I don’t know whether Manor Farm still exists or what the extent of it was, but I would expect that it was . . . → Read More: Manor Farm Road, Milford]]> Manor Farm Road is in Milford, which is the slightly nebulous area to the east of Salisbury. It runs along the eastern edge of Milford Hill, from Laverstock Road to the bottom of Milford Hollow.

I don’t know whether Manor Farm still exists or what the extent of it was, but I would expect that it was related to Milford Manor, which is the large grey building at the end of Manor Farm Road.

Milford Manor, Milford

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I’m not sure why it was called Manor Road. It could be a reference to the ‘manor of Milford’, which is how the Milford area was referred to in older documents and maps.

It might be derived from the building that was known . . . → Read More: Manor Road, Salisbury]]> Manor Road runs along the top of Milford Hill, from Kelsey Hill to Wain-a-Long Road.

I’m not sure why it was called Manor Road. It could be a reference to the ‘manor of Milford’, which is how the Milford area was referred to in older documents and maps.

It might be derived from the building that was known as ‘The Grange’ (and then, strangely, ‘Concordes’), but this would seem unlikely because the Grange was on the other side of Saint Mark’s Roundabout.

It could be that Manor Road is named after Milford Manor, but it seems to be too far away from the building, which is at the bottom of Shady Bower.

There are a number of buildings at the northern end of Manor Road which might be grand enough to be called ‘The Manor’ but I don’t know – I’ll have a look next time I’m up there.

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I would hazard a guess that the name Methuen Drive is a reference to Field-Marshall Lord Methuen. The Field-Marshall was chair of the governing body of the Godolphin School from 1913 . . . → Read More: Methuen Drive, Salisbury]]> Methuen Drive is on the eastern side of Salisbury. It’s just off from Fowlers Road, which is the road that connects Milford Hill to Fowlers Hill.

I would hazard a guess that the name Methuen Drive is a reference to Field-Marshall Lord Methuen. The Field-Marshall was chair of the governing body of the Godolphin School from 1913 onwards.

Godolphin School is at the top of Milford Hill. Field-Marshall Methuen is also commemorated by the name of a ‘house’ at the Godolphin.

Field Marshall Methuen

Paul Sanford Methuen was the grandson of the first Baron Methuen, who was a Whig-leaning independent MP for Wiltshire from 1812 to 1819.

He went to Eton.

He saw active service in the Second Anglo-Asante War in 1873-4, at the battle of Tell Al-Kebir, and in the Bechuanaland expedition of 1884.(¹)

His most prominent place in military history is his role in the Boer War, where he was second in command to Lord Kitchener.(²)

He was wounded at the Modder River. He led the attack at Magersfontein – one of the three defeats of the war’s ‘Black Week’. (³)

In 1902 at Tweebosch, he was more severely wounded in the thigh and he was captured by the Boers. The Boers returned him to the nearest English hospital, the Boer general Koos de la Rey sending him in his personal cart. (⁴)

Methuen is caricatured in a drawing reproduced on this site hobbling away from the Boer general on crutches.

After the Boer War he was promoted to general officer commanding-in-chief in South Africa. He established friendly relations with his former opponents.

From 1915 until 1919 he was Governor of Malta, and then in 1919 he was appointed Constable of the Tower.

He lived at Corsham Court, which is still in the Methuen family (⁵) and is now open to visitors.

Lord Methuen died in 1932.

Lord Methuen and the Godolphin School

There is a nice article on the Godolphin School website that says that he gave ‘fine short speeches’ and that ‘On one memorable occasion a large party of the school were entertained by Lord and Lady Methuen at Corsham Court, and the girls enjoyed the not common experience of being rowed about the lake by a Field-Marshal.’(⁶)

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Footnotes

1. Oxford DNB article: Methuen, Paul Sanford
2. Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3. Oxford DNB article – Methuen, Paul Sanford
4. Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
5. Corsham Court
6. Field-Marshal The Lord Methuen

I think it’s fair to say that ‘Milford Hill’ denotes both the hill itself and a specific road.

The road called Milford Hill runs eastwards from Milford Street, in the centre of Salisbury, towards Milford and Laverstock.

