Pocket Guide 2019 – 2020
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PLACES TO VISIT • SHOPPING GUIDE • EATING OUT • OPEN SPACES & WALKS A LTON POCKET GUIDE 2019 – 2020 www.alton.gov.uk The Curtis Museum The Curtis Museum houses one of the finest local history collections in Hampshire, exploring 100 million years of history. Displays include prehistoric tools, Saxon burials, the Battle of Alton 1643, the notorious tale of Sweet Fanny Adams plus hop picking and brewing. Why not come and explore local history or take part in our frequent activities and events for adults and children alike. Admission – FREE. Closed Sunday & Mondays. High Street, Alton GU34 2BW t: 01420 82802 • w: www.hampshireculturaltrust.org.uk The Allen Gallery The Allen Gallery is an intimate setting for one of the South’s most outstanding ceramics collections from 1250 to the present day. Regular special exhibitions of art, crafts, photography, local and natural history, local artists and the delightful watercolours and oil paintings of W H Allen. There is also the comfortable coffee lounge and charming walled garden which provide a peaceful retreat in the middle of Alton. Admission – FREE. Closed Sunday & Mondays. 10-12 Church Street, Alton GU34 2BW t: 01420 82802 • w: www.hampshireculturaltrust.org.uk The Real Italian Coffee Shop Freshly prepared Italian dishes and cakes. Open: Tuesday-Saturday 8am-5.30pm 8 High Street, Alton, Hants GU34 1BN • T: 01420 88988 E: [email protected] • W: www.bottegadeisapori.co.uk Café & Gift Shop... ALTON TOWN COUNCIL @ALTON_COUNCIL CONTENTS 4 – 6 A HISTORY OF ALTON 7 MUSEUMS WELCOME... 8 – 9 to Alton SHOPPING Alton is a warm and welcoming vibrant north Hampshire town which truly has a community spirit at its heart. Situated at the 10 - 13 source of the River Wey and enjoying a rural DAYS OUT backdrop at the gateway to the South Downs National Park, Alton is known by many as “Jane Austen Country” with its close ties to its charming neighbouring parish of Chawton – 14 - 15 home to Jane Austen’s House Museum and WALKS AND TRAILS Chawton House. The largest settlement in East Hampshire, the town also has its own heritage attraction – the Mid Hants Railway 16 – 18 Watercress Line – as well as being well known PARKS AND OPEN for the civil war Battle of Alton in 1643, the SPACES murder of Fanny Adams in 1867 and also home to the Allen Gallery and Curtis Museum. 19 – 20 USEFUL Staying within the town, visitors will find a INFORMATION variety of shops from national chain stores to local independent retailers. When it comes to dining out and socialising, Alton offers a wide 21 choice of cafes, restaurants, bars and FOOD AND DRINK quintessentially English pubs to choose from, all located within easy walking distance of the town centre. 22 ACCOMMODATION With plenty to see and do in and around Alton, the town serves as a convenient base to explore the local area. With so many villages 23 within a few miles of Alton, visitors can take in TWINNING the breathtaking views and the rich heritage of the region, and also sample the diverse range of locally produced food and drink – which can also be experienced at the All photographs used with the kind permission Hampshire Farmers’ Market every second of Stephen Lewis and Saturday of the month in theMedia High & MarketingStreet. Alton Town Council. NEWSPAPERS | MAGAZINES | WEBSITES Editorial compiled Alton was shortlisted as a finalist for the and Edited by Great British High Street Awards. Alton Town Council, Town Hall, Market Square, Alton GU34 4PD Design, production and sales Tel: 01420 83986 KM Media & Marketing, [email protected] County House, 9 Checkpoint Court, The Town Council would Sadler Road, Lincoln LN6 3PW like to thank all those who Website: km-media.co.uk MediaKM Media & Marketing & Marketing assisted and submitted Telephone: 01522 513515 Your partner in publishing NEWSPAPERS | MAGAZINES | WEBSITES editorial contributions to Email: [email protected] ONLINE | IN PRINT | IN DIGITAL this publication. WWW.ALTON.GOV.UK ALTON OFFICIAL POCKET GUIDE 2019 – 2020 • 3 Media & Marketing NEWSPAPERS | MAGAZINES | WEBSITES PLACES OF INTEREST THE HISTORY OF ALTON Situated at the entrance to the South Downs National Park, Alton is an historic Hampshire town. Alton is steeped with a From the 13th to the 15th fascinating history, from the century Alton was a very bloody Battle of Alton in the prosperous community, mainly English Civil War to the literary from weaving and the production genius of Jane Austen. of garments. There were a number of textile merchants With its rich heritage dating from situated in the town centre. Roman times to its association with Fanny Adams, Alton is an From the 18th century onward intriguing place to visit. the town was well known for its Cairn War Memorial 4 • ALTON OFFICIAL POCKET GUIDE 2019 – 2020 WWW.ALTON.GOV.UK Assembly Rooms manufacturing, being famous Other principal buildings include for paper