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Chapter 16  The Hermitage

After the Second World War, there was another pleasant walk to Stokes Bay.  Starting from the end of Grange Crescent, by the side of the Middlecroft Public House, one could walk through the Hermitage Lane (or Middlecroft Lane).

This was like a country lane, with the allotments on the right and further on, the interesting looking house called the Hermitage with the pleasant orchard, wild flowers growing in the hedgerow and birds singing in the trees.  The gardens of Kingston Road bungalows backed on to the left side of the lane.  This lane had been part of the Hermitage grounds and was private land for a time, but was opened up after the Second World War.  A map of 1836 shows the lane as an old right of way.  The walk to Stokes Bay continued from Hermitage Lane across Southcroft Road to an alleyway between houses in Southcroft Road and then turning right along the alley at the back of the houses as far as the cemetery gate.  Proceeding through the cemetery towards Privett Park, the route crossed through Privett Park and out to Privett Road.  After crossing Privett Road, one could proceed to Oval Gardens and then straight on to Stokes Bay.

The Middlecroft allotments, now owned by Gosport Borough Council, were once part of the Hermitage land and were owned by the Church.

Before the bungalows were built in Southcroft Road, Kingston Road and in the Middlecroft, there was farm land on each side of Anns Hill Road. There were also Brickworks nearby.  All this is shown on a map of 1898 (in Gosport Museum). Southcroft Farm was between the Hermitage and Anns Hill Road and Anns Hill Farm was on the other side of the road, between the road and the railway line.  Number 108 Anns Hill Road used to be a farmhouse.

Before houses were built on the land which is now Grange Crescent, that was farmland.  There was then a path called “Monk’s Path” or “Church Path”, situated in the place where there is now an alleyway between houses in Grange Crescent and the bungalows.  There also used to be a path from the level crossing at Cambridge Road, following the line of  the alley at the back of Grange Crescent houses.  This was a right of way and it led to Alverstoke Church.