Debbie was born during the Great Freeze of 1947 in The Red Lion in Basingstoke town centre where her father and grandmother were joint licensees. They moved when she was 10 months old to the corner of Winchester Road and Bounty Road, which later became a vet’s.    

“I was born into a town of about 25,000 people. It was a very different area. All around the town were farms.”

Some of her earliest memories of the borough are the building works.

“I can remember going with my Dad to the top of Maple Crescent  to see the AWRE houses being built.

We asked Debbie what it was like growing up here and she told us “The boys train spotted from the Holy Ghost”. She also remembers the town redevelopment as a teenager:

“The shops we went to London for were going to be here. It made a big difference to the town. We got a lot of good things from it including the road network and the hospital.”

"My mum used to say that anyone in Basingstoke could make you a suit. This was because of Burberry and other clothes manufacturers."

“I remember the carnival. It was always a big thing that everyone went out to watch. It was real entertainment.”

She worked for the council for a few years

“The offices were huts, where Parklands building is today. Goldings was where the Treasurer was based.”

Debbie joined Basingstoke Heritage Society in 1989 and was involved in getting blue plaques around the town including the Blue Coat Boy statue which was the first one. She was also involved in the Jane Austen project celebrating 200 years since her death.

“Basingstoke history is fascinating, you can research things here that have never been found before.”

Her favourite place is the Holy Ghost Cemetery. It was her lockdown space.

We asked her what she thought a local hidden gem was and she told us The War Memorial Park

“The whole parkland was given as a war memorial. It is very special, and it’s well looked after.”

And what about the future of the town?

“I hope it continues to thrive. I’ve always thought it was a friendly town. It’s a town of change that doesn’t sit still and I like that.”

October 2024