making – and since the Victorian Assembly Rooms in 1763 for brewing (the main the High Street, which is the production site in the centre of town’s oldest live entertainment town closing in 2015). venue. Adjacent is the Curtis Museum, which houses displays One of the most notable buildings about the Roman pottery is St Lawrence Church dating from industry and also the spectacular the Norman Tower built in 1070, Saxon buckle. and where the main Battle of Alton took place in December Inwood Court is in the same 1643 between the Parliamentary area and was one of seven and Royalist Forces. Colonel Bolle, Alton hospitals. The roof spaces the Commander of the Royalist of all three buildings were Forces, is understood to have designed by the architect been killed in the church pulpit. Charles Barry in 1870. Bullet holes in the main church doors and stone pillars can be The war memorial known as The seen. The church also has a Cairn was erected in 1920 and Norman font hewn from one contains 30 tonnes of Cornish piece of stone. granite. A few yards away into Church Street is the Allen St Lawrence Church has other Gallery. It houses a fine display interesting features; its peal of of Hampshire County Council’s bells is one of the best in the collection of English pottery and south of England. Close by the porcelain from the 16th century. church is the site of the Norman ecclesiastical headquarters. The The main road into Alton from the Quakers have been instrumental west passes The Butts, an area of in developing Alton over the common land which was formerly years and near the Church there used for archery practice. is ‘The Friends Meeting House’ built in 1672, which is the second Alton was the scene of one of oldest meeting house in use in the most notable Victorian the world. tragedies – the murder of Fanny Adams in 1867. She was brutally Also nearby is the historic St killed by a solicitor’s clerk, Lawrence School which has Frederick Baker, in Flood shoe marks below each window Meadows. From this event, the where people over time have expression “Sweet FA” came listened in on the classes being about. The 150th anniversary of taught, as education in the past her murder was in 2017 and her was not for all. grave is in the old cemetery. WWW.ALTON.GOV.UK ALTON OFFICIAL POCKET GUIDE 2019 – 2020 • 5 PLACES OF INTEREST The Swan Hotel in the High Street was first mentioned in the archives in 1499 and was the stopping place for stagecoaches travelling daily from London to Winchester and Southampton. A number of famous people have lived in Alton and the surrounding area including Cardinal Newman, Jane Austen, Elizabeth Gaskell, children’s authors Peter and Iona Opie, William Curtis and Gilbert White. If you would like to find out more about the town, the buildings, the streets, Alton’s history and its notable people from the past, why not join one of the Guided Tours of the town? The tours last a little over an hour and start from the Curtis Museum in the High Street. Please telephone Alton Community Centre on 01420 85057 for further information and to book a tour. 6 • ALTON OFFICIAL POCKET GUIDE 2019 – 2020 WWW.ALTON.GOV.UK WHERE TO VISIT MUSEUMS Take a step back into Alton’s history at the Museum or visit the art & craft exhibitions at the Gallery The Curtis Museum, situated at the top of the High Street houses one of the finest local history collections in Hampshire, exploring 100 million years of history. Displays include prehistoric tools, Roman pottery Allen Gallery reconstruction, Saxon burials, the Battle of Alton in 1643 and Alton’s hop picking and brewing There are regular special heritage. It is also home to the exhibitions of art, crafts, internationally renowned Alton photography, local and natural Buckle and Selborne Cup. history, local artists and the delightful watercolours and oil The local studies area contains a paintings of W H Allen. It also has wealth of information about the a comfortable café serving locally local area, its buildings and made cakes and a charming people. The gift shop sells many walled garden providing a local books and publications peaceful retreat in the middle of alongside gifts and postcards. Alton. The Alley Gallery also has a delightful gift shop which The nearby Allen Gallery is an stocks a range of greetings cards intimate setting for one of the and gifts produced by local South’s most outstanding artists and craftspeople. ceramics collections, with English, continental and oriental pottery, For more information and porcelain and tiles from 1250 to event listings, please visit www. the present day. hampshireculturaltrust.co.uk WHERE TO SHOP SHOPPING IN ALTON Alton offers a delightful mix of High Street branded stores and quirky independent shops Alton is an historic north coffee, browse for quirky gifts or Hampshire town, situated at buy your day-to-day essentials, the entrance to the South Alton has shops to cater for all Downs National Park.