Winchfield

infobox UK place
country = England
latitude=51.26829
longitude=-0.90055
official_name= Winchfield
population = 581
shire_district= Hart
shire_county = Hampshire
region= South East England

constituency_westminster= North East Hampshire
post_town= Hook
postcode_district = RG27
postcode_area= RG
dial_code= 01252
os_grid_reference= SU768527
ambulance_service=

Location and Character

Winchfield is a small village in the Hart District of Hampshire in the South-East of England. It is situated 1 mile south-west of Hartley Wintney, 8 miles east of Basingstoke, 2 miles north-east of Odiham and 38 miles west of London. It is well connected to London Waterloo and Basingstoke by rail.

Winchfield consists of a recently rebuilt village hall (in 1998), a church, a 17th Century inn called the Winchfield Inn and a combination of old residential properties and new ones.

Winchfield parish currently has a population of 581 people, which is projected to rise to just over 600 in 2008. The population is scattered across this wide parish, which includes Potbridge, settlement around Winchfield church, Winchfield Hurst and Shapley Heath.

History

There is a Stone Age settlement at Bagwell Green, a few hundred yards past the church in the direction of Odiham Common. Winchfield also has a few examples of 16th and 17th century buildings, particularly near the Church.

Winchfield's manor was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1088. In 1838, a station was constructed, known as Shapley Heath and was renamed Winchfield Station, probably in 1840, although the exact date for this is unknown. Between 1838 and 1839, Shapley Heath station served as the terminus point for all rail services from London. [ [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/cj.tolley/cjt-brhm.htm Basingstoke's Railway History in Maps ] ] From here, all mail was then distributed to the rest of the South of England by mail coach. This continued for about a year, when the railway was extended to Basingstoke late in 1839.

Notably, there was also a large workhouse located in Pale Lane which then became a hospital and has since been the subject of sympathetic redevelopment into a housing development. [www.hart.gov.uk/index/community_living/guide-to-hart/discover/places_to_discover-winchfield.htm]

The parish council was formed in 1894, and since then, the village has continued to slowly expand, with newer properties constructed at Winchfield Hurst and near the Station.

Winchfield Church

Winchfield's was built during the 12th Century during the Norman Invasion of Britain. The church has been hardly altered since its original construction in the 12th Century, with the exception of the sixteenth century south porch and a modern north aisle and top stage of the tower. [ [http://www.mondes-normands.caen.fr/angleterre/Patrimoine_architectural/Angleterre/Churches/winchfield/wnchfield1.htm Winchfield ] ]

Winchfield Festival

Winchfield holds a biennial festival, which is centred around Winchfield's 12th Century Church. The festival developed from a single musical event initiated sixteen years ago to raise funds to renovate the church organ. Since then the festival has expanded with the help of the local community to include both fun and educational events. The Winchfield Festival is a properly constituted charity, with educational as well as entertainment goals.

During the 2006 festival, the festival had jazz performances, a male voice choir, easy classics and the Gould Piano Trio, as well as some outstanding classical soloists such as Tasmin Little, John Lenehan and Llŷr Williams. [www.winchfield.org]

References

External links

* [http://www.hart.gov.uk/index/community_living/guide-to-hart/discover/places_to_discover-winchfield.htm/ Winchfield - Hart District Council Website]
* [http://www.winchfield.org/ Winchfield Parish's Official Website]
* [http://www.thewinchfieldinn.co.uk/ The Winchfield Inn - a Traditional 18th Century inn, with bed & breakfast]
* [http://www.harttaxis.co.uk/ Hart Taxis (formerly Winchfield Taxis)has been serving the businesses and residents of Winchfield and surrounding areas since 2000]