About the Project
2014 was a momentous year for the Council with a move back into the town centre to Eastleigh House which included a new working environment for the borough's mayor. It stimulated a group of former mayors to come together to look at how the move back into the town could be an opportunity to reflect the mayors office, the civic development of town and make that story more readily available to the community they serve.
Under the overview of the former mayors group, the project team included representatives of the corporate communications team, the public art officer, The Hamble Valley Heritage Guides, an oral historian, The council's culture team, and two of the Points digital associates Julien Masson and Caffeinated Pint. The team worked with others to construct and develop the mayors civic heritage website, the mayors civic town trail and a new look for the mayors quarters all to be completed as part of the 40th anniversary of the Borough Council.
Eastleigh Borouch Council Website
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ABOUT
Eastleigh Civic Heritage
Welcome
Welcome to the new website which highlights the civic history and development of Eastleigh. Eastleigh is a relatively new town , the urban council only coming into existence in the late 1890s, and not getting its Charter until 1936 – one of the few charters granted during the short lived reign of King Edward VIII. A mere 40 years ago Eastleigh Borough Council was born with its increased boundaries and responsibilities. The first citizen of Eastleigh is personified in the person of the mayor, elected annually from amongst the ranks of elected councillors. This site will recall all those past mayors and the momentous events that happened during their time in office. It can not encompass all that hundred year history but I hope it will encourage people to explore Eastleigh's history further and perhaps inspire others to get involved in civic life themselves.
Mayor Tony Noyce
Mayors Of Eastleigh 1890-99
At the end of the 19th century Eastleigh was a rural hamlet but the coming of the railways was about to change the face of Eastleigh forever, the town that grew up around the station and railway would need a new method of civic government.
Home Farm
Adjacent to the new recreation ground Eastleigh's first town hall was to be built. Mr Thomas Chamberlayne offered 4 acres of land in Leigh Road to develop a recreation ground which was conveyed to the council 'To Eastleigh and to his seed for ever'.
The Home Tavern Opposite the Train Station
The first station house in the town still reflected Eastleigh's rural past. The London & South Western Railway company decided to bring its Locomotive and Carriage workshops from Nine Elms to Eastleigh.
First Civic Offices
A growing new town needed a new method of government and the development of Eastleigh Council soon followed. Then, in 1895 the Urban District Council was created, with the first civic offices opening in 1899.
Bishopstoke Elders
In 1872 Eastleigh had been a settlement of two villages, Eastleigh and Bishopstoke, three taverns and a cheese market. As the new century dawned Eastleigh was to rapidly develop into an industrial centre.
Mayors Of Eastleigh 1900-09
The advent of the railways led to a period of extensive development to provide houses for workers, churches, cemeteries, and other amenities that would be expected in an urban centre.
Railway Foundry Works
The local population was significantly boosted when not only the locomotive works moved down from Nine Elms in London but also its workforce.
Railway Workers
The railway works dominated the town and how the town itself developed with its grid shape of roads and rows of terraced house.
The Church of the Holy Cross
The foundation stone was laid for Holy Cross Roman Catholic church on Leigh Road in this year, replacing a temporary iron structure and the new cemetery was also laid out.
Loco-works Aerial View
Bishopstoke Bridge was constructed in 1903 and the main loco-engine cleaning and running sheds transferred to Eastleigh from Northam in the same year.
Locomotive Works
The locomotive works provided employment for 1100 people , the railways were the main provider of jobs in the town.
Railway Workers Outing
The railways company also provided entertainment for their workforce.
Mayors Of Eastleigh 1910-19
As the 20th century dawned the town of Eastleigh embraced new inventions and technology from moving pictures to flying machines, but the decade ended with the conflict that became known as The Great War.
The Picture Palace
Cinema was one of the great inventions of the 20th century and Eastleigh had its first movie theatre in 1910 when The Picture Palace opened on Market Street.
