18th century
Mail coaches travelled the road through Rake from 1784, and Charles Harper opined that there was "no road so wild and lonely as the Portsmouth Road". Most of the journey would have been through commons, wasteland and woods, and Rake was no exception. [2]
There were several pubs in Rake owing to the importance of the route between London and Portsmouth. The Flying Bull pub had been in operation for some years (occupier Mr Eames, who was retiring) when the Hampshire Chronicle advertised its sale in 1775,
on the great Post and Turnpike Road from London to Portsmouth, with 2 Stables and other convenient Buildings, all in exceeding good repair, a large pleasant Garden, and two Acres of Land adjoining. Also a Blacksmith’s Shop on the Premises, which is all Freehold. The Stock of Liquors and Brewing Utensils to be taken at a fair Appraisement. [3]
Across the road was the Red Lion, which was the scene of a murder in 1748 committed by members of the Hawkhurst Gang. [4] [5] [6] The innkeeper, named Scardefield, was sympathetic to the gang. The gang buried one of their victims in the sand, possibly still alive, near the inn. It is now a private residence. The Sun Inn had existed at least as early as 1786, when the murderers of the Unknown Sailor were apprehended there the following day, trying to sell his bloodstained jacket. [2] The pub closed in 2011. [7]
In the 18th century, highway robbery was rife, whether petty thieving, robbery or even murder. A coach carrying cash for sailors' wages worth several thousand pounds overturned on Rake Hill, and would have been robbed had the boxes not been so heavy. A party of marines intervened, eventually. [2]
20th and 21st centuries
In 1986 there was a double murder on Chapel Common, Rake. It remains unsolved, despite an appeal by the BBC in 2021, [9] and is one of Britain's oldest cold cases. [10]
Amenities in the 20th century were various - Rake working Men's Club existed from 1920 to 1979; [11] The George Street Trust for Milland and Rake was set up in 1962 for the prevention and relief of poverty; [12] a police house existed in the village for most of the 20th century; Rake Store existed at least from 2005 to 2012, then from 2013 to 2015, when it closed permanently. [13] [14] For part of this time it hosted the village post office, but this was transferred to a Post Office Outreach Service at the garden centre, but this was withdrawn in 2025. [15] The former Red Lion pub was renamed Court Barn and for 50 years had housed a greyhound-rehoming trust, but closed in 2025. [16] In 2021, properties in the village average £687,000. [10]
In what was declared to be a record planning application, plans to build 68 new homes on the site of the closed Heathmount Nursing Home and two neighbouring care homes were being considered in 2025. Heathmount had recently been used for police dog training; the entire site covers 2.7 ha. [17]
