About Us
The Society was formed in 1966 to bring together members of the local community and encourage interest in the History, Literature and Archaeology of Alresford and the surrounding areas. It has been instrumental in recording the area’s history and events as evidenced by the publication of the original twenty-two original Alresford Displayed booklets. Many of our members have played a pivotal role in the ongoing social and commercial life of our attractive town.
The Alresford Historical and Literary Society holds its monthly meetings in the Methodist Church, Jacklyns Lane, Alresford SO24 9JJ, where a balanced programme of talks and presentations takes place in a friendly atmosphere. Meetings are normally held on the third Wednesday of the month, and it is not necessary to be a member to attend – visitors are welcome at the door for just £3.
Selected topics give an insight into the influence that the political, social and industrial heritage has had on our Community and Hampshire. To stimulate the literary interests of the members, lectures are chosen to illustrate the work of authors and artistic personalities.We also organise occasional group visits to interesting places, continue to produce new publications and sponsor memorials.
Annual membership (January 1st - December 31st) is only £10
If you would like to join the society, know more about us or to send us a message, please e-mail secretary@alresfordhistandlit.co.uk
Honorary president Peter Pooley CMG
Our Committee 2023-2024:
Chairman Glenn Gilbertson
Secretary Mike Dickens
Treasurer Vic Prior
Membership Secretary Charles Ackroyd
Members Colin Sott-Morton
Fiona Scott-Morton
Andrea Sutton
Nancy Webb
AHLS Programme 2025
DATE TITLE SPEAKER
Wednesday 15 Jan 25 The Swing Riots Edward Fennel
Wednesday 19 Feb 25 Going For a Song Peter Raw
Wednesday 19 Mar 25 The Battle of Cheriton Neil McLocklin
Wednesday 16 Apr 25 The Gift of a Paranoid Queen + AGM Richard Franklin
Wednesday 21 May 25 Wars & Revolts, Rebellions & Revolutions -
The Impact on Winchester 1076-1217 Nicholas Kingsford
Wednesday 18 Jun 25 The Experimental Housekeeping of Jane
Austen's Good Friend Martha Lloyd Jane Glennie
Wednesday 16 July 25 Those Magnificent Women in
Their Flying Machines Peter Stammers
Wednesday 20 Aug 25 Richard III & His Mother Charles Rees
Wednesday 17 Sep 25 The Top of the Greasy Pole Mike Brook
Wednesday 15 Oct 25 The Life & Death of Dylan Thomas Brian & Jacqueline Sutton
FRIDAY 24 Oct 25 Annual Dinner
Wednesday 19 Nov 25 The Amazing World of Magic John Field
Wednesday 17 Dec 25 No meeting
Sold Out :
Out of print, but possibly available at Laurence Oxley Bookshop www.laurenceoxley.co.uk:
The Story of Alresford
pp. 112
By
Arthur Stowell
The predecessor of Alresford Articles, Alresford Displayed was a publication produced by local people for local people. Issue No. 1 was published in 1976 and the last issue was No. 22 in 1997. All the contributions were the Copyright of the authors, which is acknowledged. As we understand it these articles were given freely by the authors and I have assumed, therefore, that there would be no objection to them being reproduced, for no financial gain, on this web site. If, however, any person who owns the copyright has an objection to them being reproduced here we would be pleased if they will contact us.
The articles are reproduced complete with the 'typos' and spelling mistakes of the originals and we can take no responsibility for the accuracy of the content. Just press the hyperlink and enjoy the pdf file.