Aviation
Pioneer aviator Eric Rowland Moon flew his man made monoplane Moonbeam Mk II from the field of what would eventually became Eastleigh, now Southampton, airport. Moon went on to join the Royal Flying Corp in the First World War, survived that action, only to be killed in a later accident.
The Variety Theatre
The Variety Theatre was completed in 1911, with a stage, flies, dressing rooms and an orchestra pit. Its capacity was about 700 in the stalls and balcony. It opened on Whit Monday 5th June 1911 under the direction of R. J. Pollock. From 1914 films were shown on Sunday evenings at The Variety Theatre, as live performances were prohibited on that day
Clearing Hospital WW1
A World War I Hospital for wounded soldiers coming back from the western front was erected on Leigh Road Recreation ground. Many of the horses going to the front were shipped down to the docks from Eastleigh Railway Station.
Remount Depot
Constructed in 1914 the Remount Depot was the largest in England, 40,000 horses and mules and 25,000 servicemen passed through en-route to the Front before it closed in 1920.
Construction Workers
The Locomotive Engineers Club and Institute building opened adjancent to the Irish Society building, the latter a reminder that much work on the construction of the railway was carried out by an imported Irish labour force.
Mayors Of Eastleigh 1920-29
The ending of the Great War ushered in many changes, including votes for women, and in Eastleigh the investment in new amenities. Leigh Road Recreation Ground which during the war had been used as a clearing station had now been evacuated and the Council purchased for public use the slipper baths which had been erected on the site for the use of the troops. But the council were at pains to point out that a large proportion of smaller properties in the District had bathrooms or bath facilities of their own.
Eastleigh Aerial View
Aerial View of Eastleigh in the 1920's.
The Atlantic Park Hostel
The Atlantic Park Hostel was constructed from redundant hangers on the airfield and became a transit camp for European immigrants who were emigrating to the United States.
Pirelli Cable Works
Also in 1921 Pirelli Cable Works came to the town where it operated for 80 years until the site was developed for housing. The street names reflect the history of the factory.
J. E. Willis Fleming Opening Monks Brook Bridge
The amenities of the town were further extended in this year when both Fleming Park was created and the town hall was added to the Civic Offices.
Surrey Flying Services
Surrey Flying Services from Croydon brought their aircraft from Croydon to Eastleigh for air taxi work, joy riding and parachute jumping. A young lady who worked at Atlantic Park became the first woman to make a parachute jump at Eastleigh Aerodrome.
Building Derby Road
1928 saw the development of new council housing estates like those of Derby Road to house the growing population who came to the town to work on the railways and in Pirelli.
Mayors Of Eastleigh 1930-39
This is the decade which began with the Great Depression and ended in the Second World War; it is also the decade when Eastleigh petitioned to become incorporated and in 1936 saw that wish granted when King Edward VIII signed the borough charter.
The Town Hall
The Town Hall contained a large Assembly Room with stage, dressing rooms, crush hall, buffet, severy and kitchen being used for dances, concerts, meetings, and charitable occasions.
Barton Peveril School Dining Hall
Recreation was provided via an open air swimming pool at Barton Peveril and six recreation grounds plus facilities for football, cricket, hockey, rugby, netball, tennis, bowling and golf.
Pirelli Factory Cable and Wrapping Shop Floor
As well as the well established Railway works the other major industry in the town was The Pirelli-General Cable Works which covered some 27 acres of central Eastleigh and was the original place in England where oil-filled cable for ocean transmission was made.
Pirelli from the air
In the 1930's, Pirelli employed more than a thousand people.
The Public Library
The Urban District Council raised a rate of 2d in the pound for the library service, which had moved between various rooms until the Public Library was built in 1935.
R.J. Mitchell and his team
In the same year that Eastleigh gained its charter R. J. Mitchell and his team from Supermarine were test flying their latest design, which built upon their Schneider trophy-winning seaplanes. On the 5th March 1936 the first prototype spitfire took to the skies taking off from Eastleigh aerodrome. Edward VIII had landed at the airfield after examining the new fighter plane in Southampton.
