Hampshire History Trust seeks new Trustees!

Hampshire History Trust, the charity which runs Winchester’s Heritage Open Days, is searching for trustees to join our supportive and welcoming board, in particular those with finance experience and an interest in the role of Treasurer. 

The role of Treasurer would involve monitoring the financial standing of the charity, overseeing financial risk-management practices, cash-flow, income streams, expenses and management of financial resources.  Key skills include: financial qualifications/experience, knowledge of the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice, good IT skills, analytical skills, ability to communicate and explain financial information to others. Specific knowledge of charity finance, law and insurance is a bonus.

The Trust would also like to hear from other individuals with different skill sets who are interested in exploring future board level roles with the Trust.

To find out more about how to apply visit the Trust website www.hampshirehistorytrust.com

Closing date for applications:     20 December 2021 Interviews: January 2022

Francis Fox, the other man who helped save Winchester Cathedral

On this day in 2020 Hampshire HistBites shared the story of William Walker. A year later we’re delighted to announce that Lydia from our podcasting team has written an in-depth piece for us on the other man.

‘Funny enough, I vaguely remembered this story about a diver working under a cathedral.’

Most remember the story of William Walker, ‘the diver who saved the Cathedral with his own hands’, but who was Francis Fox, the civil engineer who supported Walker and his work in saving Winchester’s great Cathedral?

This question came to my attention after listening to ‘The Diver That Saved Winchester Cathedral’ podcast, available here. I was fascinated to learn that the first statue commissioned of William Walker in celebration of his work was actually of Francis Fox! See Figure 1.

Figure 1: Original statue of Francis Fox

So that the statue would be as lifelike as possible the sculptor, Charles Wheler, was provided with a photo of Walker. However, in this photo Walker was in his civvies whilst Fox was the one in the diving suit. Thus, as Walker was a diver, naturally Wheler assumed that the man in the diving suit was in fact Walker. This honest mistake was not noted until the statue was unveiled in March 1964. As many of Walker’s descendants were present at this unveiling, they were quick to notice that this statue had no resemblance of their ancestor; instead, it was of Fox in his diving suit.

Figure 2: Francis Fox

Figure 3: William Walker

Wheler’s statue of Fox was later removed and replaced by another by Glyn Williams. Unveiled in 2005, this statue of Walker is the one present in the Cathedral today, see Figure 4.

Figure 4: Statue of William Walker by Glyn Williams

So, obviously Fox played a very important part in the shoring up of Winchester Cathedral in 1905. However, like many, I was only aware of Walker’s contributions to the project which has inevitably contributed to his title of ‘the diver who saved the Cathedral with his own hands’. So, this drew me to the question, who was Francis Fox?

Born on 29th June 1844, son of the noted engineer and contractor Sir Charles Fox, constructor of the Great Exhibition building of 1851, Francis Fox through his involvement with many bridges, buildings and railways became a very successful civil engineer in his own right.

Arguably, Fox is most well-known for his work in supporting Walker in shoring up Winchester Cathedral. When large cracks were appearing in the walls of the Cathedral, Fox was consulted. After visiting the Cathedral on 5th July 1905, Fox devised a five stage plan as follows:

1.       Shore up the outside of the building

2.       Centre the arched vaulting of the inside of the Cathedral to prevent collapse

3.       Insert steel tie rods where necessary

4.       Apply grout with liquid cement under compressed air to any space possible, starting at the bottom of the walls

5.       Underpin the walls down to the bed of gravel

So that step five could be carried out without the Cathedral collapsing, Fox devised yet another plan, this time involving the work of a diver, William Walker. This stated that the peat underneath the Cathedral would be excavated down to a layer of solid gravel. Then, to stop the Cathedral falling, water under high pressure would be pumped to fill this space. Walker would then dive down into the water to remove the remaining peat and lay bags of dry cement. In total, Walker placed 26,000 bags of cement underneath the Cathedral, supporting its medieval foundation. The water was then drained and the Cathedral was saved. Thus, while Walker descended into the water and placed each of the cement bags, it was the clear planning and decision making of Fox which ultimately saved the Cathedral from collapse. It was for this reason that Fox was awarded with his Knighthood on 25th July 1912 by King George V.

While Fox may be most-famous for his connections to Winchester’s Cathedral, this was not the only Cathedral he worked on. Fox was involved with the shoring up of many great Cathedrals, most notoriously, St Paul’s Cathedral in 1905.

Not only this but throughout his lifetime Fox worked on many other projects, most of which are still around today.

