Somerford, Dorset

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Coordinates: 50°44′24″N 1°44′48″W / 50.7400°N 1.7467°W / 50.7400; -1.7467
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Somerford
Somerford Roundabout
Somerford is located in Dorset
Somerford
Somerford
Location within Dorset
OS grid referenceSZ1793
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCHRISTCHURCH
Postcode districtBH23
Dialling code01202 or 01425
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
50°44′24″N 1°44′48″W / 50.7400°N 1.7467°W / 50.7400; -1.7467

Somerford is a district in the unitary authority of

Airspeed, de Havilland and Gardner's
.

Origin of name

Somerford was named after a ford over the River Mude which was only passable in summertime. Its approximate site is that of the current day Somerford Roundabout.[2]

Manor, grange, fishpond and farm

Historically, Somerford was a manor extending from the east side of Christchurch Harbour in the west to Chewton in the east. It is first mentioned in a document dated AD 1140 which confirmed the grant of the estate to Christchurch Priory. The manor included the hamlets of Bure, Chewton, Street, Stanpit, Hoburne and Clive (Highcliffe). The manor formed the grange of the Priory and was also the residence of the Abbot. The medieval settlement of Somerford was probably situated close to the grange which was itself probably located approximately 250m south of the current day Somerford Roundabout. The 1st edition OS map shows a fishpond which may represent a medieval monastic feature. Somerford Grange and Somerford Farm were held separate from each other following the dissolution of Christchurch Priory and survived until 1935 when they were demolished to make way for the airfield.[2][3][4][5]

Christchurch Airfield

Main article: Christchurch Airfield

Christchurch Airfield was located southeast of the A337/B3059 intersection in Somerford.

It was a civil airfield starting from 1926, then it was used during World War II by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces Ninth Air Force. After the war the airfield returned to civilian use and the airfield complex was then demolished in 1966.

Gardner's

Cecil Gardner had already made a name for himself manufacturing radio sets, recharging

Admiralty and the Atomic Energy Research Establishment allowed the business to grow and Gardner's were soon employing around 300 people. Gardner's contributed to the local economy not just because it was a major employer but also because it attracted others to the area such as Penny and Giles (potentiometers) and Plessey Defence Systems who came to take advantage of the local skilled workforce. The factory closed in the late 1990s partly due to an increase in cheap imports.[6]

Ashrama Hall and Christchurch Garden Theatre

A local group of the

Rosicrucian theatre in England but the first theatre in the borough of Christchurch. It presented mystically-themed plays, written by George Alexander Sullivan under his journalistic pen-name Alex Matthews. Among the Rosicrucian Players was a small group who formed a coven of witches (New Forest coven). Gerald Gardner, a retired colonial civil servant, joined them after moving to Highcliffe in 1938. Gardner went on to take a leading role in the modern revival of witchcraft - often referred to as Wicca. The theatre was never popular and closed shortly after Sullivan’s death in 1942. It was then used as a training centre for de Havilland. The theatre was destroyed by fire in 1975.[7][8][9]

Politics

Somerford is part of the Christchurch parliamentary constituency for elections to the House of Commons. It is currently represented by Conservative MP Christopher Chope.

References

  1. ^ "Dorsetforyou - sorry this link is no longer active - Dorset Council".
  2. ^ a b Christchurch Historic Urban Character Area 18 Somerford Housing Estates & Former Airfield
  3. ^ Somerford Grange, Hampshire
  4. ^ History of the Somerford estate, Christchurch
  5. ^ Christchurch (Christchurch Twyneham)
  6. ISBN 978-1-897887-22-6
    .
  7. ISBN 1-86163-110-3
    .
  8. ^ Christchurch Garden Theatre
  9. ^ Rosicrucian Collection (Special Collections)

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Somerford,_Dorset&oldid=1116186586"