Bank, Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Bank is a hamlet
in the English
county of Hampshire
. The settlement is within the civil parish
of Lyndhurst
in the New Forest
, and is located approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) from both Ringwood
and Southampton
. It has one inn and approximately 30 distinct dwellings.
and south of the main A35 road
through the New Forest
. It is bounded by woodland or wood pasture except on the east where there are arable lands, and former parkland of the Cuffnells Estate. The hamlet is an eclectic mix of former workers cottages together with higher status buildings constructed by 19th century cultured owners seeking country retreats. The hamlet has no community facilities, other than the Oak Inn.
encroaching on the Forest. The original name was apparently "Annis’ Bank". The oldest surviving building is Japonica Cottage, which dates from the 16th century. Old Cottage dates from the 17th century, although it is nowadays dominated by a 20th century wing. To the east of Bank were the large 18th century estates of Cuffnells and Wilverley, and the inhabitants of Bank may have been involved in servicing these two large estates and their associated farms. The Oak Inn is a two-storey late 18th century building of painted brick, which may have been a cider house
in the 18th century.
Nearby is a small cluster of cottages which go by the name of Gritnam. It is likely that Gritnam is the place recorded in the Domesday Book
of 1086 under the name "Greteha". It was owned by "Waleran the Hunter" in 1086. Prior to 1066, Bolla had possessed it from King Edward.
Gritnam is also mentioned in 1300 as "Grettenhamdune" (i.e. Gritnam down). The name might mean "the gravelly place," or "the great homestead." The famous New Forest "snakecatcher" Brusher Mills was reported living in an old charcoal
burner's hut by the boundary of nearby Gritnam Wood in around 1895.
The Liberal
M.P.
, Robert John Price
, was a resident of Bank, as was the Liberal M.P. John Fletcher Moulton, who, when he entered the House of Lords
in 1912, took the title "Baron Moulton of Bank".
Several literary figures have stayed in Bank. Mary Elizabeth Braddon
, author of the sensation novel
, Lady Audley's Secret
, built Annesley House, with her husband, in the 1880s. They used it as a country home, whilst retaining a main residence in Richmond, Surrey. Her son, the novelist W. B. Maxwell
, also stayed here as a young man. The house was later used as a Barnardo's
childrens' home.
In Christmas and New Year, 1904-5, Virginia Woolf
stayed at Lane End House in Bank with her sister and two brothers. Later, Rupert Brooke
stayed at a cottage called "Beech Shade" in Gritnam. He would later write to his friend, Bryn Olivier, about his recovery from depression in Bank:
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. The settlement is within the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Lyndhurst
Lyndhurst, Hampshire
Lyndhurst is a village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It is a popular tourist location with many independent shops, art galleries, cafés, restaurants, pubs and hotels. The nearest city is Southampton located around nine miles to the north-east...
in the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, and is located approximately 8 miles (12.9 km) from both Ringwood
Ringwood
Ringwood is a historic market town and civil parish in Hampshire, England, located on the River Avon, close to the New Forest and north of Bournemouth. It has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, and has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages....
and Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. It has one inn and approximately 30 distinct dwellings.
Overview
Bank is southwest of LyndhurstLyndhurst
Lyndhurst may refer to:United Kingdom* Lyndhurst, HampshireUnited States* Lyndhurst, New Jersey* Lyndhurst, Ohio* Lyndhurst, Virginia* Lyndhurst, Wisconsin* Lyndhurst , New YorkAustralia* Lyndhurst, Victoria...
and south of the main A35 road
A35 road
The A35 is a trunk road in southern England, running from Honiton in Devon, that then passes through Dorset and terminates in Southampton, Hampshire...
through the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
. It is bounded by woodland or wood pasture except on the east where there are arable lands, and former parkland of the Cuffnells Estate. The hamlet is an eclectic mix of former workers cottages together with higher status buildings constructed by 19th century cultured owners seeking country retreats. The hamlet has no community facilities, other than the Oak Inn.