In 1871 Fox designed the retractable Telescopic Bridge in Bridgwater. This movable feature was crucial in its design as it had to carry a railway over the River Parrett to the coal yard and docks and then retract to allow boats to proceed upriver to the Town Bridge. Today it is used by pedestrians, see Figure 5 and 6.

Figure 5: Telescopic Bridge in Bridgwater today

Figure 6

This was not the only bridge Fox worked on. Working alongside his father, Francis Fox helped construct the Victoria Falls Bridge on the Zambezi River, see Figure 7. Built over the Second Gorge of the falls, this river forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Therefore, this bridge links the two countries, see Figure 8.

Figure 7: Victoria Falls Bridge under construction

Figure 8: Victoria Falls Bridge on the Zambesi River

After working on many bridges, Fox turned to railways. He was a consultant for the Simplon Tunnel, a railway tunnel on the Simplon railway that connects Brig, Switzerland and Domodossola, Italy, through the Alps. Consisting of two railway tunnels that opened in May 1921, it was the longest railway tunnel in the world until 1982 when the Daishimizu Tunnel opened, see Figures 9 and 10.

Figure 9: Simplon Tunnel under construction

Figure 10: Simplon Tunnel

This was not the only railway which saw Fox’s work. In 1878 Fox constructed the replacement train shed at Bristol Temple Meads railway station and became an engineer for the Great Central Railway. In 1889, working alongside his brother Douglas Fox, Francis Fox worked on London’s Marylebone station and then went on to help his brother again with the construction of the Liverpool Overhead Railway which opened in 1893.  Additionally, throughout this time Fox also worked on numerous railways in India, Argentina, Canada and Africa.

Within his personal life, Fox was also a success. In 1869 he married Selena Wright who he went on to have a son and three daughters with. Her untimely death in 1900 led Fox to remarry Agnes Horne in 1901, which he stayed with until his own death in 1927 at the age of 82.

Thus, while Walker’s contribution may dominate the story of how Winchester Cathedral was saved so that it could still be enjoyed by those of today, I hope that this post has shed light on perhaps a somewhat forgotten character to this story and the amazing work that Fox achieved both before and after he worked alongside Walker.

Figure 11:  Sir Francis Fox

Credit: We are hugely grateful to Kevin Casey and Gary Wallace-Potter for their time and for sharing the photo of the original statue with us.

Feminism in Winchester: The Second World War's Impact on the Homefront

We’re delighted to share the great news that the Friends of King Alfred Buses will once again be taking part in Heritage Open Days, the running days will be 11th and 12th September. More information to follow soon!

Today to celebrate the news we have a very special blog post for you. Written by new HisBites volunteer, Lydia Ackrell, Lydia was inspired to create this excellent article after listening to the ‘Bring Back Our Buses! The Story of King Alfred Buses’ podcast, first released on 14th September 2020. If you haven’t yet listened to it, it is available here.

You can find more about Lydia here. We can’t wait for Lydia to write more articles for us, but for now we hope you enjoy this one.

‘It was always assumed back in the 1920s that the daughter would just get married and go and do her own thing. Whereas the sons were going to take over the business’

In a world where a woman can be anything she wants to be, for many, it is difficult to remember a time when views, such as the above, were a reality. Taken from the podcast ‘Bring Back Our Buses! The Story of King Alfred Buses’, this quote highlights a different time, when domesticity was a factor which defined experiences and opportunities for women. However, the variety of career options available to the women of today show that the roles and expectations of women have changed as now they are able to pursue great careers in almost anything they choose. Yet, what encouraged this change?

The new employment opportunities the Second World War provided some women are significant when answering this question. With men being called up to do their bit for the War, women who were unmarried and of an employable age were encouraged to fill the roles previously belonging to these men. One role which became available was that of a bus conductress and one bus company who strongly embraced this change to their workforce was King Alfred Motor Services.

Created in 1915, King Alfred Motor Services was the most significant independent privately owned bus company in Winchester during the twentieth century with bus routes stretching across Hampshire. Like other industries across the country, King Alfred Motor Services saw the departure of many of their male staff to help support the war, leaving many buses without conductors. Thus, women were employed to fill these positions.

