Parish Churches of the Test Valley
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to know. to has everything you need you everything has The Test Valley Visitor Guide Visitor Valley Test The 01264 324320 01264 Office Tourist Andover residents alike. residents Tourist Office 01794 512987 512987 01794 Office Tourist Romsey of the Borough’s greatest assets for visitors and and visitors for assets greatest Borough’s the of villages and surrounding countryside, these are one one are these countryside, surrounding and villages ensure visitors are made welcome to any of them. of any to welcome made are visitors ensure of churches, and other historic buildings. Together with the attractive attractive the with Together buildings. historic other and churches, of date list of ALL churches and can offer contact telephone numbers, to to numbers, telephone contact offer can and churches ALL of list date with Bryan Beggs, to share the uniqueness of our beautiful collection collection beautiful our of uniqueness the share to Beggs, Bryan with be locked. The Tourist Offices in Romsey and Andover hold an up to to up an hold Andover and Romsey in Offices Tourist The locked. be This leaflet has been put together by Test Valley Borough Council Council Borough Valley Test by together put been has leaflet This church description. Where an is shown, this indicates the church may may church the indicates this shown, is an Where description. church L wide range of information to help you enjoy your stay in Test Valley. Valley. Test in stay your enjoy you help to information of range wide every day. Where restrictions apply, an is indicated at the end of the the of end the at indicated is an apply, restrictions Where day. every R Sponsored by the Council, our Tourist Information Centres offer a a offer Centres Information Tourist our Council, the by Sponsored All the churches identified on this leaflet are normally open open normally are leaflet this on identified churches the All in northwest Hampshire for yourself. You’ll be glad that you did. you that glad be You’ll yourself. for Hampshire northwest in Useful Contacts Useful disturb the peace and quiet. So come and discover this hidden gem gem hidden this discover and come So quiet. and peace the disturb bustling market towns of Andover, Stockbridge and Romsey to to Romsey and Stockbridge Andover, of towns market bustling turns its way through the green and tranquil valley with only the the only with valley tranquil and green the through way its turns TEST VALLEY VALLEY TEST The River Test, one of England’s greatest trout rivers, twists and and twists rivers, trout greatest England’s of one Test, River The FURTHER THE THE FURTHER in the south. the in Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty to the New Forest National Park Park National Forest New the to Beauty Natural Outstanding Of Area EXPLORING surroundings, ranging in the north from the North Wessex Downs Downs Wessex North the from north the in ranging surroundings, renowned for its natural natural its for renowned miles, Test Valley is is Valley Test miles, Covering some 250 square square 250 some Covering your eyes. eyes. your markets that unfold before before unfold that markets have copies. have picturesque villages and and villages picturesque distinctive churches distinctive Tourist Information Centres will will Centres Information Tourist the stunning landscape and and landscape stunning the £15. Test Valley bookshops and and bookshops Valley Test £15. of some of our most most our of some of prepare to be amazed by by amazed be to prepare Valley Arts Foundation price price Foundation Arts Valley Welcome to Test Valley, and and Valley, Test to Welcome architecture and history history and architecture TEST VALLEY VALLEY TEST 2010, and sold in aid of the Test Test the of aid in sold and 2010, A guide to exploring the the exploring to guide A hidden gems to explore. explore. to gems hidden book will be available during during available be will book FURTHER THE THE FURTHER Beggs. A second edition of this this of edition second A Beggs. Test Valley has many other other many has Valley Test Valley Valley EXPLORING VALLEY’ by Bryan and Diana Diana and Bryan by VALLEY’ As well as beautiful Churches, Churches, beautiful as well As ‘THE CHURCHES OF TEST TEST OF CHURCHES ‘THE of Test Test of leaflet is taken from the book book the from taken is leaflet Most of the information in this this in information the of Most Churches Churches Parish Parish FURTHER INFORMATION FURTHER Treasures of Test Valley Churches STAINED GLASS MONUMENTS AND BRASSES German, Netherlands and See in Grateley, the only existing Of course, visit the grave of Norwegian Christianity fragment of the medieval stained Florence Nightingale at East glass, which was removed from Wellow, and Romsey Abbey for began in the Test Valley… Salisbury Cathedral in 1788. See the tomb of Earl Mountbatten of the amazing collection of 16th Burma. Well-known medieval Christianity in both Germany and The Netherlands has its and 17th century Flemish glass at brasses of great importance are in origins in Test Valley, in the village of Nursling… Rownhams. See the whole Kings Somborne and Thruxton. It was from the former Abbey here that the Saxon priest spectrum of 19th century The Virgin Crowns of Abbotts Ann Wynfrith, who later became St. Boniface, set out in AD716 development of this art in are the finest collection in the to convert his ancestors in Europe. His influence through- St Mary’s Andover, and the only country. Elaborate marble tombs reflective, self-illuminating exist at North Baddesley and in out Germany was very great and he was later the first 21st century window in Andover the Chantry chapels at Thruxton, ‘patron saint’ of both countries. St. Michael’s. Engraved glass and the wooden life-size Elizabethan In Andover in AD994, the Viking chieftain Olaf Tryggvason millennium windows can be seen effigies of Sir Richard and Lady Mill was confirmed in the Christian faith by Bishop Alphege of at Wherwell, Smannell in Nursling, are remarkable. Winchester. St. Olaf returned to Norway, was crowned King and Hurstbourne Tarrant. Grateley Stained Glass The grave of Florence Nightingale at East Wellow, and began the conversion of his people to this new religion. Norwegian Christianity has its origins within WALL PAINTINGS Test Valley. Don’t miss the wonderful The Virgins Crowns at Saxon and Medieval St Mary's Church, examples at Nether Abbott’s Ann EMBROIDERY AND NEEDLEWORK Wallop, or particularly the Altar frontals and outstanding 20th Century kneelers, marriage picture of St Peter at East FONTS lists and door curtains Tytherley. There is this type Fonts were the first items of religious all demonstrate this of decoration from the 19th importance in all Christian churches enduring art. century at both from the earliest times. Many Significant in all Stockbridge and suffered mutilation and destruction churches, those in Braishfield. during the Reformation, but Hurst- bourne Tarrant has the oldest from Kings Somborne, Broughton, The 20th Century picture of St Peter at East Tytherley. Saxon times! Among those churches with good Norman examples are, Houghton and Leckford, Linkenholt and Stockbridge are Goodworth Clatford. The largest definitely worth and most elaborate is a 19th century seeing. one in Amport. Embroidery at Broughton The font at Nether Wallop church The Churches of Test Valley L HURSTBOURNE TARRANT L ANDOVER St. Peter SP11 0AA St. Mary SP10 1DP From its vantage point overlooking the Bourne Valley this This is the latest of several churches on the site; it is a church has seen nearly a thousand years pass. All beautiful Victorian gothic building, given to the town in centuries have left their mark... the Norman door arch and 1840 by Dr.Goddard, a former headmaster of Winchester nave columns... the medieval wall paintings, with their ‘dire College. The conversion of Norway to Christianity began warning’... its shingled tower and spire supported by the here in 994, when Olaf the Viking chieftain was confirmed massive trunks of English oak forming the bell-ringing in the Christian faith by Alphege, Bishop of Winchester. Its chamber... the Victorian chancel and the engraved glass stained glass windows are an excellent example of the art of the Millennium window... all in harmonious relationship. from 1840 to the present day. R L L L ABBOTTS ANN ENHAM ALAMEIN LONGPARISH St. Mary the Virgin St. George SP11 6HN St. Nicholas SO20 6EX SP11 7NR Enham village became Enham Alamein in 1945, when The Test Way Footpath can be taken right The influence of Sir Christopher Wren can clearly the Egyptian government gave £225,000 to Britain in through the churchyard, where walkers be seen in the design of this church built in 1716, gratitude for the victory at the Battle of El Alamein in often pause to look inside the church. A which was given to the village by Thomas Pitt, October 1942. A special service is held here every Victorian porch hides the Norman doorway ancestor of two renowned Prime Ministers, William year on the Sunday nearest the date of the battle. on which is displayed a text from the Pitt Earl of Chatham, and his son, William Pitt the Stained glass windows show the badges of The ‘foundation book’ of the very first London Younger. It is an excellent example of the ‘new age’ Mediterranean Fleet, The Western Desert Air Force Hospital [St. Bartholomew’s] dated 1135. of church building begun in the 18th century, with and The Eighth Army, and other formations which The memorial window to Major Lanoe box pews, altar, pulpit and font all ‘of their time’. took part. R George Hawker V.C.