Fordingbridge and Breamore House

(Click on photos to enlarge)



My friend Tricia and I had a lovely day out at Breamore House last Thursday, and spent over three hours exploring - it was lovely to have a dry day and not have to hurry anywhere. We had a stroll around Fordingbridge first, which is a lovely little Forest town on the River Avon. In the past, bricks, pottery and textiles were made here, doubtless being taken in and out of the town over the Medieval stone bridge. It was also a smugglers' haunt and the infamous 'Captain Diamond' frequented its inns and taverns.

A corner of Fordingbridge. We had a stroll around the shops and then discovered there was a Museum, which was right up our street. It had a fabulous HUGE dollshouse - but you couldn't take photos of it so I had to be content with two over-priced postcards . . . However, photos of the rest of the exhibits were permitted.

This corner was the contents of a bootmaker's shop.

An eclectic collection of ephemera including some Pub stuff, and a tray which announced "It's Gay to Drink Gaymer's" (cider). How words have altered in meaning over the years . . .

What a lovely way to dress a pretty little window.

One corner was devoted to the Bohemian artist Augustus John, who was born in Tenby (Wales) but spent the last 30 or so years of his life living in the Fordingbridge area. His portraits of his children were especially good.

This contraption is a rat trap . . .

A corner of the air-raid shelter (fortunately you can't hear the sirens warning of approaching bombers).

A domestic corner. My ex-husband's aunty had only cold water in her cottage, pumped into the sink by a pump just like the one you can see in this picture. That would have been the 1970s too . . .

The huge mangle on the left would once have been in every household (though domestic ones were normally smaller).

In front of the mangle was an early "washing machine" - you turned a handle to operate it. The tin bath to the left of that is just like the one I used to have a bath in on winter nights when it was too cold to go up to the bathroom. The coal fire was of course lit, and mum would set up the clothes horse (for airing clothes) around the bath, with blankets over to keep out the draughts. Those were the days - I wouldn't fit in it now!