MOORDOWN LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY - NEWS

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Some very sad new I'm afraid...
A founding member of our Society - Berni Hallam - passed away in her sleep on 30th April 2022.  
Berni had been in hospital for around a week with pneumonia, following a bout of Covid.
 



Those of you who knew Berni will remember her determination to ensure that Moorside Cottage was not left to rot. 
Together with her friend Jill King, it was Berni who made sure that the promise to replace the deteriorating thatch was actually followed through.... Which it was, by the end of 2019 ... 
Our thanks to them both for their persistence with that one!

It was Berni  - again together with Jill  - who also authored the much respected Moordown History booklet 'The Hamlet on the Heath'
(a copy of which you can find HERE ).
 
Berni also organised 'Moordown walks' a few years back, which were very well received, and much appreciated.
 
A true stalwart of Moordown History - and of our Society - Berni will be sadly missed.
 
 
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November 2019 - some good news, regarding Moorside Cottage!  
 
.. just click on the page button below ..
 

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-- Some sad - but perhaps not unexpected - news about the Horse and Jockey  --

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It is with a heavy heart that I have to inform you of the death of one of our most prominent members, Philip Rougier

Philip Rougier in 2010

Philip passed away peacefully at his home on 1st October  2016 

 Philip was our forum moderator, and always took a keen interest in all our activities. As a professional in building regulations, he was able to offer his advice on all sorts of things architectural - including the situation regarding some details of the planning applications at Moorside Cottage.

He will be sadly missed.

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1st July 2016.... The 100th anniversary of the opening day of the Battle of the Somme.

Local commemorations were held at the War Memorial in the gardens this morning, starting at 7.25am.

You can read and see more about the days proceedings, by clicking HERE  to see the Echo's report....

There is more about the ongoing Somme commemorations HERE 

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There was a good turn out on Armistice Day at the Moordown Halifax Memorial.
There's an account in the Echo. You can just click HERE to read the article
 
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We've been contacted by ITV News about our Evelyn Rd Coronation Day Video clip.
(You can watch the clip by clicking HERE) ..
 
 
Here is a copy of their email, which explains the situation:

"I am writing to you on behalf of ITV news at ITN. We are
collecting together a number of people's memories of the Coronation day in 1953,
one way we are trying to do this is to find videos from the time and contact
people from it. We found your video of the Coronation Day celebrations in Evelyn
Road, Moordown. Would you be able to help us get hold of anyone In the video? Or
put some feelers out there if anyone sees themselves In it?.."
 
So  - if you are in the film - or know someone who is, and would be prepared to speak to ITV News about your memories of that day, just drop us a line via the contact us box at the top of the page, so that we can put you in contact with them....   
 
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July 2015 - There's important news about Moorside Cottage. Click on the image below to go straight to the Cottage webpage for more details...

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A bit of better news on the Moorside Cottage situation!  At the group meeting in April, Mike Stokes - the father of the Cottage's present owner, Matthew Stokes - came along to the meeting to talk to us about the situation surrounding the present rather sad state of affairs. He let us know that there is a planning application - currently at the consultaton stage - for 3 houses to be built on the land right at the bottom of the Cottage garden. Well away from the Cottage and it's own garden.

It is hoped that if that project is allowed to move forward, it will allow funds to be realeased to be used for renovating the Cottage.... Which is excellent news....

As to when this will all occur is not certain at present.... In the meantime, watch ths space!

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Sadly, we have learned of the death of Mike Edgington on Feb 5th 2015, at the age of 82.

As many of you will already know, Mike was the author of several books on Bournemouth history - particularly our local history during both world wars. It was Mike who very kindly gave his permission in 2013 for his wartime booklets to be 'digitised', and placed online for free distribution. You can find copies of two of Mike's books - along with other volumes about our local history - on our special 'Local Studies' webpage. You can just click HERE to go to straight to that page.

