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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

In Lees Lane, there used to be the Gosport Trade Union Hall, where dancing was one of the social activities.

Mason’s, the newsagent’s, stood on the corner of Lees Lane (opposite Cooper’s).  near Mason’s was Spragg’s, the bicycle shop. Ridges was alongside the bicycle shop. Further along Forton Road, at Mr. Rule’s shop, children could buy a ½d. ‘wonderbag’.  Near Rule’s was a faggot and pea shop. There was a laundry at the other end of Forton Road – where Elizabeth Court is now.

Ansell’s sold fish and chips and also dripping.  Next to Ansell’s was Butt’s, a newsagent.  On the other side of Butt’s was Skinner’s, the cake shop, where you could buy a penny worth of stale cakes.  This shop was later called “The Bread Basket”.  Mr. Skinner ran the Sunday School for the Congregational Church – which is now the Salvation Army. PC Tyrell lived in Forton Road.  A pub stood on the corner of Durham Street.  A bakery in Durham Street delivered loaves from a basket. Holding’s between Durham Street and Russell Street, sold milk by the can and general things. Plowman’s grocery was on the corner of Bedford Street, (where Raffles the hairdressers is now). French’s sold wool, elastic, etc. on the other corner.  Hammond’s, the butcher’s, was next to French’s.  French’s later became Eager’s.

On the corner of Camden Street, opposite the present Jeffery’s, there was a shop which is now a big house with steps up to the door.  No. 341 Forton Road was a fish shop for wet fish and fish and chips.  No. 343 was a cobbler’s who also sold plimsoles.  No. 345 was a fruiterer’s.  there was a Chemist’s on the end of that block.  No. 349 was Grogan’s, the hardware shop. At No. 351, Biddles was a corn chandler’s shop and a garden centre.  At the back of the corn chandler’s was a cow shed.  The cows were milked there and led back over the road, through an alleyway opposite the Chandler’s, to a field where they grazed.  There was plenty of room for the cows at the back of the shop.  Slocomb’s field was next to the cows’ field and stretched from there to Avery Lane.

Mrs. Hawkey lived next door to Biddle’s.  She had three sons and one daughter.  Her daughter taught at St. John’s School.Mr. Johnson, the builder, conducted outdoor services at the beginning of Anns Hill Road, by the Market House pub.  He built the Camden Town Chapel and ran it.  By early 1991, this had been closed and reconstructed into “Budget Brochure” Outdoor services were also arranged on Sunday evenings by the Barley Mow pub by Mr. Edgar.  The Middlecroft Mission was opened by him. Camden Town was just a village then.  Camden Post Office used to be in Forton Road opposite the Camden Town Mission, on the site later occupied by Watts the Greengrocers and then the “apple cart”, which is now closed and up for sale. Brougham Lane, off Forton Road, was earlier called “the Droke”.