| Chilworth |
| On a bit of high ground running alongside the M3
motorway out of Southampton and four miles to the South East of Romsey.
lies the well wooded parish of Chilworth, lying between the boundaries
of Eastleigh and Southampton Districts. The southern part of the parish
is now a dormitory area for Southampton. The original hamlet though is in a hollow near the parish church of St Deny standing proud. The church was built in 1812 and has three treasures , a square Norman font on five pillars and two bells which are believed to have been cast at least 700 years ago and are almost 100 pounds each in weight, they are said to be the oldest bells in the country and maybe in the south of the country. The Roman Road from Otterborne to the New Forest also passes through the Parish and as well as being on the side of the M3 the M27 also cuts through. Dateline 1875 taken from Kellys Directory
CHILWORTH is a village and parish, 1 mile
south-west from the Chandlers Ford station, 81 miles from London, 4
south-east from Romsey, and 5 north from Southampton, on the road from
Romsey to Portsmouth, in the Southern division of the county, hundred
of Mansbridge, union of South Stoneham, Southampton petty sessional
division and county court district, diocese and archdeaconry of
Winchester, and rural deanery of Southampton. The church (dedication
unknown) la a small handsome Gothic structure, with tower and
octagonal spire, jetted with slate, and was built at the sole expense
of Peter Serle, esq.: the tower contains 2 bells: the chancel window
is adorned with four full-sized figures of the Evangelists, in stained
glass. The churchyard contains a mausoleum to the late W. H. Pitt,
esq., and a monument to the Hon. Richard George Quinn, late of
Chilworth Manor. The register dates from the year 1721. The living is
a vicarage, yearly value £70, in the patronage of the trustees of the
late J. B. W. Flemming, and is now vacant. A small school is supported
by Mrs. Flemniing. The charities amount to £27 yearly. Manor House is
the residence of Mrs. Flemming. The trustees of the late J. B. W.
Flemming are lords of the manor and chief landowners. THE GHOST OF CHILWORTH Weird noises have been reported in the area of a 17th century cottage which is part of a group of cottages that lie between modern bungalow in the village. Walnut Cottage which is timbered with white walls was originally two cottages in 1667 when the area was visited by King Charles II. The cottage was build on the edge of the manor estate and used to house some of the workers . It was in the 19th century that Walnut Cottage was first reported as being haunted and it seemed nobody wanted to buy it, and it stood empty for some time in the 1850s. It had been used as a school but was sold and became a guest house. It seemed that some guests one night rushed out into the village to find other accommodation as they refused to remain in Walnut Cottage. Other reports which have been published in include one in 1922 where by a Mr and Mrs Withers who came from Glasgow were staying at the guest house. They were awakened one night to find that the eiderdown on their bed seemed to be glowing but no heat was radiating from it. This again occurred in 1939 to the owner of the house Mrs MacRea, and not long afterwards her husband was sitting in the parlour when he noticed that a rather pleasant looking man in a tasselled cap was stood opposite warming himself by the fire. At the same time there seemed to be the sound of guttural voices coming from underneath the floor, beneath which there used to be a cellar but had long been filled in. The MacRaes called in a medium who declared that the cottage was indeed haunted. Other visitors had their children frightened when one evening there was the sound of heavy and laboured breathing that seemed to "climb" up the staircase in front of them and often the sound of barking dogs could be heard. Mrs MacRae once heard the sound of breaking glass and also of crockery being broken but she saw nothing. There was often a knock at the front door and when opened there was nobody in sight. Horses have also been heard here and what sounded like furniture being dragged across the floor in rooms where not furniture existed. During the 1950s and up to the 1970s there were virtually no sightings or sounds reported but this was soon rectified as the sound of people climbing the stairs to the bathroom and running the taps was heard, though at the time there was nobody up stairs and none of the rooms had running water or wash basins.
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