
I had at first thought to undertake two quite separate projects.
One a family history concentrating on my great-grandfather Horatio Holmes;
The second a survey of the transformation of Woolston and Itchen from the
rural village(s) of 1871 to the manufacturing hub of the early 20th century ;
however it soon became clear to me that the two stories were in fact closely entangled.
This is not an in-depth biography of an individual, nor is it a thorough history of a particular region;
but rather an attempt to relate the social and industrial heritage of a community in terms of the life and work of its members. In just a few short years the great manufacturing centre that was Woolston has become little more than a dormitory suburb of Southampton;
yet in its heyday it had manufactured world famous aircraft and ships, and the men of Itchen Ferry were renowned as peerless yachtsmen the world over. My story does not confine itself to the shores of the River Itchen , but ranges as far north as the Wear, from whence many “Woolston” shipbuilders sprang.
I Should be particularly pleased to receive any information on John Murry Mordaunt, Thomas Ridley Oswald,
Oswald Mordaunt & co., Mordey Carney & Co., John.I.Thornycroft Ltd 1904-1962, Pemberton-Billing (pre-supermarine),
Holmes Brass founders, and any related trades; The Geary family & The Floating Bridge Co.