No. 1 1976
1. On finding the Liberty of Alresford Freda Kelsall
2. Ten years before the Railway Digby Grist
3. Inns of Alresford Isabel Sanderson
4. World farming leans on Alresford Brian Gush
No. 2 1977
5. Jubilee comes to Alresford Freda Kelsall
6. Blacksmiths of the District - Past and Present Donald Soley
7. HMS Alresford 1919 - 1947 John Adams
8. Our Watercress Industry Edward Roberts
A Tribute to Isabel Sanderson
The Visitors Ursula Oxley
Lost Cobble Stones Ursula Oxley
Fiesta for Ducks Ursula Oxley
By the Weir Field Ursula Oxley
No. 3 1978
9. Alresford's Famous Cricketers John Arlott
10. Broad Street Pleasure Fair Working Party
11. Two Centuries of going to school Working Party
12. Fishing on the Arle Jack Orr
No. 4 1979
13. Our Antique Soke Patrick O'Donovan
14. 1552 Survey Explained Working Party
15. Travellers through Alresford John Adams
16. Last 30 years of Perin's Grammer School Sidney Pullinger
No. 5 1980
17. Alresford Pigs - Hampshire Hogs Neville Wade
18. Alresford's Railway John Adams
19. Lost Inns of Alresford Digby Grist
20. Perin's Resurgent Sidney Pullinger
No. 6 1981
21. Alresford's Hurdle House Raymond Elliot
22. Export Industries of Alresford Jack Orr
23. Bricquebec - Alresford's French Connection Graham Brown
24. Old Alresford Church Vincent Pemberton
25. Alresford 100 years ago Digby Grist
No. 7 1982
26. Alresford's Golf Club - Part 1 Robert Hedges
27. Paths around Alresford. Sidney Pullinger
28. Medicine in Alresford. Peter Lyndon-Skeggs
29. National Childrens Home, Old Alresford. Vincent Pemberton
No 8. 1983
30. William Henry Hunt, Architect. Raymond Elliot
31. Alresford House, Old Alresford. Vincent Pemberton
32. Alresford Golf Club - Part 2 Robert Hedges
33. Vagrancy in Alresford. John Adams
No. 9 1984
34. Old Alresford Place. Vincent Pemberton
35. The Alresford Show. Robert Hedges
36. Alresford 'Town Hall' Raymond Elliot
37. Birds in the Parish of Alresford Jackie Carpenter
No. 10 1985
38. Rodney's Railways Peter Hogarth
39. Old Alresford Pond - A Re-assessment. Edward Roberts
40. Robert Boyes - Master of Perins School. Raymond Elliot
41. Alresford's Post - Part 1. Reg Sanders
And Now We Are Ten
No.11 1986
42. Alresford at Domesday Raymond Elliot
43. Historical Abbotstone Isabel Sanderson
44. Alresford's Post - Part 2 Reg Sanders
45. Old Alresford Cricket Club Peggy McKerracher
No. 12 1987
46. Haunting of Hinton Ampner Digby Grist
47. Battle of Cheriton Peter Hoggarth
48. St. John the Baptist Church - New Alresford Raymond Elliot
49. Requiem for a Village School J. Adams & J. Underwood
50. Tichborne Down Anglo Saxons Reg Sanders
No. 13 1988
51. Godsfield Chapel Peter Hoggarth
52. Sir Frank Benson Ann Pennington
53. The 47th US Infantry in Alresford H.C. & F.M. Kent
54. Scouting in Alresford Margaret Gould
A Tribute to Isabel Sanderson
The Visitors Ursula Oxley
Lost Cobble Stones Ursula Oxley
Fiesta for Ducks Ursula Oxley
By the Weir Field Ursula Oxley
No. 14 1989
55. Alresford Rifle Volunteers 1859-1908 John Reid
56. Non-Conformity in Alresford John Adams
57. Parliamentary Representation in the 12th Century Robin Grieves Cook
58. New Alresford Town Plan 1964 Sidney Pullinger
An Ordinary Alresford Man Rosalind Wade
No. 15 1990
59. The Bailiff and Burgesses of New Alresford. John Adams
60. Veterinary Surgeons in Alresford. David Thornton
61. The Water Mills of Alresford. Raymond Elliot
62. 200 years of Banking in Alresford. Richard Mills
63. Connections between Alresford and Wield Elizabeth Gibson
