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Ask a Gosport resident where Jackie Spencer’s bridge is and they usually know the answer. Ask who Jackie Spencer was and eyes
glaze over. Sometimes a person will claim to have a special knowledge as though it is theirs exclusively, “He used to look after the bridge - didn’t he?” or “I thnk he was killed by a train?”
I had nothing to crow about being just as vague about this Jackie Spencer person - as far as I was concerned he could be a
fictitious character, but, having studied Alverstoke’s history for some twenty years there are those who consider I should know more about the man, so, I started digging and the story unfolded.
Jackie Spencer was a man, despite the feminine forename, his real name was John Spencer and he was born in Andover in 1838 at the very beginning of Queen Victoria’s long reign. John’s father was a carter.
By the time John reached the age of sixteen in 1854, a railway and station had been established at Andover albeit connecting
only with Basingstoke initially. Expansion continued with line extensions to Salisbury and Southampton. So it comes as no surprise that John Spencer should join this new exciting service, notwithstanding he was
employed in a responsible but unskilled capacity then and throughout his entire lifetime with railway companies.
While working for the Railway Company in Andover John began courting Jane Blake, a spinster some six years older than he, she
was employed as a servant at an address in Andover. Jane was the daughter of a labourer and was born in Andover. While courting Jane Blake the railway company transferred John Spencer’s place of employment to
Godalming, some forty miles east of Andover, however, leap-year wedding bells rang for the couple on Monday, Fireworks Day, 1860, their marriage being held in the Parish Church, Andover; Jane was 28 years of age and
John 22. The couple set up home near John’s workplace in Godalming.
In 1864 a daughter, Ann, was born, however, within three years they moved again, this time to Alverstoke. Installed in the
railway gate keeper’s cottage referred to variously in Census records as, ‘Railway Cottage’, ‘No. 1 Railway Cottage’ and ‘7 Little Anglesey Road’ Alverstoke, John’s new duty was to mind the gates that
straddled Little Anglesey Road, on the Stokes Bay Branch line, his official title,’gateman’.
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Well I'm Blowed, would you believe it! - a dictionary of Sayings from Pompey and Turktown
