FOUND

On Saturday 20 September 2003, members of the Fovant History Interest Group visited ‘Hospital Field’ in Compton Chamberlayne with the landowner. We went to see two small brick structures which may have been part of the First World War Military Hospita

Whilst looking at one of the structures, I noticed a glass bottle in the undergrowth, which I immediately unearthed. To my surprise, I found an intact green bottle of about 20cm high (8½”). The exciting thing about it (for a pharmacist that is) is the writing on it which says,

‘Property of Hardy and Son, Chemists, Salisbury’

A quick look in the Salisbury Reference Library has produced the following information about Hardy and Son:

Lanmead and Evans’ Directory, Salisbury and District 1897-8 

Aerated water manufacturers, Brown Street and 3 Catherine Street. 

Chemists and Druggists, 3 Catherine Street. 

Confectioners, 5 Catherine Street.

In the same edition, Robert E Hardy, Chemist, is listed as a resident at 5 Catherine Street.

Brown’s Directory of Salisbury 1912 

Brown Street (east side) 

31 – Hardy and Son, wholesale confectioners, chemists and aerated water manufacturers 

Catherine Street (east side) 

3 – Hardy and Son, chemists 

5 – Hardy and Son, confectioners 

Brown’s Directory of Salisbury 1925 

This edition contains an advertisement for Hardy and Son.

Further research will be undertaken when time allows, but in the meantime we can speculate on how the bottle came to be left in ‘Hospital Field’. Did the bottle contain a medicinal product being used in the hospital or was this a bottle of aerated water left by a farm worker or someone out for a picnic?

Sue Martindale 

November 2003

Content last updated 

8 January 2007