The history of Badger Farm by Rhian Dolby
If you are interested in the history of the local area, seeing archive film material, or researching your family history roots, the place to visit is the local record office opposite the train station in Winchester. Hampshire Archives is a treasure trove of over 1,000 years of written history of Hampshire run by Hampshire County Council. Access is free and staff are on hand to help guide your research.
https://www.hants.gov.uk/librariesandarchives/archives/visit-us
I have spent some time drawing together a timeline of the history of Badger Farm from sources held at Hampshire Archives. Many of you know that Badger Farm was named after William Badger, a former alderman and three-time mayor of Winchester. I have investigated the various tenants that leased Badger Farm from the Dean and Chapter of Winchester Cathedral and investigated the controversial planning applications that eventually resulted in the building of Badger Farm.
At Domesday, the land that was later to be called Badger Farm was held by Bishop Walkelin and was part the manor of Barton Priors (or Priors Barton). This manor stood just outside the city walls and was formerly known as the Chilcomb estate. The farmstead of Barton Priors was in what is now the St Cross area of the city. The former name of the land, Chilcomb, continued in use as the name of a village to the east of the city of Winchester. By the early 13th century, the manor of Barton included places like Winnall, Chilcomb, Fulflood, Drayton, Weeke, Sparsholt and Compton that formed a ring around the city.
In 1541, following the dissolution of the monasteries, Henry VIII granted to the Dean and Chapter of Winchester the “property of the late monastery of St Swithun, manor of Barton Priors…” This was the new foundation of the Dean and Chapter which was endowed with (amongst other places) Barton Priors (or Priors Barton)
William Badger was born circa 1523, the son of Robert Badger, brewer of Winchester. He was an attorney and had become a freeman of Winchester by 1551. His father Robert who died in 1552, was also an alderman. William Badger became Chamberlain in 1553 and by 1565 he was a tenant of the Dean and Chapter of Winchester Cathedral of the land now named after him. William and his sons were tenants through to at least 1615. A renowned expert on Dean and Chapter records, J S Drew notes the origin of the name Badger (or Badger’s) Farm in his book Compton near Winchester stating “William Badger (after whose family Badger’s Farm, near St Cross is named)”
Although William Badger was declared a Papist 1572, he did not fall out of favour with officialdom and continued to give legal guidance to the bishop. Indeed, he became mayor for the first time in 1572. Badger became Clerk of the lands of the diocese in 1575 and from 1580 acted jointly with his son Robert in this role. When Queen Elizabeth I granted a charter to the city of Winchester in 1588, William Badger is mentioned as an alderman for life. The charter is a magnificent document and one of the finest treasures held at the record office (ref: W/A1/25/1).
The first documented reference to Badger [Badger’s] Farm comes in 1649 in a Civil War (Parliamentary) survey of Dean and Chapter lands
Courtesy of the Dean and Chapter of Winchester Cathedral: Hampshire Record Office: DC/J10/2/2
An earlier map of 1639 does not name Badger Farm, but it does include field names known to be on Badger Farm. For example, the field names ‘Dry leaze’ and ‘Bush fields’ follow right through to the 19th century (ref: 11M59/WDC/E2/8078). In 1781, Badger’s Farm is leased by the Dean and Chapter to Henry Bonham of Petersfield. However, Bonham does not occupy the land for long and on 25 November 1788, the Dean and Chapter lease the land to Richard Goldfinch of Compton. The Goldfinch family occupied the land continuously through to at least the mid-19th century. There is an interesting survey of Badger’s Farm taken by Francis Webb of Salisbury dated October 1802, which shows all the field names and acreages. Some of the field names may be familiar including the reference at the bottom to ‘Stemmer Lane’ [Stanmore]
Courtesy of the Dean and Chapter of Winchester Cathedral: Hampshire Record Office: DC/J10/4/41/19
The same field names are shown on the 1846 tithe award and shows the Dean and Chapter of Winchester Cathedral as owners of the land leased to ‘Joseph Goldfinch and one other’ (ref: 21M65/F7/260/1). By 1872, the tenant had changed as the land was now leased to Robert Seager Lyne of Compton. We know that in the 1920s and 1930s the land was leased to Mr Stone, a dairyman of St Cross. In the 1930s the Church Commissioners sold the land to Mr H D Shingleton, and subsequent owners sold it to a development company. You can see on the 1940 Ordnance Survey map, Badger Farm is still open farmland, although Bushfield Camp is now visible.
