The Parish 1914 - Weeke Without
The parish on the outbreak of war was made up of two parts – Weeke Without and Weeke Within. Weeke Without was centred on the area north of The Roebuck pub on Stockbridge Road. From the maps you will see that in the years before the Great War there were comparatively few houses in this half of the parish. The big estates on Teg Down, in Harestock and on the northern edge of Weeke had not yet been built. As a result, Weeke Without remained largely open fields.
The view up the Stockbridge Road from Weeke pond with the tower of St Matthew’s Church visible in the top left. Weeke Manor stood further down the hill on the right. Judging by the ladies’ attire, the photograph was probably taken in the early 1900s
The major employer was Weeke Manor, opposite Bere Close on Stockbridge Road. The Burnet Hitchcock family who lived in the manor managed the cluster of three farms that formed the basis of the community.
From the 1880s large, elegant houses began to be built on Bereweeke Road and at the top end of Cheriton Road. These were homes to people such as solicitors, businessmen and Army officers who were moving out of Winchester’s overcrowded city centre. These houses included Rotherly, which is now part of the Westgate School site, and The Hermitage, which still stands nearby.
To cater for the new wealthier residents Winchester Golf Club opened in 1901 on an area of Teg Down, followed a few years later by a Tennis Club on Bereweeke Road. Both are still running today.