The Almshouses in the Quomp were erected by Mr Clark in 1843, the National School coming into use in 1848. The Police Station in Christchurch Road was built in 1850 and in the next year the Gasworks cost £2,000 subscribed for by £10 debentures. The Town Hall was paid for by Mr Morant, Lord of the Manor in 1868. This became the Cinema and later a shopping arcade.
Ringwood Hornets Football Club was started in 1879 but there was talk of Cricket in the area around 1750 both clubs playing on the Bickerley until 1900 when Carvers was made available by private generosity and money. The eight pubs at that time in the Market Place alone taking advantage of the closeness of the sportsfield.
After the first world war more utilities were provided when the Electricity Generating Station by the Town Mill came into production in 1925.
In 1929 many people came to Ringwood from out of work Wales to help put in the Towns drainage system. The towns tap water supply was turned on with due ceremony in December 1930.
The car having made its mark on society caused the demolition of the Corn Mill by the Church and the Vicarage so that traffic going north, east and west could by pass the town, the development of Housing Estates gathered speed after the 2nd World War especially to the west of the town with the selling of land in Avon Castle and St Ives.
The joining of Poulner to Ringwood by the building of housing estates continued through the 1950s and 1960s. Then came the big split when Ringwood was virtually cut in half by the completion of the Poulner Lane diversion planned in 1928 and finished in 1978.
One of the big changes that has taken place in Ringwood was the introduction of supermarkets and the ownership of most shop premises by outside landlords and demanding high rents has caused many shops to close and remain empty. The interest in the Wednesday Market has declined since the closure of the Cattle Market in 1989.
