North Hampshire

Towns & Villages

ALDERSHOT

This one-time village is now the home of the British Army.


It became a garrison town after a camp was built here in the middle of the 19th century during the Crimea War.


Its modern attractions include the Airborne Services Museum, Aldershot Military Museum and the Aldershot Military Tattoo, an international event.

Wellington's Monument -
Photo: David Medcalf CCL

Aldershot Military Museum - Photo: Colin Smith CCL

Near the Royal Garrison Church is a 30ft tall statue of the Duke of Wellington astride his horse, Copenhagen.






The striking memorial was built from bronze cannons captured at the Battle of Waterloo.

ALRESFORD

New Alresford and Old Alresford are villages linked together by a 12th century causeway built over a 200-acre lake.



A significant wool centre in the Middle Ages, the area is now famous for its acres of watercress – one reason why the local heritage steam railway is called The Watercress Line.



Many French prisoners held in the area during the Napoleonic Wars are buried in the local churchyard.

New Alresford -
Photo: Dave Jacobs CCL

Hinton Ampner - Photo: Martyn Pattison CCL

Nell Gwynne used to live in the nearby splendid Georgian mansion Avington House.





Close to, Hinton Ampner is an 18th century house set within a glorious 20th century garden, the work of the 8th Lord Sherbourne, Ralph Dutton.

ALTON

This splendid market town boasts many Georgian buildings as well as the Tudor cottage that was once home to the Elizabethan poet Edmund Spenser.

The Curtis Museum celebrates the history of a locality whose prosperity originally came from brewing and wool.

The Church of St. Lawrence has a tower dating to the 11th century and in the churchyard is the grave of a murdered girl with the familiar name Fanny Adams.

Alton - Photo: Stephen McKay CCL

Aldershot Military Museum - Photo: Colin Smith CCL

Jane Austen spent the last few years of her life on the nearby Chawton estate, which was owned by her brother Edward.

She wrote some of her major novels at Chawton Cottage, including ‘Sense and Sensibility’ and ‘Pride and Prejudice’.

Jane, who was only 41 when she died, was buried in Winchester Cathedral in 1816.

Her home is now her museum.

ANDOVER

This large market town, - an important woolen centre in the Middle Ages - lies on the banks of the River Anton, a tributary of the Test, and boasts the Thruxton motor racing circuit as well as the Museum of the Iron Age, which has exhibitions on Celtic culture and the Danebury hill fort.










Nearby are the Hawk Conservancy, beautiful Harewood Forest and the remains of Ludgershall Castle.

Deadman's Plack, Harewood Forest - Photo: Kelvin Davies CCL

BASINGSTOKE

Milestones - Photo: Dave Jacobs CCL

Called Stoke-Barehills in the novels of Thomas Hardy, this is a large modern town that gave birth to the clothing company Burberry in the mid 19th century.



Its fascinating museum, Milestones, has real-life recreations of street scenes from Victorian and Edwardian England as well as a collection of cars, buses and steam engines as well as many old domestic items.

Old Basing House is the evocative ruin of a large fortified mansion built on the site of a Norman castle but wrecked by a two-year siege led by Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War.



Another historic building is Stratfield Saye House, presented to the Duke of Wellington following his success at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.



Nearby is the Roman town of Silchester, once known as Calleva Atrebatum.



It’s an archaeological Mecca and has its own museum.

Stratfield Saye House - Photo: Brendan & Ruth McCartney CCL

CHERITON

Cheriton- Photo: Chris Hayles CCL

A picturesque village near Winchester, Cheriton was made famous by a 17th century Civil War battle in which royalists were defeated by an army of roundheads.





The prehistoric Cheriton and Lamborough long barrows are nearby.

FARNBOROUGH

This market town is best known for its associations with aeroplanes and is home to the Farnborough Air Show.


In 1908 the American flier Samuel Cody made the first British powered flight in a heavier-than-air craft here.


Later Farnborough became the headquarters of the Royal Aircraft Establishment.

Farnborough Air Show -
Photo: David Wright CCL

Farnborough Hall - Photo: Shelia Russell CCL

The Empress Eugenie of France lived at Farnborough Hill as an exile until she died in 1920.





She built the Church of St. Michael’s Abbey which contains a mausoleum for her husband, Napoleon III, and her son, both of whom died in the Zulu Wars.

FLEET

Just a few miles from Basingstoke, this expanding dormitory town lies on the picturesque Basingstoke Canal.



On the outskirts is a nature reserve containing the largest lake in Hampshire.

Basingstoke Canal -
Photo: Mick Murnaghan CCL

HARTLEY WINTNEY

Elvetham Hotel - Photo: David Medcalf CCL

This quaint village boasts the oldest cricket club in Hampshire and has a duck pond and village green.

Elvetham Hall, now a hotel, dates from the 11th century. At one time it was owned by the father of Henry VIII’s wife Jane Seymour.

West Green House dates to the 18th century and has 35 acres of gardens lovingly restored by the National Trust.

One of its attractions is a record-breaking magnolia.

LIPHOOK

A one-time staging post between London and Portsmouth, Liphook’s main attractions include Bohunt Manor gardens and the Hollycombe Steam Collection.




The latter has many steam-driven traction engines and fairground machines.




According to a local tradition, Lord Nelson spent his last night in England in Liphook before he sailed off to do battle at Trafalgar.