 

Here are a few notes about Michael himself, taken from the preface of his WW2 book:

"Michael Amor Edgington was born in Bournemouth and educated at the Collegiate and Bournemouth Schools. He qualified as an Associate of the Library Association having started his career as a Librarian with Bournemouth Library Service. He also worked in the Municipal College Library then moved to Hampshire County Library's Ringwood branch.
In 1973 he returned to Bournemouth taking up the post of Reference Librarian at the Lansdowne Library, retiring in 1991. Bournemouth local history has always been one of his interests and he has written two other pamphlets, both published by the Bournemouth Local Studies Publications, entitled ''Bournemouth and the First World War'' (1985) and ''Citizen-soldiers'' (1988)."
 
I had the privilege of working briefly with Mike Edgington during my transcription of his wartime books in 2013, and found him to be a charming man. He will be sadly missed.
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Berni and Jill have updated their notes on the situation at Moorside Cottage. 

Just click on the image below to read a précis on what (or rather what hasn't!) been happening regarding the Cottage..... 

 

If you have any ideas on what steps you think we might take next, please do make contact with your suggestions

(just click the 'contact us' box at the top of this page)

 

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The latest details of Jenny Young's 'missing names' campaign has made it to the Echo....

click HERE 

......to read about our visit to the Town Hall, to see the 14 Moordown names now added to the Book of Remembrance.   

As Jenny says, the research goes on... there are still a lot more names missing! 

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Just to let you know that Jenny Young's campaign to get the missing names of the Moordown Fallen of the Great War added to the Book of Remembrance has made the Echo.

Further to her successful appeal to the Mayor, to allow for the formal inclusion of the missing names, the Echo has reported the story. You can see the online version of the article by clicking on the image below...

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A good turn out at the Town Hall on 19th November, to hear what Bournemouth Council Planning Committee had to say about the Evironment Enforcement Officers' report on the state of Moorside Cottage.  Berni was able to make her point to the Committee that the thatch really is in need of some urgent attention - a point which the initial report hadn't seem to stress.

The Planning Committee then spent a good 45 minutes debating the situation -- which was an excellent response.

The various options were discussed in depth, including some of the difficulties that can be encountered in trying to serve any kind of formal enforcement notice .. especially with an owner who lives abroad. 

The Committee do take the situation very seriously, and have recommended that further professional advice over the state of the thatch is actioned as soon as possible.  So, a positive response!


And we've made the Echo again! ---  just click on the image below to read their latest piece:

 


 

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Just a note to let you know that there is now an online version of Mike Edgington's history of 'Bournemouth and the First World War'.

Click on the image below to go to the download site...

 

 

Useful to know that the text in this PDF version is completely searchable... which can save a lot of time if you're looking for something specific!

Our thanks again to Mike Edgington for authorising these online reprints....

 

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There was a good turn out on Monday 21st October for the presentation of the Moorside Cottage Petition to the Council Planning Committee.

Berni was allowed to present the case before the whole Committee, and at the end the chairman agreed to ask Nigel Billett, the Principal Appeals and Enforcement Officer, to review the sitation and report to the next Planning Committee meeting.

We got some press coverage too!.... click here for the Echo's 'online' article from Wednesday 23rd:

 

 

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Some sad news to report I'm afraid...

Those of you who attended the dedication ceremony of the Moordown Halifax Memorial in July 2011 may remember a delightful speech delivered by Mrs. Lyn Cleverly, who was the sister of the navigator of JP137, Henry Roberts?

We have just learned that Mrs. Cleverly passed away on September 4th. She was 97.

You can click on her image below, to read a little more about her...

 

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Do take a look at our 'Who is that?..Where is that?.. page again. (Just click on the 'Who is that..' link, at the top of the page, to go straight there).

Ian Davis has written to confirm that the first photo of the Civil Defence Group is of the Moordown 'gang'. We've added a new numbered photo (which is higher resolution) so do take a look. You can zoom in for more detail. If you think you might know any more of the names... or where the photo was taken?......do get in touch..

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Those of you who have visited our First World War page will know that we are collecting as much information as we can on the Moordown men who served, and in some cases lost their lives in that dreadful conflict, almost 100 years ago.

