mag 1210.pdf - Holybourne

Everyone is so jolly and says hello which is lovely. When we
were painting the front of our home all these lovely people
would stop and say hello and ask us how we were getting
on. It was really jolly.
Now our home is finished - I say finished, but we still have
a few jobs to do, such as fixing the front wall. We will get
there eventually I’m sure. We both adore Holybourne and
can’t imagine living anywhere else. We love walking Monty
around the fields and of course Morris up Church Lane, and
all the happy people that say hello to us. Thank you for
making us feel so welcome in the village.
Sophie Aylwin, Stephen Jackson, Monty and Morris.
My Holybourne
In 1957 my wife and I moved into 43 Howards Lane
when I began work for Jack Newman, the tenant farmer
of Manor Farm. I’d grown up in Froyle with my sister
and two brothers. One day, my mother sent me down
to the “big house” on some errand and suggested that
I “have a look” at the nice young girl there. l was quite
taken with Primrose and love blossomed.
As Primrose attended Holybourne Church every Sunday,
this is where we decided to marry in 1953. Our married life
begun in a farm cottage at Inadown where I worked for
Commander Pirie but we returned to Holybourne where we
raised our four children David, Jennifer, Alan and Wendy
who all went to the village school.
The first tractor I drove on Manor Farm was a Ford Diesel
and I later had the privilege to own my own. When I joined
the farm there were no longer any working horses but Jack
was the Master of the Holybourne Harriers and, after a
groom had left, I was asked to look after his horses. Jack’s
grey named Folly particularly sticks in my mind as she was
quite contrary and refused to be cleaned down after a days
hunting until absolutely dry!
I have fond memories of days gathering wood for the winter
fire with my family. The children would put potatoes on the
bonfire we’d lit whilst we worked and eat Jacket spuds.
We had our hedgerow which we would cut back, bring the
wood back to the farm and use the saw bench to size down
to logs ready for splitting. Then we would cart our spoils
home. We would gather blackberries from the hedgerows
in Watvere Lane and I cruelly remember a field mouse
climbing up poor Primrose’s stocking’d leg. The children
and I could not help for laughing! Eventually we composed
ourselves and plucked the mouse off but he was most
insistent and shot up there again!
In those days as well as the beef cattle and arable, Manor
Farm boasted a dairy in what is now known as Howards
Barn. Occasionally if someone was ill I would have to help
with the milking.
In the 70’s we moved into 35, Howards Lane and after
Jacks death, I continued to work for his son, David. As I
got older I dropped to part time hours and eventually
retired. In 1998 Primrose and I moved to Thornton End
where we had several years together enjoying retirement
before I sadly lost her a few years ago.
Holybourne has served my family well and been a wonderful
village to live, work, raise a family and retire in. It is
peaceful, though not as peaceful as it used to be. Early
mornings spent on the Downs bear breathtaking sunrises
and in contrast, late into the night, stunning sunsets. It truly
is a beautiful part of Hampshire.
John Savage
Holybourne Back and Forth
We first came to Holybourne in February 2001, having
no prior knowledge of the village at all. We came to
view 151 London Road with a view to renting it. City
dwellers from Southampton, the two of us drove
through the village and fell in love with it straight away.
The house was perfect – small but just right for us – and
we said yes to the estate agent. Our jobs had taken us
to the Northern end of Hampshire, and the location was
just right for a commute to Guildford and another
to Basingstoke.
We spent two and a half years in that lovely cottage. Our
abiding memories of living there are:
• Making friends with Lesley, David and Lucy next door
• Looking out of the stable door up to the stars at night
• Finding frogs from the pond on the back doorstep in
the mornings
• Listening to people’s conversations as they passed
our living room window at night – be warned!
Another change of job took us to Farnham where we had
live-in accommodation, but we never forgot Holybourne,
and often talked about it with fondness.
By 2005 circumstances had changed again, and by this
time we were ready to buy our own house. We looked in
Farnham, Alton, Blackmoor, and Holybourne once more.
We couldn’t believe our luck when we saw the Old Chapel
Continued on page 19
The Holybourne Village Magazine - Winter Issue 2010
Page 17