14 June 2019
This afternoon Commando had an appointment to be tortured at The Running School, so I thought I’d go and take a look at the new housing development on North Stoneham Park. From the outset I knew it was going to be another kind of torture. When CJ and I walked this way, back in January 2017, we knew it would most likely be our last chance to see the unspoilt park. When I came this way a year later, work had already begun and the area was unrecognisable. It wasn’t certain what I’d find today but I knew it wouldn’t be gorgeous green fields and footpaths.
Allowing a beautiful and historic park to be built upon makes me angry and upset, as does the removal of public footpaths. Even so, I try to be positive when I can and the one good thing to come out of all this building work seems to be the installation of pavements all along Stoneham Lane. In the past I’ve avoided walking this way because the road is winding, with lots of blind bends, the traffic is fast and, with no pavements, it’s always felt rather dangerous.
The new pavement was a joy to walk on. Well, it was until I reached the point where it ran out. In fairness, it will continue, at least as far as the church, eventually. Even so, the ‘helpful’ sign telling me to ‘please use the other footway,’ was misleading to say the least. There is no other footway, just a narrow, deeply sloping grass verge and a ditch.
There was still quite a long section of untarmaced path ahead at this point so I climbed over the barrier and walked along it. It was quite an obstacle course but better than walking on the road and risking being run over. It took me almost as far as the church. After that I managed to run along the road to the grass beside the church wall without getting killed. Don’t tell Commando about the running though or he’ll expect me to do it all the time.
The grass beside the church wall isn’t easy to walk on, being rough, narrow and sloping. Whether the new footpath will change this isn’t clear but the wall is low enough to climb, which is exactly what I did. This took me into the churchyard. The grass here was long and damp but the view of the church with its famous one handed clock was worth getting wet feet for.
Although my plan had been to check out the building site I stopped for a while to admire the old lych gate. It was built in 1909 as a memorial to Emily, the wife of James MacArthur, the Bishop of Southampton at the time. It’s a beautiful structure, designed by Percy Stone, an architect, author and archaeologist from the Isle of Wight. The oak timbers came from HMS Thunderer, a ship that took part in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The inscriptions inside are hard to read but beautiful nonetheless.
Before I went any further I walked around the side of the church to check if the door was open. It has always been closed when I’ve come this way but I thought today might just be my lucky day and, if it was, the building work could wait. Sadly, the door was shut though so, after another photo of the one handed clock, I carried on through the gate and onto the lane.
The first part of the Lane looked much as it always had, although it seemed to have been improved a little, at least as far as potholes are concerned. The farmhouse, once the stable block and coach house for Sir Thomas Fleming’s Manor House, was still there. Behind the high stone wall there may even still be the old kitchen gardens, but I couldn’t tell for sure. The horses CJ loved so much were no longer in the field to my right though.
When I came to the bend I saw the first of the houses. It was clear these were not built for ordinary people like me. They are large and expensive looking with price tags to match. Half a million pounds or so is well out of my reach and that of most of the people of Eastleigh. These homes will almost certainly be owned by rich commuters who work in London.
Nice as the houses may look, I would far rather have the green fields filled with cows and the muddy footpath leading to the Stoneham War Shrine. The shrine was built by John Willis Fleming between 1917 and 1918, and dedicated to the memory of thirty six local men killed in World War I. Amongst them was Willis Fleming’s own son, Richard. Sadly, despite the developers promising the footpath would remain open, it wasn’t possible to walk it today or to get to the shrine. Granted there does seem to be a path of some kind and it’s less muddy than the original, but it was blocked off. As it also passes between all the fancy new houses it doesn’t seem like such a big improvement in my opinion.
Instead I carried on to the top of the lane. My walk in 2018 told me there was another footpath here, although it was rather narrow and not particularly welcoming. This is mainly down to the big yellow sign saying ‘private, no trespassing.’ It really is a public path, although the sign seems designed to put people off walking along it. Of course I ignored the warning and walked past anyway.
The day was warmer than we have been used to of late so I was quite glad of the shady trees lining the path. There was some mud, but I had expected that after such a rainy spring. It made my walk a little slower than it would have been but it was also much greener than I’d have expected in mid June.
A large fallen tree made me stop to take a photo. Luckily it hadn’t fallen across the path so I could keep on going. Between the trees to my right there were also glimpses of fenced in fields. Whether these will remain fields for long isn’t clear. It would be a shame if they too were eaten up by fancy houses.
On the trail I moved from light to shade, enjoying the sounds of birds singing and the greenery all around me. Briefly I could forget the disappointment of the incomplete pavement, the locked church and all those new houses and enjoy nature. There were even a few butterflies but none who wanted their picture taken.
Just after I passed a clump of foxgloves I turned right off the main trail, thinking I might be able to go in a circle and maybe find the shrine after all. This trail was narrower and I didn’t really know where it led but I walked for a while anyway.
