Melbourne - Page 2 of 3
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The name of Melbourne signifies 'mill on the brook' or 'a mill stream' and the story of Melbourne is a long one. The Doomsday Book records the existence of a church here in 1086. Nothing much is known of that church, but with important Anglo-Saxon remains nearby at Breedon and Repton, it was possibly a substantial building. Early in the twelfth century someone with great wealth and authority replaced this church with the magnificent building we now see.

Factoids

• Melbourne Hall once belonged to Lord Melbourne, Queen Victoria’s first Prime Minister

• Melbourne’s Wake Fair, has been running since the 1500s

• Melbourne Parish Church has been described as a "cathedral in miniature"

• Amongst the top ten Norman churches in England.

• Melbourne is the birthplace of travel agency pioneer Thomas Cook

The cruck cottage on the High Street, this was previously a farmhouse and was restored to it's present glory in 1976, you can clearly see the wooden cruck on the picture on the left and on the right, you can see where the cottage has been extended

Just down from the crook cottage are the Thomas Cook memorial cottages, they were built by Thomas Cook the founder of modern travel. On the left are the cottages and on the right is the mission hall, they include fourteen cottages, a bakehouse, a laundry and the Mission Hall. They still provide accommodation for some of Melbourne's senior citizens.

Cook was born in Melbourne in 1808 on Quick Close, unfortunately his birth-place was demolished in 1968 but it is only a stones throw away from these cottages

This former farmhouse was divided into seven cottages by the Melbourne Hall Estate in 1824. Today they have reverted to one residence. The houses beyond the thatched cottages are in Potter Street, the main street of medieval Melbourne. Just up on Potter Street there is another thatched cottage shown below left.

Below right is the The Roebuck Inn on Potter Street, and this was one of Melbourne's main Inns,  George Brookes a local brewer used to supply the Inn from his premises next door.

Below left is looking down Potter Street from the Market Place and below right we are looking up Potter Street with the old bakehouse on the left and the post Office in the distance on the Market Place

The Athenaeum above was built as a combined Savings Bank, Mechanics Institute and Infants School and took its name from Athena, goddess of wisdom. The foundation stone was laid in 1853 by Lord Palmerstone. He was one of Queen Victoria's prime ministers. It is now  home to an internet cafe

On the left is the Blue Bell Inn on Church Street, this was once known as the Blue Bell Vaults and on the right we have the Lamb Inn on the High street

The Lamb Inn was named after Lord Melbourne, (William Lamb, 2nd Viscount (1779-1848) the first Prime Minister under Queen Victoria

This old shop name, Hodgkinson is on the High Street and on the right there's the barber on the corner complete with the traditional red and white pole sticking out.

Two fine buildings on Penn lane, some serious window alterations on the building on the right, could this have been done to avoid the window taxes?

The Hermitage opposite and a quaint cottage below left and a row of cottages on the right are all found on Penn Lane

The National School on Penn Lane this school was originally founded in 1738, the building we see here was erected in 1822, it is now used as apartments

These ivy clad cottages are opposite the Thomas Cook memorial cottages on the High Street

The fine residence on the right can be found on Church Street, it is almost opposite the entrance to Melbourne Pool. Opposite the Blue Bell is the old town smithy, shown here on the left

Thanks to M Fitchett, Basingstoke "An excellent set of pictures of Melbourne, even shows the house in Castle Street I used to live in as a youth, and I am now 80.  I think it worth mentioning that the picture of the cottage across the road from the Blue Bell, was the town smithy, I have watched many a horse being shod there.  The Blacksmith was a very skilled man who made very intricate Iron gates"

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