The This is Haslemere team recently had the pleasure of spending time in the company of Joe and Lynne Poulter. Joe came onto our radar after a number of comments on our social media posts informing us that events we were posting about on This is Haslemere were, in fact, in Shottermill and not in Haslemere. In short, he piqued our curiosity and we thought it was time to find out more. 

Born and bred in Shottermill, Joe has been a passionate resident here for 76 years. As a child, he lived in Border Road before moving to Lion Lane as an adult. Lynne grew up in Camelsdale, which, despite being super close, meant that as children, her and Joe's paths did not cross. In fact, it wasn't until she stopped in her car one day and asked if Joe wanted a lift that they met. The rest is history. We caught up with them two children, three grandchildren and 50 years of marriage later to find out how Shottermill has changed over the years.  

Few people perhaps realise that Shottermill was (and arguably still is) a village in its own right. Look back at the records and Kelly’s Directory of 1913 states that Shottermill comprised 1146 acres of land and 5 acres of water.  The chief crops were wheat, barley, clover and roots and the valleys were mainly meadows and pasture. The population of Shottermill village back in 1911 was 1800.

We have to say, we spent a fascinating couple of hours with this wonderful couple, learning about the history of the village. It was also a brilliantly entertaining couple of hours too! 

Lots of time was spent dicussing businesses long since closed down. Where Alan Greenwood & Son's Funeral Directors now stands was once the home of Mr Varnes' shop. It seems to have sold an eclectic mix of things. Joe reminisced about how he would spend 6 pence on a bag of chips there, but you could equally buy your fruit and veg from Mr Varnes too. Not that many chose to - apparently, his cat sat all over the produce and it looked far from fresh whatever day of the week you visited! The baker was much more popular. Mr Mills' bakery was in nearby Kingsley Green, but he'd deliver freshly baked bread to all the houses in Shottemill every weekday at 5pm. Still warm from being taken out of the oven, bread deliveries from this long lost business sound pretty special to us!

Just down the road where the Haslemere Methodist Church is today, was a thatched cottage, home to Chapel Antiques. And where Tesco stands it was once all green, open space. It's where you would find Shottermill Football and Cricket Clubs, a swimming pool and tennis courts. Beyond that, where the Haslemere Leisure Centre now stands was a lake, the water from which fed Sickle Mill. From the late eighteenth century onwards, the latter was a paper mill. All went when the supermarket came of course. However, you can still see the Sickle Mill building today on Sturt Road. 

This wasn't the only green area lost in Shottermill over the years. Near the junction of Liphook Road, Sturt Road and Church Road, on the site where Pilgrim Homes and Lucas Field now sits, there was a meadow with a stream running through it. Cattle were grazed here and they would also head here to pick freshly growing watercress.

Sickle Mill wasn't the only mill in Haslemere either. In fact, the whole area was filled with ponds, streams and mills. For example, nine man-made clay ponds in Deepdene were home to a fish hatchery and Joe would often head here with his rod, put a bit of creamed Ambrosia on the end of his line and successfully fish for trout. And, Shotter Mill was a timber mill in Critchmere Lane. Homewood Fencing was based here back in the day and it's great to see this business is still trading, albeit from a different location. Joe remembers how the company used to strip the bark off the chestnut wood and would burn it. After school, Joe and his friends would throw potatoes into these embers to cook, head home for dinner and then return to the timber yard to feast on the potatoes later in the evening!

Joe told lots of tales of his school days in Shottermill. Back then, you started school at Eckersley House on Vicarage Lane, where Joe remembers warming up by the coal fire in the classroom, before moving to the first school on Lion Lane. This is where Shottermill Junior School is situated today. Where Shottermill Infants stands was, in fact, an orchard where the children went for lunch.

Although, Joe confesses that, when he could, he would choose to sneak out for lunch instead. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, what is now Planet of Sounds was, in fact, Ron's Cafe. A popular motorcycle cafe, you'd always find men dressed in leather jackets and winkle pickers. Here he would treat himself to a cup of tea, ham roll and kitkat for a shilling. But the lure of the place was not the food - it was the music. Regulars would load pennies into the Wirlitzer jukebox and it was this music that was so appealing to Joe back then. Apparently, the bikers there would put a record on, jump on their bikes and then compete to make their way round the Haslemere town hall and back before the end of the track. Sadly, this led to the tragic death of one teen. Joe's lunches at the cafe also came to an end when he was caught one day by the headmaster Mr Oldham and promptly taken back to school to be publicly caned in front of all the other pupils. However, it seems quite apt to us that Ron's cafe with its constant flow of tunes is now a music shop.

Other businesses that brought a smile to Joe and Lynne's faces were Mr Bowden's coal yard (where M&S is now), Mrs Lockwood's haberdashery opposite St Stephen's Church and Irish's delicatessen which sold the most amazing cakes but seemed to be constantly getting flooded. Also mentioned was Alfie Glover's electrical shop where you'll find Apothecary 27 today. This is where Joe used to pop in regularly to make his payments for the hire of his TV. With no computers, Alfie would painstakingly record all payments in mountains of carefully written ledgers. And at Hardings Post Office near the bridge on the Liphook Road, Joe laughed as he remembered how you had to be super quick to make it through the double doors. So tightly sprung were they that, if you didn't, you'd receive a firm whack on the backside!

As a teenager and young adult, there was plenty in Shottermill to keep you entertained. The Red Lion (where the Apple Tree is today) was one of the most popular places to enjoy a drink - apparently it was so popular that it would often be hard to even get to the bar to place your order. In addition, there was the Staff of Life pub sat high on the junction with Liphook Road and Critchmere Lane. This closed in 1977. Apparently it used to close at 10.30 at night. But since the nearby Railway Tavern (now The Mill) was in neighbouring West Sussex where opening times were longer, they'd tend to head there for one last pint before heading home!

And, if you wanted to go further afield, you'd head to the Haslemere night club where you'd enjoy a big bowl of chilli, or catch one of the ABC buses that left from Haslemere Station and took you into Guildford or Farnham.

It's clear that Joe and Lynne have loved living in Shottermill. They still do. But, over the years, Joe and Lynne have seen Shottermill get swallowed up by its larger neighbour Haslemere. Where once it was a distinct village, with a unique personality, now it forms part of a wider Haslemere civil parish. There are no longer any signs to indicate you're in Shottermill itself. There used to be signs near Lion Green but they were taken down. And the signs on Sandy Lane have also recently been removed. When you hear their stories, perhaps it's not surprising then that they are so passionate about preserving Shottermill as a village in its own right.

And, we have to say, that having sat with them listening to them reminisce, a big part of us agrees. Whilst we all recognise that time brings changes, many of which are positive, it does feel a shame to lose all this history. We can certainly now fully appreciate why Lynne and Joe want to preserve the rather unique identity of Shottermill. It does feel like a very special place. 

For those interested in finding out more about the history of Shottermill, this Shottermill Scrap Book completed in 1949 was kindly donated to The Haslemere Society by Dorothy Homewood. The Haslemere Society have documented its contents so that it can be viewed online here.

Last, but not least, there is a practical note from us to finish. This is Haslemere will proudly continue to list events and share news that covers the whole of the Haslemere civil parish. Not only does that incorporate Haslemere itself but also villages like Hindhead, Grayswood, Beacon Hill, Shottermill and Critchmere. When we can, we'll try and call out each of these villages but please forgive us if we do cluster them under the Haslemere umbrella.