There were more foxgloves and a couple of dog walkers coming the other way so I guessed it must lead somewhere. After a while it began to get quite muddy though and a look at my watch told me I really should be heading back.
Much as I’d have liked to find out where the trail went a large, sticky patch of mud was the final straw. Commando’s appointment was an hour long and I’d been walking for half an hour already. If the trail didn’t take me back to the new houses I could end up being late back. Regretfully, I retraced my steps.
Back on the main path a baby squirrel skittered in front of me then, noticing me, froze and sat trembling at the edge of the trail. I took a photo, not a very good one, and left him alone. CJ would have been enchanted.
Soon enough I was back at the fancy houses and giant diggers. It isn’t clear when the work will be finished or how much greenery will be left when it is. It would be nice to think that some of the trails I’ve seen today will survive but I’m afraid that is probably wishful thinking.
As I walked back along the newly repaired lane towards Stoneham Lane I couldn’t help feeling sad about the loss of the fields of cows and the slippy slidy adventure of walking the old footpath towards the shrine. Humans need a little wildness just as much as they need places to live. Sadly, the wildness seems to be disappearing fast.
Sorry, but those properties look like little boxes, spoil the view and don’t look worth the money they’re asking but no doubt they’ll be snapped up ASAP as the builders push the product hard and advertise it as ‘idyllic living in the countryside’…………….., that was!
It’s so disappointing that Eastleigh Council allowed this but it doesn’t surprise me. They seem to be building on greenfield sites all over their borough. There won’t be much countryside or greenery left if they have their way. Such a terrible shame.
I share your views on the houses blighting the green fields i loved so much.The sign,you talked about says ‘No trespassing’ does point out it refers to the land alongside the path,not the actual path.
Worst is happen soon.The lovely woods you walked through are going to be made into a ‘Woodland park’.That is all weather paths.Trees cut down for grassy areas with seats and and an end to the wildness of the wood.
That makes me so sad. Why do they think Nature needs to be tamed? It is so much better left wild and free. I’m just glad I got to walk there and take pictures before it was all destroyed. One day people will look back and realise what they have done but it will be too late by then. As for the sign, it always spooks me and makes me feel unwelcome.
Yes.and also the fenced fields you talked about,will all be built on.What we are seeing now is only stage one.More buildings appear in stages two and three!
Eastleigh Council should be ashamed of themselves.
To bad they couldn’t have built around the park instead of on it. It’s a shame to lose so much of the natural forests and fields.
I totally agree. It is heartbreaking to see.
I share your opinions and sadness – why, why, WHY do councils and building firms insist on destroying lovely countryside and green spaces just to erect a load of soul-less (and probably expensive) modern ‘boxes?! It’s happening round here too, and probably in most towns and cities – it won’t be long before the UK is just one massive great big housing estate! 🙁
It’s terribly sad. I fear for this country the way things are going. Walking in wild places is a great joy to me but they seem to be disappearing fast. The most frightening thing is that all the trees being lost are the very things cleaning up the pollution we are all causing. There seems to be no commitment to tackling the ecological problems we face, just thoughts of profit.
The building on our precious green spaces is so very sad. I live just inside the boundaries of the New Forest National Park and you would think our local green spaces (not the actual forest) might be safe from development – not so and the delightful green fields that I always pass leaving or coming back to the village are soon to be covered in houses. Over the nearly 30 years that I’ve lived here the ponies and sometimes deer that graze in the fields have given me great pleasure and I’m upset that it’s being taken away. No real thought either; this area is very wet and boggy and the fields and surrounding roads get flooded easily. Th development will see the removal of a number of trees so I can see the problem getting worse. Much of the terrible flooding in the last few years is not helped by both building too close to rivers, flood plains etc but also because of the removal of trees. Don’t these planners get the fact that trees drink a huge amount of water!
Now to your walk. I’ve never heard of the one-handed clock, how intriguing. I love the lych gate and those fascinating inscriptions. Nor have I heard of the War Shrine and now I want to see it for myself. I have my doubts as to whether the promised footpath to access it will actually be there when the building work is finished. These developers have no respect for either history or public rights of way.
If the planners had their way we’d have no New Forest. They’d build on all of it. They don’t care about flood risk or the trees being the lungs of our planet, clearing the air of all the rubbish we produce. All they care about is money in their pockets. Future generations are being robbed of so many beautiful places and our world is being slowly strangled because of their greed. As for the footpath, they will leave a token gesture I think, but with fancy houses on either side it’s pointless. Nowhere is safe from them.
I feel sad everytime I drive along North Stoneham. This was my childhood playground. There will soon be no open green spaces left for children to play and explore. I was married at the church, that will soon be surrounded by homes – do we really need more and more new buildings. Once its gone, its gone.
I totally agree. I understand people need places to live but I don’t believe building on greenfield sites is the answer. These homes are obviously not affordable housing for local people either. They will be filled with London commuters from outside the area. It is pure greed on the part of Eastleigh Council.