sorting Office is now.  The stream flowed on into Forton Creek. 

There were about 30 pubs in Forton Road.

The Misses Hammond used to make “stick-jaw” – about 3” of toffee on a stick, for a ½ d. each.  It was like treacle toffee. Railings stretched across from Vaux’s shop before the road was made at the Crossways. The Civil Service Club was, and still is, (now taken over by the Salvation Army for their projects) next door to the Salvation Army (which used to be the Congregational Church).  Billiards were played there and there was a dance hall at the back.

In the early 1900’s the old Water-works were still in position on the triangle of land where the Criterion Cinema was later built. On the side of Forton Road, opposite the Military Mews, was Mrs. Cathery’s Dairy.  Here, on a cold marble counter, there was a great bowl of eggs and delicacies like calve’s foot jelly were sold.  A blue china swan sat in the window. Charlie Candy, the milkroundsman, pushed a three-wheeled cart with a large churn on it.  He measured the milk with an oval-shaped can and poured it into the customer’s jug.

Daisy Hemming, (Later Mrs. Carter), kept the sweet shop by St. John’s School, which was also a florist’s, from 1911 onwards.  This was still a sweet shop until about 1970, when it became Luigi’s, selling take-away pizzas.  At one time it had been a toll-house and then used as an ordinary dwelling house with two rooms downstairs, a kitchen and a living room with a fireplace.  This shop, together with the nearby houses, were pulled down for redevelopment in 1988.

Forton Map 1898

At Diments, the butchers, circa 1929, a pound of pork sausages cost 6d. and beef sausages, 4d. a lb, beef cuttings were also 4d. a lb. On the corner of Lees Lane and at Micky Bryan’s hop, boys could earn some pocket-money by exchanging jam-jars for ½ d. for a lb size and 1d. for a large jar.  Gypsies came round to the doors with rabbits.  When these were skinned for cooking, the skins could be taken to Micky Bryan’s for ½ d. each.  This shop was later called Jelly’s.  Besides taking in jam-jars, Jelly’s collected rags and bones.  The rags were put into a sack, weighed and the appropriate pence were given in exchange.

On the corner of Mill Lane and Willow Place was Tickner’s, a General Store.  Ths shop changed hands several times, ending up as a bicycle repair shop, Chatfield’s. Near Marsh’s, the baker’s, was Brain’s, the fish and chip shop.  There was a haberdashery kept by Miss Rendell. Lyne’s Sweet shop was next to the Criterion Cinema.

In Lees Lane, Woodman’s the dentist, was between Reeds the Chemist and the sweet shop. In front of the St. Vincent Playing Fields, there was the Sick Bay, or Cottage Hospital, used by civilians as well as service people during the war. On the corner of Parham Road was a big house, later made into a garage.  Alderman Walter Parham used to live there. On the other corner of Parham Road stood Iven’s, Kellet’s and Child’s tall warehouse, which is now Wheeler’s woodyard and D.I.Y. shop.

On the opposite side of Forton Road, Mr. Galpin the Grocer, had the shop which is now Gosport Building Supplies. Opposite the Captain’s House is Cedar Cottage which is now Chidlow’s. Mr. Albert Gibbons was a builder who used a shop as a kind of store in the place where the maisonettes are now..

The Forton Road Post Office, opposite Parham Road, used to be an antiques shop.  Mr. Edney kept the Post Office first and then Mr. Turner and later Miss. W. Turner. An earlier Post Office was situated in Forton Road the other side of St. Vincent field.  It was kept by Arthur Morrell and his sisters Edith and Rosie.  A post-box in the wall was still in position when the premises were used as a grocer’s shop.  Mr. A. Morrell was uncle to Mr. Old, who was a councillor and later an alderman in Gosport.  Mr. Old was a telegraph boy at the age of 14.  During the First World War, he joined up.  After the war he came back to help in the shop.  Mr. Old’s grandmother used to hire a horse and cab from Mr. Miller and drive it herself.  She had a contract with Mr. Miller.

The Salvation Army Hall, in the Crossways, used to be a Congregational Church.  Mr. Old was the superintendent of the Sunday School there.  Later he went to St. Thomas’s Church, Elson and later still to St. John’s, Forton, where he sang in the choir.