Lovedean Past and Present
Lovedean village is a small village in East Hampshire. This region was once was part of the vast Forest of Bere. At the time of the Norman Conquest there were no roads through the Forest. During the Middle Ages trees were cut down and tracks were made. The Portsmouth to London bridle-way (now London Road) in 1836 was still only a rough muddy track through the Forest, notorious for highwaymen.
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Originally Lovedean came under the control of the Parish of Catherington in the Hundred of Finchdean. Today Lovedean is part of the civil parish of Horndean. One half of Lovedean lies in Havant Borough Council, the other in East Hants Disrict Council.
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The area now known as Lovedean was part of the Estate of the Earl of Shrewsbury, handed down to members of the Tisted and Norton families. The name 'Lovedean' came when Isabel Norton married Thomas Loveden of East Meon, circa 1594. Isabel's dowry was part of the Manor of Catherington, which came to be known as the Manor of Lovedean.
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In a practical sense, modern Lovedean encompasses the dwellings on Lovedean Lane from the Bird in Hand pub down to the corner with Milton Road, plus those on either side, to partway along Yoells Lane and Frogmore Lane. To the East lie a solar farm and substation.
16th & 17th Century
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Lovedean is home to a number of historic and listed buildings, including beautiful 16th and 17th century dwellings: The Walnuts, Rose Cottage, and The Old Thatched Cottage.
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The old blacksmith's shop which more recently housed the Bethesda Mission, was built in the 17th century. In the late 19th century it was purchased for the Sunday school for local children, run by Miss Elizabeth Stares and her sister, Mrs George Gale. The Mission Room was presented to Bethesda Mission in 1932.
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Having survived wartime bombing, the demolition of neighbouring cottages and the storm of 1987, it was demolished and rebuilt in 1991 to meet the needs of the modern congregation.
18th Century
Lovedean Farmhouse, on Lovedean Lane towards the north of the village, was built in the 18th century.  There are a handful of other dwellings that appear to be a similar age.
Lovedean Farmhouse painted by Ann Porch.
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19th Century
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The Bird in Hand pub has been a local landmark since the 1800s. It was used as the local baker’s shop and greengrocers, and had a quaint thatched roof. It was transformed into a public house by Noah Wiles, who owned the Bird in Hand from 1867-1911. It is a thriving pub to this day, but it now has a half-timbered front and tiled roof.The Bird in Hand was the hiding place for the FA Cup during the war!
During the 1870s thirty houses and a few scattered farms and cottages were built in the area as part of the Hinton Daubney Estate.
20th Century
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At about the time of the First World War, city people began buying plots of land to build temporary holiday retreats.
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In 1926 William Ruttle built and opened Ye Olde Tudor Stores, the local shop and post office. The original shop is still there, with a small run of other businesses, at the southern end of Frogmore Lane. It operated as a post office until the seventies, when it was sold and became residential.
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In the 1930s mains water was introduced to the area, swiftly followed by electricity and gas supplies. Lovedean was desirable as a place to retire.
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The 'Little Shop' was run in the garden of 'Kimbers' until the late 1960s.
With the start of the Second World War, Portsmouth residents sought to escape into the countryside, and gradually the temporary dwellings were replaced by permanent buildings. This process has accelerated ever since.
In the 1940s, it was decided that Lovedean needed a hall, somewhere to hold village events. Lovedean Village Hall was finally opened on 23rd March 1957. It is a vibrant community hub today, playing host to, among others, the Women's Institute, Keep Fit and a toddler group. When the solar farm to the East of north Lovedean was built, a grant was made to the village, which was gifted to the Village Hall for refurbishment.
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Shortly after World War 1, the owner of 227 Lovedean Lane planted a privet hedge around his garden. It repeatedly eaten by cows in the adjoining farm, causing the owner of 227 to ask the farmer to move his fence away from the hedge. When the farmer refused, the owner of 227 forced his hand by planting Yew amongst the hedge, which is poisonous to cows. The resulting space between the farm and 227 gradually developed into a track and eventually became New Road. The farmer later sold his land off in lots to people buying plots for holiday homes.
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​The Green Dragon pub was opened in 1966 on the corner of Woodcroft Lane. It was around this time that Ariel Road was extended to join Lovedean Lane and became Milton Road and Lovedean Lane was widened. There was a large, much loved, Elm tree on the corner of Woodcroft Lane, but eventually it had to be felled after root damage caused by roadworks. The Green Dragon closed in 2012 and Tesco opened an Express shop on the site in 2013.
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