Fountain PlaceAfter obtaining a copy of the marriage certificate of Henry albray and Charlotte Harvey, I discovered that charlotte lived in Fountain Place, Alverstoke. None of the family who were brought up in Gosport had heard of it. So I decided to begin asking around, but no matter where I made my enquiries, no one else appeared to have heard of it either. I even contacted Gosport Borough Council, all to no avail. 
One day while discussing the town of gosport with a genealogist friend, Den Budden, I mentioned Fountain Place to him. He recalled there had been a Fountain Inn in Forton at one time, but wasn't sure of exactly where. Remembering he had a very old map of the Forton area, and after some hunting around, he found the map and located the Fountain Inn. Just there, behind the Inn, he found Fountain Row, and far more importantly to me, Fountain Place. At the same time as Charlotte was living there in Fountain Place, Henry albray was serving with the Royal Navy aboard HMS Immortalite, and his widowed mother's home was just a few hundred yards away from the Inn at Mill Lane. today, the building that was once the Fountain Inn has been divided into two premises. Currently, 165a is shared between a Hairdresser's and Nutz About Beanz, and Amber Roadmaster Taxis were based at 165b which at the time of writing is looking particularly run-down. For anyone interested in a part of the history of the Fountain Inn, why not view details of Innkeepers and their families that I have gathered together so far. Below is a brief look-back at what Forton Village would have been like in the mid 19th century, written by Den Budden. THE VILLAGE OF FORTONThe name Forton dates back to Saxon times, derived from the original For-tun which meant village by the ford. The village stands on the main thoroughfare between Gosport (to the east) and Fareham (to the north west). Travelling towards Gosport, Forton was built along the south side of Forton Lake, a tidal creek, which ran inland as far as Ann's Hill, where a small pier allowed grain, which had been milled in the windmill there, to be transported by sailing barge along the creek into Portsmouth Harbour. Approaching Forton Village from the west in the 1860's, the Fountain Inn was on the right hand side of the road. The Inn originally had views across Forton Lake, and would have proved popular with the wide-open spaces to be enjoyed, compared with the walled in garrison town of Gosport, hiding behind huge defensive ramparts. At the rear of the Fountain Inn surrounding a tree lined garden were Fountain Row and Fountain Place, both built to accommodate the expanding population of the village. Forton, like Gosport Town, was dominated by military buildings, one being Forton Military Prison. The prison had formerly held prisoners of the American War of Independence, and now incarcerated soldiers who had broken military law. The place was very grim, the regime harsh, and a high proportion of inmates died whilst imprisoned there. Another martial establishment was Forton Barracks some 400 yards closer to Gosport, where soldiers of the Royal Marine Light Infantry were quartered. Married soldiers were allowed to 'live out' with their families. Housing or married quarters as they were known, were built around the barracks. One of these areas was known as Mill Lane which ran gently down to the ford across Forton Lake, which could be crossed at low tides. 7 Bury Cross
At some point prior to 1901, the address given to this property was changed to 14 Privett Road. You can view census transcriptions for 7 Bury Cross for the years 1861, 1871, 1881, and for 14 Privett road in 1901 here.
The William Thomas Adnams who was in residence at 14 Privett Road when the Census was taken on March 31, 1901, was the nephew of Frank and Esther Adnams, Esther's maiden name being Albery. Sadly, even though both families lived in Gosport, a connection between Esther Albery's family and my wife's family cannot be found at all. William Adnams was also listed at that address in the Kellys directories for 1907/8 and 1909/10. When the house was purchased from the Adnams family by my wife's family in 1957, directly opposite was a large open field, but as the years went by and Gosport grew in size, the land was used for development. Today, there are a number of buildings there including a few small shops, a 24-hour petrol station, a fire station, and an ambulance station. |