The Charter Souvenir
The charter petition was successful and the town became an incorporated borough in 1936 and remains the only incorporation enacted during the short reign of Edward VIII. The mayor had received a chain of office in 1934 presented by NALGO but in 1936 the rest of civic regalia, still in use today, was presented by a range of local companies and individuals. Pirelli Cable Works presented the Mayor's Mace.
Civic Offices
There were two mayors in 1936 marking the change in the council's status.
Mayors Regalia
The Mace [Pirelli Cable Works]; Silver Pen Holder [Mrs Tankerville-Chamberlayne]; Silver Letter Opener [Boys Brigade]; Clock [Limmer Trinidad Ashpahlt Co.]; Table Lamp [George Baker & Son] Georgian Candelabra [J S Sherwood]; ; Gavel & Plinth [Cllr R Benett]; Mayoress Badge [ W A Wright]; Silver Tea Set [Southampton Gaslight & Coke Co]; 17" Silver Salver [Lloyds Bank]; 10 ½" Circular Rose Bowl [National Provincial Bank]; 17th century style oak two door cupboard [Clifford Mathews esq].
The Charter Celebration
The Eastleigh Fire Brigade
The brigade had a captain and twenty men who were all kept on a retainer. There were 200 fire hydrants in the District each with an average pressure of water of 80lbs per square inch. The fire station was situated behind the town hall and was equipped with a Dennis Fire Engine which had a capacity of 400 gallons.
Basque Refugee Children
On Thursday 13th May 1937 the Southern Daily Echo reported that 'four thousand child refugees from Bilbao' were being sent to England, fleeing from the Spanish Civil War. Mr G H Brown of Swaythling Farm offered his 30 acre field for a refugee camp site which was situated on the left hand side of Bournemouth Road and north of Chestnut Avenue.
Mayors Of Eastleigh 1940-49
The 1940s were over-shadowed by the conflict of the Second World War, Eastleigh played its part building spitfires and keeping up morale when local girl Christabel Drewry became the model for the strip cartoon Jane drawn by artist Norman Pett for the Daily Mirror.
ARP Practice on The Pirelli Factory Roof
On the home front everyone had to do their bit and at the Pirelli factory as well as making parts for spitfires their ARP had to practise to make sure they were ready to deal with the effects of air raids on the town.
Spitfire Production
Brian Simpson worked at the main Eastleigh Spitfore works in 1946, where Mark 9 and 12 Spitfires were produced for Turkey, Belgium andother countries . Simpson worked on the last Spitfire which was delivered to the RAF in 1949.
Lancaster Bomber at Eastleigh Airport
Tragedy struck the airport when a Lockheed Hudson took off and collided with a barrage balloon the plane crashed into a house killing residents and flight crew. An unexploded bomb which fell on the airfield was defused and presented to the town where it was placed outside of the Town Hall and used as a collecting box for the local spitfire fund.
Benny Hill
After returning from evacuation in Bournemouth a young teenager started work at Woolworths in Eastleigh and then left to become a milkman at Hann's Dorset Dairies in the town. When he found out the local concert party was short of a member who had been called up he volunteered to take his place. Thus the career of comedian Benny Hill began.
D-Day
D-Day is remembered for the invasion of Europe by allied forces the wounded were taken care of by nurses, like local girl Lydia Alford, who flew out to the war-torn beaches, they were known as the Flying Nightingales.
V.E. Day Street Party
When peace in Europe was declared on VE Day street parties took place all over the country. The party in Hamilton Road, Bishopstoke took place in front of the air raid shelter.
Post War Prefab Houses
Due to the amount of bomb damage to public housing many people had to be housed in temporary accommodation called 'pre-fabs' such as could be found at The Hundred off of Chestnut Avenue, still in use in 1949 with their Anderson shelters visible in the gardens.
