From Our Files: Stories from decades gone by

The streets ran with water, so much of it, in fact, that the drains appeared to be unable to take it.

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LYMINGTON’S Carnival Queen did descend from a helicopter after all.

There was, however, some disappointment in the arrangements originally planned and announced, as it was hoped and stated that she would arrive by this means of transport to be crowned by the Mayor.

However, somebody “slipped up”, as it was subsequently found to be against regulations either that civilians or girls could be taken as passengers in Service machines.

But the public were not disappointed.

The announced attraction of a queen arriving by helicopter was kept in the spirit if not in the letter. After the helicopter had landed, the queen took her seat in it, being photographed with the pilot, and alighted from it!

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THE body of Mr Richard Lucey, aged 28, of Harts Farm, Everton, Lymington, has not so far been recovered from the sea off the Pembrokeshire coast after he has been missing since 6th July.

Mr Lucey was one of a party of 10 staying with the Hon. Legarde Philipps, at Roche Castle, loaned to her by her brother, Viscount St Davids, whose family were prominently connected with public life in south Hampshire years ago.

The story of what happened was told by Miss Philipps at the inquest opened on Major Heath, one of three men drowned.

After setting out in two sailing yachts to Skomer Island, they decided to turn back into St Brides because Major Heath was seasick. In turning to get into the downwind, their own boat capsized and the six occupants were thrown into the sea.

50 YEARS AGO

UNLESS a solution can be found that will satisfy the people of Lymington on the question of the boundary dispute, Lord Montagu of Beaulieu will, with other peers, try to persuade the House of Lords to accept an amendment during the committee stage of the Local Government Bill to keep Lymington in Hampshire.

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LYMINGTON Council is to seek planning permission for the erection of about 18 semi-detached houses at New Milton – the exact site is not specified – which will be for direct sale to the Council tenants or applicants on the waiting list.

The houses will have attached garages, and will mostly have three bedrooms. Sales would be subject to restrictive covenants governing resale.

The last Housing Committee meeting heard a circular had been received from the Department of the Environment in which the Secretary of State urged all local authorities who were reluctant to sell council houses to their tenants who wished to buy them, to reconsider their policies.

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LYMINGTON Council is to ask the Association of Municipal Corporations to consider a proposal that people making applications for planning permission should have to pay a fee for each application.

At last week’s Council meeting, Coun. Mrs R. Williams said that planning administration was costing the Borough £31,000 a year. “I feel the general public are subsidising every building in this area,” she said.

25 YEARS AGO

A TOPPER and tails wedding celebration at Boldre came to an unscheduled conclusion on Saturday evening when around 130 guests plus catering staff at the reception found themselves entangled beneath a large marquee which had collapsed after the scaffolding holding up the dance floor suddenly gave way.

Emergency services who rushed to the garden at Cloisters, Rope Hill, found 12 people requiring hospital treatment for injuries which included a woman with a broken hip, two with serious leg injuries, two with back injuries, and another who suffered an asthma attack.

Other guests were left bruised and dazed beneath the canvas – and ambulancemen were thankful for the quick response of 22 firemen from Lymington, Lyndhurst and St Mary’s at Southampton who helped deal with so many casualties.

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A VIOLENT downpour over Christchurch at lunchtime on Monday brought havoc to the town, and the Borough Council’s switchboard was jammed with calls from stranded motorists and householders worried about floods.

Engineering services manager Frank Tyhurst said: “The trouble with Monday was that we had what we regarded as a freak storm in that it chucked most of it down exclusively over Christchurch. It was very, very heavy.

“But people were behaving like idiots – trying to drive through depths of water they shouldn’t and at quite fast speeds, soaking their engines.”

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A SCHEME for a 10-bedroom hotel adjoining the Lord Bute restaurant at Highcliffe has been rejected by Christchurch planners.

The county surveyor had said that the scheme should be refused because he feared it would impair highway safety on the busy Lymington Road and there was inadequate visibility at the access.