THE study of local history is essentially about looking at what local people did and how they interacted with one another. Indeed, without any characters there would not be much to write about. Since beginning these articles, the name Alphonso Mattia has surfaced several times in connection with buildings and events, so I was intrigued to discover that there were a number of grandchildren descendants in the town. Brother and sister, John Pearl and Gloria Barclay, kindly spent some time with me talking about what they knew of their grandfather and allowed me to copy some of their family photographs, so vital in adding interest to any account and enabling readers to put faces to the names.

The story of the Mattia family (pronounced with the stress on the middle syllable) begins far away from the Andover district, high up in the hills of southern Italy in Calabritto, part of the province of Avelina. Poverty was rife and work was hard to come by. For Alphonso, the chances of employment were slimmer than most, as he had lost a hand from an exploding firework and afterwards had to either wear a hook or have his wrist bandaged up.

As part of a general movement, Alphonso emigrated to England around the year 1901. He was then aged about 18 but the two successive English census records of 1911 and 1921, and his death record of 1936, do not tally with regard to his age. During the same period, his future wife, Angelina Franghittia, together, we think, with her sisters and parents, emigrated from their home, Cassino, as part of a small wave of Italian emigrants bound for England at that time. Whether they all arrived together is unknown but it appears that Aldershot was where they were based, at least temporarily. Neither Alphonso nor Angelina could then speak any English and the first word Alphonso learned was ‘bloaters’; his occupation being to push a barrow around the streets selling them. Where he got his bloaters, nobody knows but he was very good at meeting people and making connections with those who bought and sold goods.

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Alphonso Mattia in his yard at Chantry Street, c.1920 (Image: Contributed) Among companion immigrants were Vitantonio Vitale and his future wife Maria, who were to run a well-loved ice cream parlour and café (Toni’s Café) in Andover’s West Street. We do not know exactly how or when Alphonso met Angelina (who was some years younger) but they married in a Catholic ceremony in the Basingstoke area at the end of 1907. The following year, their first child, Jestine, was born, the birth registered at Ludgershall but Alphonso and Angelina were soon afterwards in Andover, settling at 34 Chantry Street, where they were to remain until their deaths.

At Chantry Street, a daughter Rose was born in 1911 and from then on, a succession of children followed. As happened in those days, some died soon after birth and perhaps the speed at which they were born – 13 altogether within 17 years - played no small part.

Behind 34 Chantry Street, there was space for a yard from which goods could be bought and sold. As Alphonso’s business prospered, he must have acquired more and more ground. The area here was largely wasteland, lying beyond the back gardens of the houses of Chantry Street and Marlborough Street. Gradually, there arose a multitude of outbuildings and sheds. All around were stacks of scrap metal, while the outbuildings contained goods for sale. He sold everything from garden forks and wheelbarrows to building materials, indeed, anything he thought he could sell. No doubt he became a natural magnet for anybody who had to clear property, dispose of goods or needed some ready cash. In turn, buyers were always there to see what he had, whether they were car mechanics, builders, ironmongers, antiques dealers or street hawkers in search of wares for sale.

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A young Angelina Franghittia, shortly after arriving from Italy, c.1905 (Image: Contributed) No doubt, the yard’s attractions went far beyond the confines of the Andover district and even in those days, the town’s position on the road network made it an easy call for the carriers, travellers and runners who made their living that way. In contrast, there must have been many among the local ‘establishment’ who looked askew at this upstart, immigrant Italian, with his sprawling scrap yard not far from St Mary’s church tower, who seemed to be doing rather well.

Gradually Alphonso became seriously wealthy. Was this purely through the repeated mechanical process of always buying and selling or did he have some luck? Nobody really knows, but in such a business he must have had some very good things through his hands from time to time – and he was very clever. He may not have had the benefit of formal education but his business instincts were first-class and we can imagine the exuberance of his Italian blood made him a character, known to all.

When war broke out in 1914, there would have been a huge demand for scrap metal. Not only were normal supply networks interrupted but the need for raw materials to build the ships, aeroplanes and tanks, as well as munitions, increased dramatically. It must have been a good time for anyone dealing in scrap metal, and prices would have escalated accordingly. Alphonso continued to prosper and he consolidated his position by buying 34 Chantry Street from its owner, Walter Frank Ponting, in May 1918. A few months later he was able to obtain a rear access into the yard from Marlborough Street by buying a piece of land from Mrs E Ambrose for £65. That was as much as he could do from Chantry Street but he was not yet finished; the next idea was to buy more land, on which he could build houses to rent out. Next week’s article will continue the story.

If you are interested in local history, why not join Andover History and Archaeology Society? Details can be found at andoverlocalhistoryarchaeology.uk.