"The Limes at Catisfield" , Catisfield Lane (North)

re: The Limes:
a press article transcribed from the Evening News, Thursday August 9 1962

"No, sir, there is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced, as by a good tavern or inn." - Dr. Samuel Johnson
Overlooking historic Titchfield Abbey, the Limes Hotel at Catisfield is a gay, lively public house set in a quiet, drowsy spot.
A setting, by the way, that is better than any tranquillizer.
Instead of dust and fumes, there is a fresh, invigorating breeze. Instead of screaming brakes, there are the gentle sounds of the countryside.
Pleasing
In this charming Hampshire district, the Limes itself preserves an air or irregularity and charm as if created of paint and canvas and not stone and mortar.
Inside the comfortable and pleasing furnishings charm the eye. The interior has a quiet, country quality and the restaurant and bars are well laid out.
The lawn-framed building with its twelve bedrooms was once a private residence and more recently, a country club.
Now, as a "free house", the Limes Hotel begins an exciting new career. Hospitality is in the capable hands of the owner, Mr. Charles Henry Downes.
As an ex-Londoner, at ease in casual clothes, Mr. Downes has been in the licensed trade at Fareham since 1937. But is was his additional interest in growing tomatoes that took him to Catisfield seven years ago.
"I even bought this house without looking inside," recounts Mr. Downes. "I wanted the grounds for my 60,000 square feet of greenhouses.
"When I discovered how big this house really is, I decided to turn it into a club. As the Catisfield Country Club, it just grew and grew until we had about 2,500 members. Now we have made it a pub".
Proud…
Mr. Downes is proud of the "free house" status of the Limes. "We have all the leading brands of keg beers," he says, "and a wide range of wines and spirits."
Food, tastefully and quickly prepared, plays a n important role, too. "We serve excellent meals at all times," says Mr. Downes. "Scampi, chicken, steaks…"
"In fact, we have a motto in our restaurant … 'If You Are Not Satisfied - Don't Pay'."
This puts the cooking to a severe test, but so far, says Mr. Downes, there have been no refusals to pay.

1984: Playing terrain built for Catisfield's first sports team (Limesdowne Pétanque Club, which played there very successfully until 2013 and is now elsewhere as Fareham Pétanque Club) go to Petanque Club main page..
With the space of the Function Room on the south end of The Limes, the pub was quite a major community facility for Catisfield and the area. For one-off events and for many different groups that met there regularly - eg: Fareham Chess Club; Bridge Club twice a week; The Fareham Lions, a chess club, Austin 7 owners club, vintage motorcycle club, folk club, etc etc
Over many years The Limes served many excellent 'real ales' (often six at any one time) and was regularly recognised in the national annual publication "The Good Beer Guide"
August 2013: The Limes closes for the last time. After nearly 30 years of attempts to get planning permission for the redevelopment of the adjoining 'Hinton' site, it was achieved - with the inclusion this time of the Limes itself too.
February 2014 - The Limes is demolished....