Hampshire Record Office ref: OS map of 1940 sheet 50.1
The first planning application to develop the land seems to have been in May 1960 and is described as ‘Outline application for use of 46.6 acres of land for residential development, Badger Farm (part of) off Stanmore Lane. The application is refused (ref: W/C11/4/WIC2753). There followed a long and protracted battle to get planning consent for the residential development. One of the first bones of contention was access to the site. The developers applied to build access to Badger Farm through Minden Way in Stanmore. Local stakeholders were firmly against this proposal. The question of access was subject to a Public Inquiry in 1966. Negotiations between the developers, Winchester City Council, Winchester Rural District Council and Hampshire County Council rumbled on through the 1960s and early 1970s.The plan below from a file of appeals against refusal of permission to develop by Godstone Developments and Willett Homes shows two of the planning applications.
Hampshire Record Office ref: H/CL5/PL48/29A
Whilst the planning disputes rumbled on, the land continued to be leased and worked by Mr J S Walker of Compton in the period between 1960 to 1972. In May 1972, an agreement is made between Hampshire County Council and Hampshire Contractors for the sale of 4 acres at Badger Farm. The County Council had toyed with using the land to build office accommodation for themselves as a feasibility study had shown that most of the staff travelled to Winchester from the south. New County Council office accommodation to the south of the city would be a way of reducing traffic into the city.
All through the late 1960s and early 1970s permission to develop kept being refused until the issue of access to the site was settled. Winchester City Council, Winchester Rural District Council and Hampshire County Council required the developers to build a new ‘western distributor road’ to provide access from the south up towards Pitt. The building of Badger Farm Road was required before any development could begin. In April 1973 a development brief is published. As you will see from the extract below, the special character of the downland site and the importance of the western distributor road.
“The brief is required by Hampshire County Council, the Winchester RDC and the Winchester City Council, who in negotiation with the owners of the land, wish to see the site developed in sympathy with the landscape, particularly its downland aspect, and with the distinctive character of Winchester and its setting. This is especially important in view of the exposed nature of the site, overlooked by neighbouring residential areas and numerous natural viewpoints to the east.”
“Permission will be granted for development in accordance with the principles set out in this brief. Permission will only be granted subject to a condition precedent requiring the applicants, prior to the issue of planning permission, to enter into agreements with the Local Planning Authority as follows:
Firstly, under Section 52 of the Town and Country Planning Act, 1971, in order to secure:
That no development shall commence before the District Distributor Road has reached an appropriate state of construction.
That access for vehicles to the development area shall be by way of the District Distributor only.
The orderly phasing of development to include shopping and community facilities, roads, footpaths, and sewerage.
Secondly, under Section 7 of the Hampshire County Council Act, 1972, providing for the grant of mutual rights and access over the Local Distributor Roads by each developer in favour of the other developers.
Thirdly, under Section 60 of the Highways Act 1971 (see Section 4 (a) (iv) for this document.” (ref: 9A04/L3/2)
Courtesy of the Hampshire Chronicle and Winchester City Council: Hampshire Record Office: W/K2/1/30
You can get a good idea of the gradual development of Badger Farm by looking at aerial photographs and doing a map progression. The aerial photography above is dated April 1973
Courtesy of the Hampshire Chronicle
By 1982 discussions were underway about the possibility of building a Sainsbury’s supermarket at Badger Farm. An Ordnance Survey National Grid map of 1983 shows Elder Close, Broad Chalke Down, St Anne’s Close, Rances Way, Rooksdown Road, part of Ashbarn Crescent (where it turns into Juniper Close), Larkhill Rise and the start of Plough Way and Fallow Field (HRO ref: SU 42NE, 1983). By 1990 all of Badger Farm has been developed apart from Ivy Close (HRO ref: SU 42NE, 1990)
Badger Farm was created as a separate parish in 1985. The first elections took place on 28 March 1985. Cllr Paul Heinrich of the Liberal Party was elected as our representative for Winchester City Council with a large majority. The first people elected to serve as parish councillors for Badger Farm Parish Council were as follows:
Election of first parish councillors to Badger Farm Parish Council, 28 March 1985
Peter John Absolon, 376 elected
Paul John Bascombe, 184
Andrew David Brand, 349 elected
Shirley Theresa Emerson, 327 elected
Victor Charles Emerson, 319 elected
Christopher Derek Epps, 218
Douglas Pirie Gardiner, 304 elected
Coral Madeline Good, 335 elected
Paul Julius Howes Heinrich, 451 elected
David John Trotman, 375 elected
Courtesy of Winchester City Council: Hampshire Record Office: W/B9/6/24
The most recent contested election for Badger Farm Parish Council was in May 2021 and Helen Barlass, Ali Cochrane, Rhian Dolby, John Godbold, Fenella Jarvis, Jackie Johnston, Julie Lacey and Sarah McColl were duly elected.
Badger Farm Parish Council is entitled to elect 8 councillors. Our current councillors are Helen Barlass, Ali Cochrane, Rhian Dolby, John Godbold, Fenella Jarvis and Alex Skinner. Please contact our clerk if you are interested in becoming a councillor. It is an important role and a good way to give back to your local community.
© Cllr Rhian Dolby
Badger Farm Parish Council, January 2025