64 The Biscuit House
The deeds of what is today number 64 Milford High Street, and until 2014 was Gwen’s Boutique, go back to 1677. On 23rd July of that year a plot of land, paddock & pasture, was leased for the remainder of a term of a 1,000 year lease to John Scott and Henry Hiscock at a peppercorn rent. The land had numerous owners throughout the 1700s and 1800s until Saturday 8th November 1884 when, at an auction at the Angel Hotel in Lymington, it was sold as business premises on along leasehold.
The plot was developed into a dwelling and butchers shop comprising: Sitting Room, four Bedrooms, Kitchen, Scullery, Outbuildings, four- walled stable, coach house for four vehicles, shed, walled-in productive garden and a
Slaughter House!
It remained a butchers, passing through several different owners until, on 31st July 1899, W G Stratton sold it to George Miles. George continued it as a butchers shop and slaughter house, remaining in the family for 46 years until 1945. At that time, Annie Miles and Elizabeth Mc Cullen (née Miles), sold it to a Farmer, Phillip Thorne, who sold it in turn in July 1947 to Frederick Cooke.
The Cookes were a Keyhaven family Fred being born at West Cottages Keyhaven in November 1906. He started work aged 14 as a delivery boy at Hillier’s the butchers, which was at 92, The High Street, next door to The Crown Inn (now The Smugglers). When Mr. Hillier became ill in 1935, Fred was made manager of the business and the family moved in to live above the shop.
Shortly after being demobbed from the navy, in 1947, Fred bought Hillier’s as well as George Miles, and continued to call the two businesses by their original names A. F. Hillier’s – Butchers and George Miles – Butchers.
At that time, Miles the Butchers, occupied half of Number 64, with the other half being the cart shed and entrance to the slaughter house. He soon converted the cart shed and slaughter house entrance into a Wet Fish Shop, and both shops, the butchers and the fish shop, traded until the early 1960s.
When he retired in 1977, Fred sold Hillier’s and converted the slaughter house itself and the stables at the rear of number 64, Miles, into a ‘Granny flat’ where Fred and Lilly stayed until they died, Lilly in 1978 and Fred ten years later.
Fred and Lily Cooke had two daughters, Gwen Peden and Anne Perrett who still live in the village today. Gwen remembers the butchers with the abattoir in the back and the rope hanging from the ceiling with a hook on the end for hanging the carcasses.
Gwen grew up in the flat above Hillier’s and her sister, Anne, now Anne Perrett, was actually born there.
When Gwen met her future husband, Edward, in Southampton, in 1956, he was planning to emigrate. They got engaged Edward going ahead to Canada in August that year, followed by Gwen in March 1957. They married in Canada on 14th September 1957.
Gwen and Eddie returned home in December 1961 moving back in to Gwen’s childhood home above the butchers shop. In May 1964, they took over the business from her father and converted it to Gwen’s Boutique, supplying ladies fashions. They carried on trading for 47 years until December 2012 when they both retired.
Following her retirement Gwen sold number 64 to Clare Southcombe who opened the new business, No64 Biscuit House, in February 2016.