I have discussed Milford itself on the page for Milford Trading Estate, . . . → Read More: Milford Hill, Salisbury]]> Milford Hill is on the eastern side of Salisbury.

I think it’s fair to say that ‘Milford Hill’ denotes both the hill itself and a specific road.

The road called Milford Hill runs eastwards from Milford Street, in the centre of Salisbury, towards Milford and Laverstock.

I have discussed Milford itself on the page for Milford Trading Estate, but Milford Hill has a couple of interesting features in it’s own right – the Milford Hill House and the ‘hollowed’ shape of the road.

Milford Hill House – Salisbury Youth Hostel

Milford Hill House, Salisbury

It was built for a Mr Charles Everett, and later occupied by William Pinckney of Pinckney’s Bank, which seems to have also been known as ‘Salisburys Old Bank’.

Mr Pinckney was also a director of the Salisbury Electric Lighting Compancy, and he was Treasurer of Salisbury Infirmary ¹

The house’s ownership changed many times after the death of Mr Pinckney’s widow, in 1908.

In the 1950s the house was used as the venue for several youth activities, including the Scouts and Guides and the ‘Physical Culture and Weightlifting Club’.²

It was acquired by the Youth Hostel Association ³ in the early 1960s ⁴

It is a Grade II listed building.

Milford Hill – a ‘hollow’

Milford Hill, Salisbury

The road, at the top of the hill, is about six feet (two metres) below the level of the ground surrounding it. You can hopefully see this in the photo, which was taken from the pavement looking down onto the road.

Hundreds of years of traffic – animals, people, carriages and carts – have ‘hollowed’ out the road. The traffic would have come to and from Salisbury from Winchester⁵, Clarendon, Milford itself and the surrounding countryside.

The hollowing effect is visible at Milford Hill, and along part of Queen Manor Road.

There is still evidence of ‘the hollowing’ in Milford Hollow itself, but the deepest sections have now been filled in.

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Footnotes

1. The Pinckney Family Tree – William Pinckney
2. Wiltshire Council – Wiltshire Community History Get Wiltshire History Question Information
3. Youth Hostel, Salisbury – General – YHA
4. Wiltshire Council – Wiltshire Community History Get Wiltshire History Question Information
5. Milford Street was the original ‘Winchester Street’

Milford Hollow, Milford

It is named in reference to Milford Manor – it’s possible that the land on which the road was built was once part of the Manor’s gardens.

Milford Manor, Milford

Milford Mill Road runs from the bottom of Shady Bower, over Milford Bridge, then out towards Petersfinger.

The road is named, obviously enough, in reference to the mill. There are two private houses called ‘Mill House’ and ‘The Granary’ on the . . . → Read More: Milford Mill Road, Milford]]> Milford Mill Road is in Milford, which is a suburb to the east of Salisbury city centre.

Milford Mill Road runs from the bottom of Shady Bower, over Milford Bridge, then out towards Petersfinger.

The road is named, obviously enough, in reference to the mill. There are two private houses called ‘Mill House’ and ‘The Granary’ on the river, which are presumably converted mill buildings, and there is a ‘small millwheel house’ between them ¹.

I’m not sure whether this is the ‘Wheel House’ shown at Milford in the 1810 map below (which I’m using with the kind permission of Wiltshire Council Libraries, Heritage & Arts) – it doesn’t seem to be in quite the right position.

1810 map of Salisbury, showing Mizmaze Hill

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Footnotes

1. ‘Milford’, Richard Durman, page 21, Hobnob Press, 2007

Milford is a somewhat nebulous area, but the current consensus would be that it’s on the eastern side of Salisbury. There is more on Milford itself on the page for Milford Trading Estate .

Milford Park may have been built in . . . → Read More: Milford Park, Milford]]> Milford Park is in what I think of as Milford proper, between Milford Bridge and Milford Manor.

Milford is a somewhat nebulous area, but the current consensus would be that it’s on the eastern side of Salisbury. There is more on Milford itself on the page for Milford Trading Estate
.

Milford Park may have been built in the grounds of Milford Manor.

