4th Eastleigh Scouts

Founded: 1920
First Hut: 1932
Burnt Down: 1976
Current Hut: 1980
75th Celebrations: 1995
Website: 2009

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History
The 4th Eastleigh Scout Group started life as a church sponsored Boy Scout Troop attached to All Saints Church, meeting in its parish hall. The first meeting took place on the 27th November 1920 and was registered with the Boy Scout Association on 11th January 1921. Until this point the Boy Scouts met at the Church Hut in Market Street, (this was one of the three buildings left on Eastleigh Recreation Ground, after the hutted hospital of the 1st World War, which was situated on this ground was removed) The Wolf Cubs met at the Parish Hall, Grantham Road, and the Rover Scouts had an upstairs room over the Parish Hall. When the three sections combined into a group the committee meetings were held mainly in the Vicarage (next to the Church of the Resurrection. In October 1930, a hut fund was started. A building was built next to the Parish Hall (formerly a mission church) in Grantham Road. ( later to be known as Centre 66) by Mr Treherne in 1931 at a cost of £143. 8s 6d (£143.43p) All sections began meeting in the building from January 1932. The Rover Scouts applied to extend the hut for a Rover Den in September 1936. They built it themselves and opened it on 29th October 1938. In a newspaper article for the Southern Daily Echo in December 2007, 83 year old John Goble recalled the start of his Scouting career of 75 years at the 4th Eastleigh; he remembered his brother Peter and himself stepping into the wooden hut in July 1932. “I was impressed with the hut itself and remember one wall was painted with a scene from ‘The Jungle Book’. In each of the four corners where the Boy Scout patrols met was a picture of an owl, eagle, woodpigeon and a cuckoo. It was an inspiring atmosphere. In those days the Scoutmaster was Bill Hoskins, who was a well respected figure in the community”. Unfortunately, the Headquarters was burnt down by vandals on Sunday 5th September 1976. The building was severely damaged by the fire, with most of the main building and contents destroyed, but the separate Venture Scout (former Rover Scout Den) escaped the flames. Arrangements were quickly made for the sections to make use of the 1st Eastleigh HQ in Chamberlayne Road until Christmas. From January 1977 until the end of May the Group used the former Council Finance Department building in Leigh Road. In September the group used the former bus station between Southampton Road and Market Street. This arrangement lasted until the end of May 1980, when the move was made to the former Toynbee School science rooms in Factory Road. This arrangement continued until the new HQ was opened on 29th November 1980. The council offered a lease and a small piece of land on the corner of Southampton Road and Grantham Road’s. The Group straight away ordered its new building. The building is of a Swedish design measuring 90 ft by 25 ft. The council gave another grant to enable the group to use the right bricks as used in Eastleigh’s General Improvement Area that was being established at that time. The new building was opened on 29th November 1980 – the Groups Diamond Anniversary. Text taken from book “A roof over our heads” by Brian O’Neill

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