Highcliffe

Records going back as far as the 12^th century show that there has always been life in Highcliffe. The area now known as Highcliffe was made up of three hamlets – Chewton, Chewton Common and the infamous Slop Pond! Chewton means 'Cifa's farm'. Chewton and Chewton Common were large farmsteads with farm houses and land. This is now the area around Mill Lane spreading East towards Barton and North towards Walkford. (Then known as Amberwood)

The Mill at Chewton was a working water mill grinding flour and corn, with records dating back to the thirteenth century and owned by the monastery at Christchurch. During the 1800's James Brown farmed there. Corn and grain from the mill was sold at Philps and Brown corn store, now the site of the market place. This store continued to trade there under the name of Highcliffe Corn Store until the mid seventies. The mill continued working until 1908 when it was said to have become a nursing home for a short while, and eventually a private residence.


Chewton Mill 1875	Chewton Mill today

The Walkford Brook often flooded at Chewton. In 1901 a concrete bridge was built which is possibly the earliest reinforced concrete bridge to be built in England! The thatched cottages that stood along the brook here were demolished in 1958.

Slop Pond (the common behind Chewton Common Road to Walkford) was no more than a scattering of mud and thatch cottages, and gained its name from a large pond on the common. These cottages were said to be the homes of fishermen and farm workers who supplemented their income with poaching and smuggling. By the 1800’s there were around thirty cottages on the common and about 150 people living there. Some of these original cottages are still standing today. Yew tree cottage (below) is one of these and is around 500 years old!

Large gentry estates, such as Nea Farm, Holburn, Wolhayes, Somerford Grange, Bure Homage and High Cliff (the original home of the 3rd Earl of Bute, Charles Stuart) made up the Western side of the area, then known as Christchurch East.

Nea Meadow was once part of the Nea Estate, demolished in the 1940's. It is now a reserve for wildlife, and popular with dog walkers and fishermen.

The Lymington Road area, as we know it today, was shown in old 15th and 16th century maps as being gravel pits, fields and orchards. The Globe Inn dates back as far the 1700's. John Pack, the Inn keeper in the 1800's, was also a blacksmith, a farrier, and ran a grocery store from the Inn. Carriers used the Globe as the starting point for their horse-drawn cart service to Lymington twice a week. Auctions for the sale of land and household goods were held at the Inn.

Both land and property transactions took place at the Globe in the early 1800's, and auctions of goods and livestock were also held there. In 1832 Captain Henry Hopkins of Holburn House had twenty houses built on the land which is now Lymington Road. By 1862 more cottages were built, eight of these were sold to James Frampton. James Frampton, originally a builder from Milton, played a large part in the development of Highcliffe.

Holidays became popular in the Victorian era, and when the railway was extended and a station was opened at Hinton, Highcliffe became known on the map. With its new found popularity, it was decided Slop Pond was not a desirable name to attract visitors, and the village then became renamed Newtown. However, many new towns were building up around the whole country, and being named with originality - Newtown! It was therefore decided to change this one to Highcliff, after the first High Cliff house. Finally this was changed to Highcliffe-On-Sea.

At this time almost every house was doing holiday letting for the summer months. Highcliffe by this time had three hotels, Highcliffe Hotel and Seaborough, both on the top at Warncliffe Road, which was just a track with large potholes. Both these hotels have long gone and now private houses stand here, overlooking the Solent and the Isle of Wight. The third Hotel was Stuart Lodge on Waterford Road. Sadly, this lovely building was demolished just months ago, soon to be another block of flats I am sure!

Highcliffe Progress Association was set up to encourage people to come to Highcliffe to trade. People were turning their house fronts into shops. Families from the neighbouring village of Milton moved across to set up their businesses and the village here began to grow. Highcliffe has seen many changes in businesses and shop owners, something that is still going on today!

Until 1974 Highcliffe was in the county of Hampshire. Now it sits in the furthermost eastern corner of Dorset!

Highcliffe now is predominantly a retirement village. Sadly the old houses are gradually being demolished and flats, housing estates and office blocks are being built. There is talk in the village of the Market Place becoming an office block!

This is a part transcript of the 1901 census for a section of Lymington Road, focussing around the village centre.

The numbers on the left are schedule numbers which follow the order the enumerator went.

The listed ages, are the age of the people in 1901. Some of the listings were written as Highcliff. There was little need for addresses as we know them today.

48 Holmhurst Cottage - James Frampton, h, 75, retired builder, b Wimborne, Charlotte Frampton, 72, b Liskeard, Cornwall

Chewton Common - Robert Frampton, h, 65, contractor for boating? goods, b Bashley, Mary E Frampton, 67, b Lyndhurst

68 Chewton Common - Martha Gregory, w, 44, Louisa Gregory, d, 13, Edward Gregory, s, 10, John Gregory, s, 6,

70 Chewton Common - Blauche Cardy, 49, Maude Cardy, d, 18, Charles Cardy, s, 17, William Cardy, s, 15, George Cardy, s, 13, Alice Cardy, d, 11,

71 Chewton Common - John Saunders, h, 46, coal, Martha Saunders, 49, Eva.V. Saunders, d, 19,

72 Star of Hope Cottage - Charles Shave, h, 65, thatcher, Amelia Shave, 66, Elsie, d, 23, Emily, grand/d, 5, Louisa, grand/d, 3,

73 Holme Cottage - John Frampton, h, 43, seaman pensioner, b Highcliff, Jane Frampton, w, 42, b Portsmouth

74 Holme Cottage - Mark Stephens, h, 64, Harry S Stephens, s, 31, Arthur F Stephens, s, 25,

75 Gordon Villa - Victoria Bellairs, h, 46, Dorothy H Bellairs, d, 24, Tom M Bellairs, s, 19, Mirian Napper, servant, 32, Kate (Neville?) servant, 22,

137 - Highcliff - George King, h, m, 45, Mary Ann King, w, 45 Alice King, d, 24, Harry King, s, 23, William King, s, 22, Reginald King, s, 13, George King, s, 11, Fred King, s, 9, Lilly King, d, 7 Annie King, d, 5, Violet King, d, 2,

139 - Highcliff - Tom A Kershaw? h, 43, Alfred Kershaw, s, 15, Frederick Kershaw, s, 13 Franetta Kershaw, d, 1, Frank Kershaw, s, 9, Minnie Kershaw, d, 6, Margaret Kershaw, d, 5,

140 - Grace Villa - Charles King, h, 52, domestic gardener, b Southampton, Maria King, w, 51 Minnie G King, d, 13,

141 - May Cottage - Joshua Strickland, h, 45, Annie Strickland, w, 32? John Strickland, s, 11,

143 - Highcliff - Mary A Forward, w, Winifred Forward, d, Isabella Forward, d, Clifford Forward, s, Robert Forward, s, Ivor Forward, s,

144 - Highcliff - Herbert John Strickland, butcher, Catherine Strickland,

146 - Highcliff - William Cook - h, Annie Cook, d, Lucia Cook, d, Alma cook, d, William Cook, s, Ida Cook, d, Edith (Hendy?) daughter-in-law,