One-and-a-half centuries ago, fewer than two hundred people lived in Chandler’s Ford’s farmhouses and thatched cottages.

Heaths, woodlands and damp meadows stretched across an area where 27,000 people live today.

How did this vast increase in population come about?

Who were the local personalities behind the development of churches, schools, shops and the other facilities needed by a growing community?

How do the King of Siam, Oliver Cromwell, Sir Malcolm Campbell and William Rufus fit into the Chandler’s Ford story?

Local historian Barbara Hillier (whose ancestors settled in the village in 1898), assisted by photographer and writer Gerald Ponting, have set out to answer these questions in fascinating detail.

The spirit of the changing times is captured in over 200 carefully-chosen photographs.

‘The Chandler’s Ford Story’  is proving of great interest, both to long-established residents, and to newcomers who wish to learn about the community’s past.

THE CHANDLER’S FORD STORY  
by Barbara Hillier
and Gerald Ponting
Millers Dale Publications 2005, ISBN 095174237X, 242 x 170 mm, paperback
144 pages,
200+ illustrations
price £9.99

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The Chandler’s Ford
Story  by Barbara Hillier
and Gerald Ponting

Web-site created by Gerald Ponting using Serif WebPlus X2

Latest revision of this page  March 2009