Our group secretary, Jenny Young, specialises in the history of the Great War, and her research has discovered that over 60 men from Moordown itself lost their lives in that conflict.

Jenny has published a list of the Moordown fallen, which you can see by clicking the image below:
 


Many of those names appear on the Roll of Honour in the porch of St John's church.  Some do not.  And it has been quite a shock to realise that at least 12 of the names on Jenny's Moordown Fallen list do not appear in the official Book of Remembrance at the Town Hall.  

Jenny has been in contact with the Mayor about these omissions, and we are hopeful that they can be corrected...ideally in time for the centenary commerorations next year....

Jenny's list shows just the names of the fallen at present. Her research has uncovered a great deal more about the individual men  -- where they lived, who their families were, their service records, where and when they died.... 
 
....following on from that comment, you can now download a PDF with a lot more detail about all the men on Jenny's list above. Just click on the image below (the file is about 4MB)
 

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You might like to know that one of the more famous Bournemouth history books is now available in a free online edition......The complete text of 'Bournemouth and the Second World War 1939 - 1945' by M.A.Edgington can be found by clicking on the image below:

 

There is a lot of fascinating local wartime history within the pages - including quite a lot about Moordown! To help you find your way about the book, this new version has a searchable text...

Our thanks to Mike Edgington, for authorising this free reprint

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We were lucky at the Moordown village Fete on 2nd June!  We very nearly lost our gazebo to a gust of wind, first thing!

As it was, we were able to finally get set up OK, and we had lots of visitors to see our displays.

Berni and Jill were able to collect several pages of names, for their campaign to help save Moorside Cottage, and there were always several group members on hand to answer any of our visitors questions.

So thanks to Elaine, Steve, Jenny, Janice, Howard, Mary, Michael... and apologies to anyone else I've forgotten! 

A very enjoyable day....

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A lovely spring morning  - and a good turn out! - for Berni and Jill's 'Heart of Moordown' walk, on bank holiday Monday (6th May).


18 of us assembled outside the Coop at 11 a.m., and Berni set us off on her planned route - around the 'Heart of Moordown'.  
To the corner of Malvern Rd for some observations on the history of the Hollies, and 'Caves' post office (now Tappers Funeral Directors)...Along Malvern Rd .. turn off at Nursery Rd for some interesting points of the history of that early part on Moordown -- on top of the hill.

Back to Parley Rd ... right along that road to the other end and back up Malvern Rd.  Then MacWilliam Rd and down to Moorside Cottage (which is not, sadly,looking at  its best at the present time!)

Rose Gardens - many would say the real 'heart' of Moordown? -- and then back along the alleyway, to the old church.......

.....Finally, back to Jill's for tea, and some of her delicious ginger cookies!

A very pleasant and informative morning, that was enjoyed, I think, by all those who attended?......So many thanks to Berni and Jill for a really good show!........

There are a few photos below.....
 
 
Berni makes a point, at the junction of Malvern and Parley Rd...
 
....down Nursery Rd, to the junction with Forest View Rd......
 
 
...along Parley Rd....
 
Jill points out some details at the other end of Parley Rd.....
 
...back along MacWilliam Rd...
 
At the entrance to Moorside Cottage...
 
....which is looking rather sad, at present....
 
And finally back at the old church...
 

 

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  • As you may already know, we have received funding from the Moordown2010 Committee for our projector, and subsequently for our computer and scanner as well. 

    There's a copy of our 'thank you' letter to the Committee HERE  if you'd like to see it.

  • We've also posted copies of the notes presented to the Committee when applying for the funding, which you can read HERE and HERE

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P.S. You might like to know........

......that  the book 'Bournemouth 1810 -1910' by C.H Mate and C.Riddle is now out of copyright, and has been digitised, and placed online by Cornell University Library.

You can download a copy of the whole book from: HERE (The file is about 11MB)

It contains some fascinating facts, from the 1st 100 years of Bournemouth's history.

Probably not a good idea trying to print it out as a hard copy though - it's 366 pages long!

 

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Copyright MLHS 2022