T ODAY it’s one of Southampton’s busiest areas but 80 years ago Millbrook was, “where you could gaze out towards the sea or listen to the rustle of the leaves.”

Now all you can gaze at is an industrial scene while the rustling of leaves is drowned out by the constant thunder of traffic and hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Back in the 1920s the only traffic would have been pushbikes, horses and carts and the rare appearance of a few motor cars. Older local people who can remember those times recall the dealers who used the local pubs for buying and selling and their horses would know just where to stop. The story goes that if you bought a horse from one of these traders it would stop at a pub whether you wanted it to or not.

The tide used to lap against the railway line that ran along a pebbly shore on which people could walk from Millbrook to the West Station, now Southampton Central. Along the streets children would play with their hoops and sticks. Marbles was another popular game with the youngsters who were able to spend their time outside in the road.

A walk along the Millbrook Road from the old Toogood premises towards Totton in past decades was certainly different from today. Where the British American Tobacco factory now stands would have been open land. Further on was the old coaching station, the Royal Mail public house that also included stables where the horses would be changed. A newsagent’s shop and a pair of cottages brought passers-by to a stream that was the borough boundary. Where Millbrook roundabout now stands was a pond and nearby was a blacksmith and a pub called the Black Swan, now long gone. There was agricultural land where Philips now has its base while nearer Totton lived Mrs Aggie Western, who made a living by selling her homemade toys.