Milford Street was originally Winchester Street. The current Winchester Street was Wyneman Street.

Milford Street

It’s most prominent building is the Red Lion Hotel

Red Lion Hotel, Salisbury

Visiting Salisbury? For accommodation, see the Hotels in . . . → Read More: Milford Street, Salisbury]]> Milford Street is in the centre of Salisbury. It leads east from the New Canal up to Milford Hill.

Milford Street was originally Winchester Street. The current Winchester Street was Wyneman Street.

Milford Street

It’s most prominent building is the Red Lion Hotel

Red Lion Hotel, Salisbury

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The Milford Trading Estate is to the south east of Salisbury, just off from Tollgate Road.

Milford itself is more difficult to pin down as a particular location, or set of locations.

Before the move from Old Sarum to Salisbury, much of . . . → Read More: Milford Trading Estate, Salisbury]]> This page discusses both the name ‘Milford’ and Milford Trading Estate itself.

The Milford Trading Estate is to the south east of Salisbury, just off from Tollgate Road.

What is Milford?

Milford itself is more difficult to pin down as a particular location, or set of locations.

Old Milford

Before the move from Old Sarum to Salisbury, much of the area that was to become Salisbury seems to have been known as ‘the manor of Milford’.

For this reason, the Milford Hall Hotel is in an area that certainly wouldn’t now be thought of as Milford – the hotel is at the north end of Castle Street.

This is also borne out in some old maps. In William Naish’s map of 1751 the words ‘Part of Milford’ are written over an area extending from the current Hamilton Road (at the north end of Castle Street) around to the London Road. The map is online at Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum : Galleries

Today’s ‘Milford’

Richard Durman, in his book on Milford (which I’d highly recommend), defines Milford as the whole of Milford Hill as far north as Saint Mark’s Roundabout, and the old Milton Episcopi, and as far south as Milford bridge.

I’m very slightly uneasy with this. I would tend to think of ‘Milford’ as consisting of the houses at the bottom of Shady Bower, Milford Mill Road and the roads adjoining it and Potters Way. However, such a narrow definition would exclude Milford Hill, Milford Hollow and Milford Trading Estate.

Etymology of ‘Milford’

The etymology of ‘Milford’ is fairly clear – it means a ‘ford by a mill’¹

I did think that there might be an alternative derivation – ‘mild ford’ i.e. a ford which is calm and easy to cross. This would have correlated with the ‘bland ford’ which I had assumed was the derivation of Blandford, but the name Blandford seems to be derived from a fish called the ‘blay’ ². I was wrong on both counts!

Milford Within, Milford Without, Milfords Pichard, Richard and Episcopi

In 1386, there were three separate settlements with the name Milford. These were Milford Pichard, Milford Richard and Milton Episcopi.

These names reflect the practice of suffixing a general name with the name of the owner of the land (as with Winterbourne Dauntsey or Fisherton Anger).

‘Pichard’ and ‘Richard’ are surnames.

‘Episcopi’ means ‘belonging to the Bishop’. ³

‘Milford Within’ and ‘Milford Without’ were used to distinguish the parts of Milford that were inside and outside of the city boundaries. ‘Without’ is used in the sense of ‘outside’, rather than in the sense of ‘lacking’. The word is used in the same sense in the hymn:

There was a green hill far away,
Without a city wall

Milford Trading Estate

Milford Trading Estate, Salisbury

I believe it was built on or near the site of the Milford railway station. Milford railway station opened in 1847 ⁴, but closed to passenger traffic in 1859. It closed to goods traffic in 1967 ⁵

Footnotes

1. ‘Milford’, Richard Durman, page 5, Hobnob Press, 2007
2. Old Blandford Road and Blandford Road
3. Until a couple of weeks ago I wouldn’t have known this, but it’s one of those odd little coincidences that the previous road name I wrote about featured John Milton’s anti-episcopalianism. He not only wanted to abolish the office of Bishop, he also argued that the Bishops should be executed and predicted that they would then spend eternity in Hell.
4. Station Terrace
5. Southern Railway routes west of Salisbury – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia