- Horndean
infobox UK place
country = England
official_name = Horndean
latitude = 50.91363
longitude = -0.99612
civil_parish = Horndean
population = 12,639
shire_district =East Hampshire
shire_county =Hampshire
region = South East England
constituency_westminster= East Hampshire
post_town = WATERLOOVILLE
postcode_district = PO8
postcode_area = PO
dial_code = 023
os_grid_reference = SU706131Horndean is a
village andcivil parish in in theEast Hampshire district ofHampshire ,England . It is 4.3 miles (7km) north ofHavant .The nearest railway station is 2.2 miles (3.5km) southeast of the village at Rowlands Castle.
The village has a population of c.12,600.cite web |url= http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=795050&c=Horndean&d=16&e=15&g=449941&i=1001x1003x1004&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1205336626982&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779 |title=Parish Headcounts, Area: Horndean CP|date=2001 |accessdate=2008-03-12 |work=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=
Office for National Statistics ] It shares the semi-rural character of other settlements in the district.The village was probably best-known as the home of
Gales Brewery , which existed in the village from 1850. Privately owned until November 2005, when it was bought byFuller, Smith and Turner , it was closed in April 2006. It was the largest local employer until the opening of the Safeway, nowMorrisons , supermarket in 1994.History
Horndean grew up in the early
Middle Ages due to its convenient position as astaging post on the road fromPortsmouth toLondon (now the A3). In the early 19th century it became home to the Hon. Sir Charles Napier Senior, father to the more famous Sir Charles Napier, whose house, Merchistoun Hall (named after his former home inFalkirk ,Scotland ), is now a Grade IIlisted building and serves as the village's major community centre. Horndean was bypassed by main linerailway s but was served bytram s of thePortsdown and Horndean Light Railway until 1935 and thereafter bybus es.A three-storey workhouse was built during Victorian times to home the local poor. This stood on a site opposite the Good Intent public house (currently named The Colonial). This building had served a number of purposes including a local swimming pool. This was its primary function during the 1970s, provided by the use of a large polythene lined 'tank' on its ground floor. Using the pool was a fairly unpleasant experience by todays standards due to its small size, lack of poolside space and most of all - daylight. The first and second floors were used in latter years as a small lampshade factory. Defunct and dangerous, the entire building was demolished in spring 1982.
The village experienced significant expansion in the 20th century, particularly with the building of the Hazleton estate on the former grounds of Merchistoun Hall in the early 1960s, and the building of the A3(M) motorway in the 1970s, which passes under a bridge adjacent to the village centre. The easy access to the motorway has encouraged an influx of light industry to the village, most of it concentrated in three major estates, the most recent of which is Hazelton Interchange, built in the early 1990s.
Meaning of name
The name Horndean means "valley by a horn-shaped hill". Alternatively "Harne" is the old english word for
Dormouse making it "valley of the Dormouse". Dean refers to the old English word "denu" meaningvalley . [cite web |url=http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/ins/ |title=Institute for Name Studies |publisher=Institute for Name Studies |accessdate=2006-10-09]Community
Horndean's major community centres are Merchistoun Hall and Barton Hall,
Horndean Technology College . There is also a popular youth centre, RKdia. Other venues include Napier Hall, which was partially rebuilt in 2004, and the Jubilee Hall, opened in 2002 but as yet underused. The "de facto" parish church is All Saints in neighbouringCatherington .The surrounding villages are
Catherington ,Cowplain ,Blendworth ,Rowlands Castle and Clanfield.Twinning
The village of Horndean has been 'twinned' with the town of Aubergenville in France since 1998. various activities and exchange visits are organised by the [http://www.horndean.net/twinning Horndean Parish Twinning Association] .
Politics
Horndean is in the East Hampshire
constituency forelection s to the House of Commons and the South East England constituency for elections to theEuropean Parliament .Papers
The local
newspapers andpublications are
* [http://www.horndean-clanfield-thevillagenews.net The Village News] (Free)
* Meon Valley News (Free)
* Petersfield Herald
* [http://www.portsmouth.co.uk The News]References
* [http://www3.hants.gov.uk/localpages/south-east/waterlooville/horndean.htm Horndean on web pages of Hampshire County Council]
External links
* [http://www.horndean.net/ Horndean.net: Community Website for Horndean]
* [http://www.horndeanpc-hants.gov.uk/ Horndean Parish Council]
* [http://www.hampshire.gov.uk Hampshire County Council]
* [http://www.easthants.gov.uk/ East Hampshire District Council]
* [http://www.horndeantc.hants.sch.uk/ Horndean Technology College]
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