Mayors Of Eastleigh 1950-59
The 1950s were a time of austerity, Eastleigh had to rebuild constructing new homes to replace those which had been lost in the war, but the town continued to expand, though some parts of the borough still retained its rural heritage. During this decade Eastleigh's first female mayor, Mrs E R Beavis took office.
Councillor Olson discusses the Hiltingbury School
As part of this civic heritage project Cllr Olson has taken part in an oral history project to record his memories.
Councillor Olson discusses the Polish Refugees
As part of this civic heritage project Cllr Olson has taken part in an oral history project to record his memories.
Falcon Square Housing
The bombing during World War II had devasted the housing stock in the country. In Eastleigh new social housing was developed such as Falcon Square on the Aviary Estate.
Barn Thatching
After the bleak years of the Second World War Eastleigh started to grow and build but still retained much of its rural heritage.
1950's Police Car
More people were able to afford cars including the local police force.
Rural Eastleigh
Eastleigh still retained much of its original rural charm and it was not unusual for people to keep livestock in their gardens.
Ramally Cemetery
In 1958 Ramally cemetery opened providing ¾ of a hectare of grassland with areas designated for Church of England, Roman Catholic, Jewish and non-conformists faiths.
Heinz Burt
As the swinging 60s loomed Eastleigh's own pop star Heinz Burt was learning his craft with his local band The Falcons. He was spotted by the producer Joe Meek and went on to play with the Tornados on their space age inspired hit 'Telstar'.
Mayors Of Eastleigh 1960-69
The 1960s were a period of change for Eastleigh as the country finally started to put the war years and post war austerity behind them.
Councillor Godfrey Olson
Cllr Godfrey Olson, Eastleigh's longest serving councillor became mayor for the first time. As part of this civic heritage project Cllr Olson has taken part in an oral history project to record his memories.
Councillor Olson discusses the Nightingale Youth Centre
As part of this civic heritage project Cllr Olson has taken part in an oral history project to record his memories.
Councillor Olson discusses the bombing during WW2
As part of this civic heritage project Cllr Olson has taken part in an oral history project to record his memories.
Chestnut Avenue Cottages
In the early 60s the passion for modern architecture saw some of the old thatched cottages on Chestnut Avenue demolished.
Councillor Olson discusses twinning Eastleigh with Villeneuve
The 1960s saw a number of initiatives to strengthen the links of friendship between places in Europe. Eastleigh twinned with Villeneuve St George in France and Kornweistheim in Germany.
Barton Peveril School
The Eastleigh Youth Centre opened by Princess Margaret. Barton Peveril also extended it's premises with new school buildings in the 1960s.
Chandler's Ford Train Station
In a sign of things to come, the end of the decade saw the closure of many smaller train stations including that of Chandler's Ford.
Mayors Of Eastleigh 1970-79
The reorganisation of Local Government in 1974 brought about the biggest changes in Eastleigh since incorporation in 1936, Hamble, Netley, Bursledon, Hound, Hedge End, West End, Botley all joined the new Eastleigh Borough Council area.
Chicken Hall Lane Generating Station
The industrial centre of Eastleigh was developing and a new generating station was built in Chickenhall Lane.
Councillor Olson discusses the growth of Chandler's Ford
As part of this civic heritage project Cllr Olson has taken part in an oral history project to record his memories.
Civic Offices Construction
1975 saw the construction of a New Civic Offices complex on the site of Home Farm on Leigh Road, with a state of the art new council chamber and new open plan offices.
Princess Margarett Opening the Council Offices
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Civic Offices
The building of the council's new headquarters was completed in 1977, no longer known as the town hall the new building was called the civic offices.
Council Chamber
The new offices were considered state of the art with a modern design reflecting the 1970s.
Civic Offices Interior
The old town hall had been made up of small individual offices but in the spirit of the modern world the new offices were designed to be open plan.
