We are particularly indebted to Gordon and Mary Bray who have been tidying out some of their cupboards at Nursted Farm. Hidden away on the top of a wardrobe was a box of papers and photographs which had been collected together when the local Women’s Institute was preparing its wonderful ‘Scrapbook of Buriton’ in 1951. The box contained a number of things that had not been included in the final Scrapbook – but they are certainly of interest today.
One old photograph shows the grand opening of the original village hall in October 1909 with a dozen smartly dressed waiters and waitresses waiting to serve the celebratory meal.
And the box contained some handwritten memories from some of the (then) village elders: Thirza Budd and Mr & Mrs Welch. The notes describe how the village used to have a drapers shop, a bootmakers, a butchers shop at the Five Bells, a wheelwrights and undertakers opposite The Maple Inn and how bread was baked for sale at the Post Office.
We have also received correspondence and plans from 1953 with details of commemorative trees planted to mark the Coronation and even press cuttings from as recently as 1991 can be of interest – showing pictures of the huge construction work which took place near to the end of Greenway Lane during the building of the Petersfield bypass.
