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Celebrating Hampshire Historians

Whiteman, William Meredith

29 May 1905- 11 December 1989

After a career in publishing and journalism in London, William Whiteman and his wife Mimo came to live in Northfield Cottage, Church Road, Steep, a thatched house on the corner of Church Road and Mill Lane. This was probably in the 1960s, as he and Mimo had married in 1965 in Petersfield. It was perhaps a second marriage for both. He was tall, always known as ‘Bill’ and became a notable figure in the area,

Born in the Lambeth district of London in 1905, he received a Quaker upbringing. Educated at St Albans School, he went up to Cambridge and read Classics. After university he became a journalist and writer. He developed a keen interest in caravans and caravanning and by 1938 had become editor of The Caravan Magazine. In 1939 he and others formed The National Caravan Council. During his working life, he seems to have lived in and around London, eventually becoming a managing editor for Link House Publications Ltd.

From at least 1957, he was drawn to Hampshire and in the late 1970s could write that he had walked the Petersfield area for 21 years. The house in Steep was close to that of science fiction writer John Wyndham Harris and his wife Joan, with whom Bill and Mimo were friends. In the garden of Northfield Cottage, Bill found fragments of fourteenth century pottery and the possible remains of an early farmhouse.

Local history had perhaps long been one of his great interests. In 1973 he and Dorothy Grainger founded The Petersfield Area Historical Society of which he was Vice Chairman. In the same year he published The History of the Caravan, which is the authoritative work on the subject. He contributed two Petersfield Papers and wrote on the poet Edward Thomas. He also assembled copious notes and information about many of the notable buildings of Steep. [where are these kept?] All his written work was achieved in an era long before the internet and his writings on local history required many visits to county archives, libraries and the National Archives.

Bill took a keen interest in the local area and in countryside matters. He served on Steep Parish Council for eleven years. A former chairman described him as true to his editorial skills. He was meticulous and pernickety in the production of reports or commenting on planning applications. He wrote the brochures for the campaign opposing the route of the Petersfield by-pass coming through Steep. He could phrase objections in crisp plain language and made suggestions based on sound common sense. He served on the Rural Committee of Hampshire County Council of Community Service, was Vice President of the Petersfield Society, served on working parties for the Department of Environment, Countryside Commission, Town and Country Planning Association. He addressed bodies such as The Royal Society of Arts, CPRE and parliamentary committees.

After both he and Mimo had died, three new houses were built on the site of their house, one named Northfield Cottage, in exactly the same style as its predecessor, complete with thatch.

Sources

  • M. Ray, Obituary, Petersfield Area Historical Society Bulletin, Spring 1990.
  • Struthers, Box, Routh and Storey, Buildings, Gardens and Monuments in Steep, new ed. 2018 [based on WMW’s notes, which are held by Steep History Archive]

Portrait

William Whiteman

W.M. Whiteman, courtesy Don Eades Collection, Petersfield Museum

Contribution to county’s history

William Whiteman’s writings are a first port of call for any information on the village of Steep. 

Relevant published works

  • The Origins of Steep, PAHS, 1976.

  • The Reputed Manor of Ashford, PAHS, 1987.

  • The Edward Thomas Country, 1978, Southampton

Critical Comments

His professional skills as a journalist were a valuable asset in his local history research and writing.

Other Comments

Contributor

Fran Box, edited by Barry Shurlock, 18 09 22.

Key Words

Petersfield, Steep, caravan history, Edward Thomas.

If you are able to add anything to this entry, please send your ideas to celebrating@hantsfieldclub.org.uk.

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