Hollycombe steam collection -
 Photo: Chris Gunns CCL

ODIHAM

All Saints Church - Photo: Brendan & Ruth McCartney CCL

Located near Basingstoke, this elegant town has a wide main street with timber-framed houses and a 14th century church.

Nearby stand the ruins of Odiham Castle from where King John journeyed to Runnymede to sign the momentous Magna Carta, giving more power to his recalcitrant barons.

In 1216 the castle was besieged by the French Dauphin.

The Basingstoke Canal has been transformed into a local leisure amenity.



Until the arrival of the railway the waterway was an important link with London.



It has 29 locks and innumerable bridges.



Its Greywell Tunnel is Britain’s largest roost for bats.

The Greywell Tunnel -
Photo: The Dewdrops CCL

PETERSFIELD

King William III Photo: Martyn Pattison CCL

An ancient woolen centre and stagecoach town, busy Petersfield lies on the banks of the River Rother, a curious mixture of the old and new set within glorious, rural surroundings.











The market centre has a statue of William III while nearby, in the picturesque Queen Elizabeth Forest, Butser Ancient Farm is a ‘living museum’ consisting of a re-created prehistoric farm.

ROMSEY

Beautifully situated on the banks of the River Test – world famous for its trout and salmon - this market town grew around ancient Romsey Abbey which was founded by Alfred the Great’s son, Edward, and later purchased by local people when the monasteries were dissolved by Henry VIII.




Inside is a marble slab marking the burial place of Earl Mounbatten who was assassinated by an IRA bomb in 1979.

Romsey Abbey -
Photo: Gillian Moy CCL

Mottisfont Abbey -
Photo: Kate Jewell CCL

Nearby Broadlands House was the Earl’s luxurious Georgian home.

It was used by two famous honeymooning couples, the Queen and Prince Philip and Prince Charles and Lady Diana.

Twelfth century Mottisfont Abbey lies north of the town and is run by the National Trust.

It boasts a remarkable rose garden.

SELBORNE

Inhabiting a small corner of the picturesque South Downs, this delightful village was the inspiration behind the work of Britain’s first real ecologist, the clergyman Gilbert White (1720-93).








White pioneered the use of detailed recordings in the study of the natural world. His house, The Wakes, is a museum in itself but also contains an exhibition dedicated to the life of the Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Oates.

The Zig-Zag Walk -
Photo: Colin Smith CCL

STOCKBRIDGE

Stockbridge High Street from Common Marsh -
 Photo: Peter Facey CCL

This delightful town lies on the trout-filled River Test close to the Danebury Iron Age hill fort, one of the best-studied in Britain.




The prehistoric structure was built around 500BC as a significant Celtic town but may have been abandoned soon after the arrival of Roman invaders.




Stockbridge Down, owned by the National Trust, is a haven for chalk-loving flowers and insects.




A short distance from the town is Marsh Court, one of the few surviving English properties built from chalk.

TWYFORD

An attractive village on the banks of the River Itchen a few miles from Winchester, Twyford hit the headlines in the 1990's when environmental groups vainly tried to prevent a bypass being cut through picturesque Twyford Down.





Much earlier it achieved fame of a different kind when Benjamin Franklin wrote parts of his autobiography at Twyford House.





Nearby Marwell Zoo has a reputation for protecting endangered animals.

Twyford -  Photo: Peter Land CCL

WHITCHURCH

Silk Mill - Photo: Kelvin Davies CCL

A former stagecoach town, Whitchurch lies on the banks of the River Test close to Watership Down, the landscape that inspired Richard Adams to pen his bestseller of the same name.











In previous centuries the area’s prosperity came from the manufacture of silk. An old mill still produces silk and is open to the public.

WINCHESTER

A strikingly beautiful city, antique Winchester was Britain's country’s ancient capital in the 9th century when Alfred the Great made it his base as he strove to unite local peoples against the marauding Vikings.










A huge bronze statue of Alfred welcomes visitors.

Alfred the Great -
Photo: Colin Smith CCL

City Gate - Photo: Pam Brophy CCL

Previously Winchester had been the capital of the Celtic Belgae tribe as well as the Roman centre known as Venta Belgarum.







Two of its five Roman town gates and parts of the surrounding wall have survived the ravages of time.

The River Itchen provides a delightful distraction as it runs through the city but the stunning cathedral is the real focal point, having the longest medieval nave in Europe at over 550 feet.





Begun in the 11th century it contains the remains of numerous kings including Canute and William II.





Here also is the shrine of St Swithin, a former bishop, and the tomb of the novelist Jane Austen.

The Nave: Winchester Cathedral - Photo: Pam Brophy CCL

The Pilgrims' School - Photo: Sally Pellow CCL

The city, which boasts one of Britain’s oldest public schools, has many other sites worth visiting.



They range from Winchester’s 13th century Wolvesley Great Hall, containing King Arthur’s so-called round table, to Godbegot House, which lies on the site of King Canute's palace, St. Swithin’s medieval church and the splendid ruins of Old Wolvesley Palace.

The city is replete with museums tracing local culture and history as well as regimental museums for the Light Infantry, Royal Green Jackets, Royal Hampshire Regiment, the Royal Hussars and the Gurkhas.

Peninsular Barracks -
Photo: John Plumb CCL

YATELEY

Yateley Common Country Park -
Photo: David Eddington CCL

This expanding town is surrounded by beautiful countryside, boasting a country park and old gravel pits that have been transformed into an arena for various water sports.





 

Its church dates from the 13th century.