Mayors of Eastleigh 1980-1989
The 1980s saw increases in the population and the need to build more houses with estates at Boyatt Wood and the expansion of Hedge End from a sleepy village to a major residential suburb. The mayoralty they found themselves even more in demand supporting community endeavours like Borough in Bloom, and charitable events to raise funds for Botley Farm Museum, opening new carparks, planting trees or leading campaigns against litter.
The First Word Processor in the Council
The first word processor arrived in the civic offices and was installed outside of the Director of Administration's office. The machine was so noisy that the printer had to have its own sound proof box.
New Housing
The 1980s saw increases in the population and the need to build more houses with estates at Boyatt Wood and the expansion of Hedge End from a sleepy village to a major residential suburb.
Artist Impression of Crest Hotel
Round the World yachtswoman and best selling writer Clare Francis opened the new Crest Hotel with 120 bedrooms it was aiming to attract business travellers and week-end tourists.
New Tourist Information Centre
In 1982 the town's first ever Tourist Information Centre was opened.
Council Chambers with Speakers
A new speaker system was installed in the council chamber .
150th Anniversary of Eastleigh Railway
1989 saw celebrations to mark the first arrival of the railway though Eastleigh 150 years earlier.
Mayors Of Eastleigh 1990-99
Eastleigh entered a new phase of development in the 1990s, changes in industry saw a shrinking of the railway operation in the town, although it remains a significant part of the Eastleigh story.
M3 Construction
In 1990, construction started on the new M3 motorway linking Eastleigh to the capital.
Railway Workers
Railways workers head home after a days work.
The Last Eastleigh Passenger Unit
1993 saw the last Eastleigh Hampshire Unit on passenger duties at Eastleigh Station.
The Railay Man by Jill Tweed
The Railway Man statue by Jill Tweed, was the town's first major piece of public art it was erected in homage to Eastleigh's railway heritage. The statue is positioned not looking at the station but looking off into the distance, looking towards the future.
Eastleigh Council's Website
Eastleigh Council launches its first internet site.
The Point Theatre Opening
The opening of The Point Theatre after a successful bid to the National Lottery which enabled the capital conversion of the old council buildings to a 300 seat theatre and dance studio.
Mayors Of Eastleigh 2000-09
The new millennium saw the council on the move again with the civic offices moving back into the town centre.
Old Town Hall Remembered
When the Town Hall buildings became the town's new theatre the original foundation stone was saved and moved to the entrance of the new theatre.
Millenium Garden Celebrations
Like many towns and cities Eastleigh had projects which celebrated the millennium. This included extending Leigh Road Recreation ground to create The Millenium Dancing Garden next to The Point.
Demolition of Pirelli Cables
Pirelli Cables premises demolished to make way for new housing, ending a hundred years of history.
Mayors Of Eastleigh 2010-19
Eastleigh is still developing and changing but the mayor remains as the first citizen the final set of slides reflect the symbolism of the mayors office.
Mayors Declaration Book
Each new mayor is sworn in at an official mayor making ceremony each May.
Acceptance Letter
Each new mayor has to take an oath of office and sing an official acceptance letter.
Chain of Office
The mayor wears a chain of office whilst at any official engagement during his year of office.
The Mace
Another important symbol of the mayoralty is the mace carried during mayor making by the mayors sergeant-at-arms.
Mace Close Up
The mace, though now just a symbol, was originally a weapon to protect the mayor when on official business.
The Robes
The mayor wears robes of scarlet and a tricorn hat during the mayor making ceremony, young visitors to the mayors office get the chance to try on the outfit.
Coat of Arms
The Borough is represented by its own coat of arms which appears on all official documentation.
Document Cases
The mayors used to carry all important official document in a special document case.
Civic Offices
After forty years the council offices moved back into the centre of the town to Eastleigh House. The mayor has an office in the new Civic Offices but moving with the times there is no longer a council chamber or parlour. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the current borough of Eastleigh, and as part of the commemorations a new mayoral mace has been commissioned and is being created by Prysmian [originally the Pirelli company who donated the original mace] and local artist Carly Mann.
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