Tribute to Lieut.Col. D.A.Grist, OBE
Ode to Alresford Jane Newble-de Graaf
No 16. 1991
65. Thomas Charles Hankin Alex Hankin
66. The Importance of Abbotstone. Raymond Elliot
67. The Tichborne Claimant Lesley Drew
68. Langtons Farm Pamela Conway
69. Napoleonic Prisoners of War Peter Hoggarth
No. 17 1992
70. George Bridges Rodney John Adams
71. Mary Sumner Lesley Drew
72. Introduction to Hampshire Drove Roads Eleanor Kingston
73. The Alresford Chantry Raymond Elliot
74. The Seige at Borough Farm Working Party
Alresford Historical and Literary Society- 25 years on John Adams
No. 18 1993
75. Eddolls in Alresford Lesley Drew
76. Rotary Club of Alresford Michael Clark
77. John Arlott OBE MA John Adams
78. The Old Manse in East Street Meg & John Read
79.The Eel House at Alresford Raymond Elliot
80. The Rodney Family and Wield Elizabeth Gibson
No. 19 1994
81. New Alresford Parish Council Alex Hankin
82. The Grange Road N.F.S. Huts Sidney Pullinger
83. The Hospital of St. Mary Magdalen Raymond Elliot
84. Ropley in the Age of Smuggling Peter Hogarth
85. New Alresford Town Trustees Peggy McKerracher
86. Whose Pew? Peggy McKerracher
No. 20 1995
87. "On" Licenses John Adams
88. History of Alresford Bowling Club Lesley Drew
89. New Alresford United Charities Trust John Adams
90. Wealth in Alresford in the 1890s J & B Griffiths
91. R.A.F.A. Alresford & District Branch Bert Jarrett
92. New Alresford Parish Council - Part II Alex Hankin
No. 21 1996
93. Introducing the Avington Branch Angela Smith
94. Conservation Areas Arthur Stowell
95. The Admiralty Telegraph System in the Alresford Area - Part 1 - The Shutters John Adams
96. New Alresford Parish Council Part III Alex Hankin
97. The Most Learned and Reverend Doctor Peter Heylyn - Part I Peggy McKerracher
98. Bell Founding in New Alresford Elizabeth Johnson
The French Telegraphe!
No. 22 1997
99. The Most Learned and Reverend Doctor Peter Heylyn - Part II Peggy McKerracher
100. Alresford Remembered Freda Kelsall
101. The Admiralty Telegraph System in the Alresford Area - Part II - The Semaphores John Adams
102. William Cobbett and Alresford Kenneth S. Masters
103. Fulling in Alresford John Adams
Gates at Arlebury Park
An eclectic mix about, or written by people in, the district.
A.A.1 £5 A.A.2 £5 A.A.3 Sold Out A.A.4 £5 A.A.5 £5 A.A.6 £5 A.A.7 £5
To purchase e-mail glenn.gilbertson@hotmail.com
Volume 1 Contents
1 Welcome
2 Two Diamond Jubilees Glenn Gilbertson
3 Shock Result at the First Parish Council Election Brian Rothwell
4 A Bad Day in Abbotstone Glenn Gilbertson
5 Alresford Rugby Football Club Hugh Ogus
6 The Origin of the Name of Alresford Peter Abraham
Volume 2 Contents
1. The Old Pinglestone Road Brian Rothwell
2. The Bombing of Alresford Glenn Gilbertson
3. A Current Assessment of NATT Robin Atkins
4 Tichborne & Titchy - Their Original Meaning Peter Abraham
(addendum) More about the TichborneC laimant Glenn Gilbertson
5. Thomas Carlyle at The Grange Brian Tippett
6 The Date of the Broad Street Fair Brian Rothwell
7. The Bells of St John’s Nick Denbow with Elizabeth Johnson
8. 1953 Coronation Celebrations in Alresford Glenn Gilbertson
9. Poetry Corner Chidiock Tichborne
Volume 3 Contents All articles by Brian Rothwell
1.The Perins of the Weir House, 1549-1923
2.The Beauworth Hoar.d, 1833
3.Neville Chamberlain in Old Alresford? 1938
4.War Memorial Garden, 1944 to date
5.The Lost Bridge, 1960’s to date
6.Bibliography & Sources.
