The History of Bitterne ...

The history of 'Bitterne Village' is comprehensively recorded by the Bitterne Local History Society which can be located at http://www.bitterne.net/

In 2002 The Church of England Parish Church of the Holy Saviour, Bitterne celebrated its 150th Anniversary with a week-long exhibition in the church. There was also a special production of 'A Bend in the River' which was first produced in 1972 for the 120th Anniversary celebrations.

'Bend in the River' covers the history of Bitterne itself, from pre-Roman times to the Bitterne By-Pass, and the 150th production included a link that had come to light in more recent years. When an ITV researcher wanted to track down the last resting place of Walter Perkis, one of the heroes of the Titanic disaster, the Quarter-Master who risked his life to take his lifeboat back to the ship to save more passengers, they requested the help of Bitterne's Church Office, who found his unmarked grave in Bitterne's churchyard. It is now marked by an impressive memorial. Find out more about Walter Perkis at http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/biography/1366/

In 2006 the Methodist congregation in Bitterne celebrated and even greater occasion marking 200 years of Methodism in Bitterne.