The Heritage Bank has recently received a ring-binder of information all the way from New Zealand. Catherine Butland has sent us some lovely information about her grandparents: Charles and Bertha Holloway.
From about 1906, Charles had worked as a Head Gardener for the Bonham Carter family in Buriton. A large market garden on the estate employed about fifteen gardeners and produce (vegetables and flowers) were shipped by rail to Covent Garden Market every morning. Bertha Holloway also worked in service for the Bonham Carters and helped in the glass houses. They lived and worked in Buriton until 1921 when Charles died.
We are aware that 2007 marks a couple of special anniversaries for Buriton: it is 20 years since ‘the Great Storm’ swept across the parish. It brought down a gable end of the village school, blocked the railway line and closed local roads for days. Parts of the High Street and North Lane were left without power for over a week and a wartime spirit was re-kindled in the village as neighbours helped each other with supplies of hot water.
Some fascinating local photographs of the aftermath of the 1987 hurricane will be on show at our 2007 Exhibition but we hope to collect more information and memories.
It will also be 10 years since Buriton’s new Village Hall was opened. Strangely we don’t have many photographs of our old Village Hall. It had been built in 1909 and was, for most of the twentieth century, the social hub of the village. We have a wonderful description of how it had been built (and what a stir this had caused in the community) but we have very few photographs of the building.
Please let us know if you think that you can help.
And we are still keen to collect more information about the Forestry activities that have taken place in the parish over the years.
