Popley Matters Archive

First - Who is Arthur Attwood M.B.E.?

Basingstoke and the Gazette's historian, Arthur  wrote for the Gazette since 1947 and was a journalist on the staff from 1970 onwards. Arthur visited Hong Kong in the East and Washington and Toronto in the West to write stories. In 1989 was made a Freeman of the Borough, an honour shared with Betty Holmes of Old Basing. Arthur  sang as a chorister in St. Michael's' Church from 1928. As a crossword compiler Arthur  had thousands published. And  Arthur was awarded an M.B.E. Below is just one of the interesting and informative articles Arthur wrote for Popley Matters and the connection continues with his Grandson Andy McCormick serving as a Councillor in Popley East.

The History
When I occasionally visit a Popley School I am invariably asked what is the history of Popley? As one who can remember the area at least 65 years ago, all I can say that from that from time immemorial, Popley was part of a picturesque Hampshire where farming had taken place for many centuries.

Popley Fields
If you look on an Ordinance Survey map, the only reference to Popley is Popley Fields, where when I was a youngster, Mr Phillips, a keen horseman lived at the house to the east of Marnell dell and in his paddocks were many fine horses. The word Popley has an interesting derivation for the "pop" an old English word meaning pebble, being a shortened word of "popel".  Ley means pastureland. Popley Fields was separated from the Oakridge area by the lane, which exists in part, going from the back of St. Bede's School to the Sherborne Road. The lane started from the crossroads from the Reading Road and part also exists to the south of Chineham Park School.

Along that lane in the proximity of the south part of Shakespeare Road was a chalk dell.
A little further along, some 300 yards off the road was a mushroom farm, this was taken over by the military during the Second World War to become a depot of the Royal Hampshire Regiment. Pershore Road has been built on the site, which after the war became a buffer depot where goods were stored for use in the event of an atomic catastrophe.

Carpenters Down
Where the woods are behind the scout buildings off Carpenters Down Road was a rifle range which I fired on as a Home Guard. The range was there long before the Second World War. I also, as a member of Dad's Army visited Marnell Down to throw grenades on a practice area specially prepared with a building which included a safety chamber. This was needed when a very short Home Guardsman failed to clear the parapet, with the grenade falling back at his feet. Before the seven second fuse could let off the bomb he was hustled into the safety chamber. A more modern look at the area which will include references to Chineham House and Chineham Farm and to industrial development will appear in a future article.

Chineham House, Popley

Chineham House
There are more people living in the vast Popley area than were in the whole of Basingstoke when I was a schoolboy. Then, Basingstoke's population was a mere12,000. As a boy chorister, I was chosen by Mrs. Boustead, wife of the Vicar, Canon H W Boustead to run errands for her. At the time, I was one of the choristers who received threepence and was offered one shilling if I would help Mrs. Boustead, indeed I felt very rich. What has this got to do with Popley, you might rightly ask?
A lot, for one of my tasks was to deliver 'Mother's Union' magazines for Mrs. Boustead, who was Central President. One call was at 'Chineham House', then the home of Colonel Eastwood, who was Commandant of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.  When Mrs. Boustead was told I arrived by bicycle, I had a severe telling off for cycling so far, as I had a weak heart and was recovering from a serious illness.  When Colonel Eastwood left Chineham House he was followed for a time by a Mr. Charles, who had been put into 'Thorneycrofts' as a kind of receiver when the firm had not been doing too well. Within months, with re-armament and then wartime, the firm became very profitable.
Another place I cycled to was the farmhouse near 'Chineham House', afterwards a farm shop, to deliver Scout badges to Mr. Snook, the farmer's son. Later, I was to know his father very well. I was then to see industry spread to the area with 'Douglas Robinson's Engineering Factory' on the opposite side of the road to 'Chineham House'.

Nearly Heathrow? (phew!)
My other memories of Popley are very personal, for it was where I spent some of my courting days with Nellie, my wife to be, a very good walker. It was a lovely walk to and from Basingstoke along the footpath, the side of which was to see the tower block of flats rise above the trees. This was originally the Basingstoke Golf Course and after the club moved to Kempshott, the field was used as a landing ground for aircraft, including Sir Alan Cobham's airliner used for pleasure flights over Basingstoke.
In the 1920's it was thought that the sight could become an airport, such ideas were squashed when 'Heathrow' was chosen as London's Airport. Had that area between Oakridge and Popley been chosen, planes would have ascended and descended over Popley!

Residents of a nearby field
 

Links to Sherborne St John, Chineham and Old Basing.
When I am asked what history there is attached to Popley, I have to think very deep.
For those who moved into the area in the early days of development in the 1960's and with children, who have grown up and possibly married, those early beginnings have already become history. What do we know about the area going back over 1500 years? Before there was such a place as Popley, the area was adjoining the manor of Chineham, which was the fort of Hugh de Port, after the time of King Edward the Confessor. The manor was in existence until the 18th century, eventually being purchased in the last century by Lord Bolton. The trees which line the green along Carpenters Down Road are part of the Chineham estate and at one time were part of Windsor Forest, which stretched as far west as Kingsclere.