Volume 4 Contents
1. The British Army, HQ in Alresford, ‘Utterly Beaten’ Glenn Gilbertson
2. The Stratton Bates Legacy Brian Rothwell
3. Our Hinton Ampner 1940-44 Trisha Ferris
4. The Shrave Peter Abraham
5. George Wither’s Window & Alresford’s Wondrous Pond Brian Tippett
6. Delivering the Newspapers in 1950’s Alresford Nick Denbow
7. The Tenants of Borough Farm Isabel Sanderson
8. Dr Harold Hodgson Brian Rothwell
9. Poetry Corner
Volume 5 Contents
1.‘Mr Alresford’ , Alfred Henry White Brian Rothwell
2.The George & Red Lion Inns Brian Rothwell & Glenn Gilbertson
3.A.E. Wade: an Artist in Alresford Nick Denbow
4.The Stiff Upper Lipby Glenn Gilbertson
5.Winston Churchill or Winnie the Pooh? Glenn Gilbertson
6.The Cold War in New Alresford Robert Fowler
7.Hudson’s Summer in the Itchen Valley Brian Tippett
8.The English Language in Hampshire Christopher Mulvey
9.The District Nurse & the Ropley Cofee Rooms Nick Denbow & Una Yeates
10.Sheep Fairs Brian Rothwell
11.Another Great War Casualty Born in Alresford Glenn Gilbertson
12.Two Gallipoli Campaign Poems Glenn Gilbertson
13.A Surprising Gallipoli Campaign Poet Glenn Gilbertson
14.Kipling’s Lost Son - John Kipling 1897-1915 Brian Tippett
15.Poetry Corner- Conflicting Opinions Heather Cairns
Volume 6 Contents
1.John Adamsby Brian Rothwell
2.1966 & All Thatby Brian Rothwell
3.1966 Highlights & Personal Memories Glenn Gilbertson
4.Memories 1966 in Alresford Roy Torbett
5.A Murder at Upton House Len Ruffell
6.The Murder of Caroline Sophia Colborne John Avery & Glenn Gilbertson
7.A life in Alresford: George Watson Nick Denbow
8.Alresford Names Revisited Carl Dore
9.Watch & Clock-makers in Alresford Nick Denbow
10.Arlebury & Its Inhabitants Peter Mercer
11.Congregationalism in Edwardian Alresford 1901914 Roger Ottewill
12.Poetry(?) Corner
Volume 7 Contents
1.Laurence & Ursula Oxley Anthony Oxley
2.The Old Cricketers Inn Paul Dix
3.Wartime in Alresford Peter Turner
4.Grand Western Entranceway Brian Rothwell
5.Excerpts from 1947 & 1967 Alresford Guidebooks ed. Glenn Gilbertson
6.Old Alresford Cricket Club Closes Brian Rothwell
7.Philip Osment, Artist Barrie Lees
8.The Marks of the Last Burgesses Brian Rothwell
9.Culley View Glenn Gilbertson
10.Poetry Corner Edward Thomas
2022 EXTRA!
Alas, we have not had the capacity to produce a new volume of Alresford Articles this year. However, this time-sensitive item was received from Elizabeth Johnson, Alresford's Bell Captain; we hope that you will enjoy reading it here and that it will add to our town's history.
Interesting Alresford
As an alternative to publishing a new edition of Alresford Articles, we shall be presenting a series of interesting contributions. The first is an illustrated transcript of our President' Peter Pooley's fascinating presentation Unremarked Ancient Curiosities in Alresford.
We have been passed a copy of AHLS Members' Contributions 18 March 1970, and here present the cover, programme and contents pages. Many of the items found their way in to Alresford Displayed (see above), but Miss Pring's story tells of a very different Alresford within living memory (a riding instructor, she was an early stalwart of our society) and Lawrence Oxley's item includes details of the refurbishment of the Alresford French Prisoners, headstones. Click on the titles to open the links.
Members Contibutions 1970 Cover, Information & Contents
A Day Out With Maidstone Charm
The Work in Alresford of Napoleonic Prisoners of War
The Society has commissioned a memorial on Folly Hill, Itchen Stoke to three Spitfire pilots killed in a collision over Abbotstone on 22nd July 1944, and we are grateful for contributions from Mark Baring & the Grange Estate, Itchen Stoke & Ovington Parish Council, Winchester City Council, Hampshire County Council, Award Resin Ltd, Bob Ellis, Ray Hillyer & family and Stan Upton.
Use the buttons to learn the story or watch videos of a commemoration service on 22nd July 2019 and a dedication ceremony on 9th September 2021, both of which contain an eye-witness account.
We have also, in association with The Alresford Society & Alresford town Council, commissioned a memorial to Captain Robert Cogswell, USAAF, who bravely piloted his burning bomber away from our town.
Meridian TV video including eye-witness reports
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