History
The village of Bank seems to begin in the 16th century, as a settlementencroaching on the Forest. The original name was apparently "Annis’ Bank". The oldest surviving building is Japonica Cottage, which dates from the 16th century. Old Cottage dates from the 17th century, although it is nowadays dominated by a 20th century wing. To the east of Bank were the large 18th century estates of Cuffnells and Wilverley, and the inhabitants of Bank may have been involved in servicing these two large estates and their associated farms. The Oak Inn is a two-storey late 18th century building of painted brick, which may have been a cider house
Cider house
A cider house is an establishment, often little more than a room in a farmhouse or cottage, that sells alcoholic cider for consumption on the premises. Historically, some cider houses also sold cider "to go", for consumption off the premises.-History:...
in the 18th century.
Nearby is a small cluster of cottages which go by the name of Gritnam. It is likely that Gritnam is the place recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 under the name "Greteha". It was owned by "Waleran the Hunter" in 1086. Prior to 1066, Bolla had possessed it from King Edward.
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
Gritnam is also mentioned in 1300 as "Grettenhamdune" (i.e. Gritnam down). The name might mean "the gravelly place," or "the great homestead." The famous New Forest "snakecatcher" Brusher Mills was reported living in an old charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
burner's hut by the boundary of nearby Gritnam Wood in around 1895.
The Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
M.P.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, Robert John Price
Robert John Price
Sir Robert John Price was a British surgeon, barrister and Liberal Party politician. He sat in the House of Commons from 1892 to 1918, and was one of only a few British politicians to have also pursued careers in both medicine and the law.He was the son of Edward Price of Highgate, North London...
, was a resident of Bank, as was the Liberal M.P. John Fletcher Moulton, who, when he entered the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
in 1912, took the title "Baron Moulton of Bank".
Several literary figures have stayed in Bank. Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Mary Elizabeth Braddon was a British Victorian era popular novelist. She is best known for her 1862 sensation novel Lady Audley's Secret.-Life:...
, author of the sensation novel
Sensation novel
The sensation novel was a literary genre of fiction popular in Great Britain in the 1860s and 1870s, following on from earlier melodramatic novels and the Newgate novels, which focused on tales woven around criminal biographies, also descend from the gothic and romantic genres of fiction...
, Lady Audley's Secret
Lady Audley's Secret
Lady Audley's Secret is a sensation novel by Mary Elizabeth Braddon published in 1862. It was Braddon's most successful and well known novel. Critic John Sutherland described the work as "the most sensationally successful of all the sensation novels." The plot centers on "accidental bigamy" which...
, built Annesley House, with her husband, in the 1880s. They used it as a country home, whilst retaining a main residence in Richmond, Surrey. Her son, the novelist W. B. Maxwell
W. B. Maxwell
William Babington Maxwell was a British novelist. He was a son of novelist Mary Elizabeth Braddon.Though nearly 50 years old at the outbreak of the First World War, he was accepted as a lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers and served in France until 1917.He wrote The Last Man In, a drama, produced 14...
, also stayed here as a young man. The house was later used as a Barnardo's
Barnardo's
Barnardo's is a British charity founded by Thomas John Barnardo in 1866, to care for vulnerable children and young people. As of 2010, it spends over £190 million each year on more than 400 local services aimed at helping these same groups...
childrens' home.
In Christmas and New Year, 1904-5, Virginia Woolf
Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century....
stayed at Lane End House in Bank with her sister and two brothers. Later, Rupert Brooke
Rupert Brooke
Rupert Chawner Brooke was an English poet known for his idealistic war sonnets written during the First World War, especially The Soldier...
stayed at a cottage called "Beech Shade" in Gritnam. He would later write to his friend, Bryn Olivier, about his recovery from depression in Bank:
Then there was Bank, Bryn. For three whole months I'd been infinitely wretched & ill, wretcheder than I'd thought possible. And then for a few days it all dropped completely away, and — oh! how lovely Bank was! — I suppose I should never be able to make you see what beauty is to me, — physical beauty — , just even the seeing it in spite of all the hungers that come.
External links
- Bank and Gritnam – what’s in a name?, New Forest Explorer's Guide
- Bank and Gritnam – historic families; historic buildings, New Forest Explorer's Guide
- Annesley, Miss Braddon and the History of Bank, New Forest Explorer's Guide