The early people of Chineham would have known the pastures of Popley, so would Lord St John who held the manor of Old Basing and gave his name to Sherborne St John. People are surprised that Sherborne Church is dedicated to Andrew and not St John, the latter not referring to an apostle but to the Lord of the manor of Old Basing, which included Sherborne St John.
Those who worshipped at Pamber Priory would have most certainly known what is today, Popley. It is most certain also that the Roman Warriors from Silchester would have wandered over Popley Fields. The area must have also seen something of the Civil War with Royal reinforcements having trundled along the Reading Road by Chineham Park.  The area would have also seen something of Oliver Cromwell's Cavalry moving up to add support to the onslaught the great house suffered. For these were held in readiness at Rooksdown, which is mentioned in early history. They would have galloped across open country. Some of the skirmishes during the siege reached as far as Popley. One of the roads on the Daneshill Industrial Estate, not far from Carpenters Down, is named after Onslow, who had his own regiment in Cromwell's army, which attacked Basing House.
Perhaps one day there may be an archaeological dig at Popley what that would reveal is anyone's guess?

A View from Popley towards Sherborne St John

And So On:
Popley, which has been in existence for some forty years, obviously has a limited history.
Before the houses there were fields, woods and rich arable lands. It is part of our beautiful county of Hampshire with much to commend for people leaving the hustle and bustle of London and at one time, the dreadful smog.

When Lord Bolton was planning to develop his land North of Basingstoke and at Chineham, the estate agents prospectus praised the beauty of the landscape.
Mention was made that from the high ground, where Oakridge Towers have been built, one could see Caversham Heights in Oxfordshire beyond Reading. Also the rising ground approaching Guildford known as the Hog's Back. Lord Bolton did not include what is now the Popley area in his development plans.

Those early settlers at Popley, in the Popley Poets area comprising of such places as Longfellow Parade, Dryden Close, where the first St. Gabriel's Church was in a caravan, Shakespeare Road, etc, with the immediate surrounds still fields had the best of the development. In a short while other houses had sprung up to blot out the view of the countryside literally on their doorstep.
What a contrast for those folk from London, who lived among buildings and sub-standard housing.
This brings me to a problem that has been highlighted, that is, vandalism in Popley 1.
I must emphasize that this is no worse that can be found on any of our estates.

By far, the many families living in Popley are lovely people and it is a shame that isolated acts of vandalism should give Popley a bad name. I have many friends in Popley who have made and are making valuable contributions to their particular areas, to make them pleasant places in which to reside.

Unfortunately, there were people living in the old town of Basingstoke who looked down with distain on Basingstoke's new citizens. This could only be put down to ignorance for the early settlers under the Overspill scheme did much to create a community. They made the Community centres real meeting places where new friends were to be made. May the generous spirit of those first pioneers at Popley live on among the present and future population.

With the millennium almost here, it is time for reflection. I am one of those who are wondering what we are about to celebrate. Scholars think that Jesus Christ was born four years before the start of Anno Domini and one thing is certain, we have to put up with the 20th Century for another year, for the next century does not start until January 1st 2001. Perhaps we are celebrating the end of one as the first figure on our dates, in favour of two. It will certainly seem strange.

Now let's me get back to history. For the past one thousand years and many more, Popley has been farmland. Some under crops and other for grazing. One thing is certain, quite probably the whole area for a time was forest, for Windsor Forest spread as far west as Kingsclere and as far south as the borders of Basingstoke.

Popley, verging onto Chineham, like Sherborne, which stretched across the Basingstoke to Reading Road, almost to Old Basing. Of all the many years that has passed the greatest changes have occurred during less than the last fifty years. As a lad, when I got to know Basingstoke and it's surrounds, I could never have thought that the open fields I used to cross, to Carpenters Down, would become the homes of thousands of people, more people than there was in Basingstoke in those days '' a mere 12,800.

Popley has seen many hundreds of homes built and what is needed to support them 'Schools, Community Centres, Pubs, Main Roads, Old Peoples Dwellings and Industry, with some still across the way from Chineham Park, one of Popley's recreational grounds. We must also remember St Gabriel's Church started as a caravan.
With some of the houses forty years old there must be many second generations of families, a nice thought to end this section on.

A HAPPY MILLENNIUM TO YOU ALL

ARTHUR ATTWOOD M.B.E.

Into the new Millennium:
I am writing this article a few days before I go to Buckingham Palace to receive the MBE from the Queen, an honour which I am very proud to have been awarded. You may ask, "What is this to do with Popley?" The answer is - a lot.

The MBE has been awarded to me, not only as the town's historian but also for services to the community and this includes Popley. This is a section of Basingstoke, which I have a real feeling for. Among the 1000 plus talks I have given, many have been at Popley, to Community Associations and to the schools where I have always found the children most enthusiastic. In their search for knowledge about the town, in which many were born, they are developing a sense of belonging to a town so different from the area where many of their parents lived in London.

My great opportunity to get to know the people of Popley was during the eight years in which I wrote the "Know your Neighbour" series in the Gazette. I too got to know the neighbours of Popley and what a great lot of people I found them to be.

When celebrations took place for the Silver Jubilee and the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, I as a journalist, covered some of the street parties. One of the finest was at Abbey Road, where former Londoners showed Basingstoke people the exuberant way to celebrate. This was a real communal effort, which still remains so clear in my mind.

Popley people always impressed me with the way they supported their Community Centres, in which I have given several talks.

With the celebrations of the dawn of the Millennium now behind us, our thoughts are now trained on the future. What kind of place will Basingstoke and indeed Popley be at the end of the present Century? I can see many of our remaining green fields disappearing and I am sure, by 2100, something else will take the place of the motorcars, now so often paralysed in traffic jams. I am sure during the next 100 years, we will travel by air in small carriages, flying at different heights and computer controlled. One hundred years ago flying by air was not even in it's infancy, the first cars were appearing, and TV was un-thought of. Many new inventions and scientific advances are bound to happen in the near future.

Arthur Attwood (Mr Basingstoke.)