The first four women to be employed by King Alfred Motor Services as bus conductresses were Miss Kath Dunbar, Miss Ivy Whiting, Miss Cobb and Miss Barbara House (also known as ‘Ginge’) (see Figure 1). These four conductresses were expected to do the same jobs as their male colleagues. Starting in the early morning or working through to the night, these women were responsible for keeping order on the bus and collecting fares. The company provided their uniform and there is no evidence to suggest that their weekly wage differed from their male colleagues. The only difference between a conductor and conductress was the cut of their uniforms and the hats they wore. Otherwise, they were treated and expected to act as equals. Thus, despite working in what was considered to be a man’s role during this period, these women were very much welcomed by King Alfred Motor Services as they positively changed the dynamic of the workforce and, as a result, became valuable members of the company, staying on for up to 30 years! Therefore, the Second World War acted as an agent which encouraged this positive change for these women. It allowed them to experience something which was very different to the lives they had become accustomed to, paving the way for others to join.

Figure 1: The First Four King Alfred Bus Conductresses.

In 1944, Janet White joined King Alfred and worked as a bus conductress until 1945. Around the same time, another two ladies joined King Alfred Buses and both stayed within their role as a bus conductress for thirty years. These women were Cathy Turner and May Boyce (known as ‘Blondie’ – Figure 2). Recounting her own experience as a bus conductress, Mary Curry who joined King Alfred in 1961, remembered how ‘Blondie’ was well known on the buses and throughout Winchester. She explained how, after having taken all the fares, ‘Blondie’ would be found sat at the back of the bus knitting. The story goes that ‘Blondie’ is said to have knitted thousands of items and all the staff children would be found wearing something she had knitted! It is recollections like these which hold great significance. Not only do they highlight how important and valuable these women were to the buses, they also show how every conductress brought her own individual character and personality to their role. Another shining personality was Noreen Bell. Working as a conductress for King Alfred for around twenty years, she never was seen wearing her uniform. Instead, she adopted for something different and clothes which complemented contemporary fashion. As she worked for King Alfred during the 1960s, Noreen Bell opted for bright coloured tops matched with miniskirts. However, although this may be surprising to the modern reader, this was permitted, showing that King Alfred was a very flexible company who really appreciated their hardworking staff.

Figure 2: Conductresses May Boyce (‘Blondie’ – left) and Elizabeth Welsh (right).

Despite King Alfred Buses being taken over on 28th April 1973, it was their hardworking bus conductresses who continued to work for other bus companies and become some of the first female bus drivers in Winchester. Mary Gardiner, who originally worked as a King Alfred bus conductress, continued to work as a bus driver for other companies within Hampshire once King Alfred Motor Services had been taken over. Similarly, Mary Curry who joined King Alfred in 1961 as a bus conductress became a bus driver in 1974 and retired from this role in 2007. However, she did not stop there as Mary Curry continued to work for the buses until 2019.

These women were pioneers. Although not the first bus conductresses in the country, they were for the King Alfred buses, a change which would not have happened without the pressures of the War. They stepped up and took on roles, originally designed for men, with grace and individuality, maintaining long standing careers during a time when societal pressures overwhelmingly placed a woman’s role within the home. Their strong personalities and work ethic worked to enforce women in the workplace and their influence and importance cannot be overstated. Thus, we are delighted to share and celebrate their history and their contribution to today’s world.    

Photos taken from: Freeman, J.D.F., Robert E. Jowitt and R.J. Murphy. King Alfred Motor Services: The Story of a Winchester Family Business. Southampton: Kingfisher Railway Productions, 1984. (Still available from the Friends of King Alfred Buses).

Credit: We are hugely grateful to James Freeman and Mary Curry for their time, the photographs  and for sharing so many memories and history with us.

Putting Winchester on the Map!

Keeping the Heritage Open Days flame alive!

Did you know that our YouTube Channel has more than 30 videos, including recordings of live streamed events? Why not watch one of the talks today.

• A House Through Time: a fascinating and engaging interview with historian, Melanie Backe-Hansen

• The English Language in Hampshire and in Yorkshire’: a great story for this year’s English Project lecture

• The Stories Behind Winchester's Place Names: a brilliant and interesting webinar by Dr Eric Lacey

• Winchester Muse & Hidden Nature: a beautiful and very moving poetry tribute to Sue Wrinch

• The Problem with Statues: an informative webinar by Dr Niall Finneran exploring the politics of contested commemoration

• Rebecca Rideal speaks with Professor Ryan Lavelle to discover more about Alfred the Great, the most acclaimed of all the Anglo-Saxon king

You can also, every Wednesday from now until the new year, enjoy a brand new podcast exploring local and national history, as well as some heritage delights.

Click Here to view all the episodes!

Hampshire HistBites, our very own podcast channel, is now in its second season and we have been talking to local historians and dramatists to discover more about Winchester Cathedral, Queens and Empresses of England, letter writing, postboxes and theatre.

Watch, listen and enjoy!

And don't forget to tell your friends.