Tim Maddrell
used to live at
Harestock Farm in Harestock Road, where the Harestock estate is now, and he has
been in touch with David Elsmore, Clerk to the Parish Council, as they were at
school at Peter Symonds. Tim has been sorting through some old photographs and
has kindly sent in some shots taken years ago. Below is a picture taken inside
Eve’s Stores (which used to be on the corner of Deane Down Drove where the old
Post Office is now). Eves
Stores was owned by Mr and Mrs Edwards and their daughter, Helen, who worked as
a landgirl at Harestock Farm.
As far as Tim can make out the notice on the counter reads "WVS - CD The 2nd meeting on what to do about the bomb damage will be held at Littleton Manor by kind permission of Mrs Robertson on Wed next, May 29th at 2.30 pm" (probably 1946) Tim said that his wife had taken the photo and that Helen had written the WVS notice.
The second picture is of Harestock Farm on Harestock Road. The entrance to the “new” Harestock Estate, now Priors Dean Road, was behind the garden wall. The tree on the right lives on - it is now in the front garden of Jane & Brian Bellamy's house on the Harestock Road (second house from the Priors Dean junction)"
The final picture shows Mr Maddrell and Helen Edwards working on top of the rick with Tim's sister running towards the camera. You can see the houses in Andover Road North. The photo was taken by Mrs Maddrell, "who was an excellent photographer" remembers Austen Hooker. He has a framed photograph taken of the last hay ricks at Halls Farm entitled "Peters Ricks" hanging on the wall in his home to this day.
If you've found these pictures interesting you may like to visit the 1950's Exhibition page compiled by Barbara Elsemore during the Queen's Jubilee celebrations.