Bishop's Waltham
Coordinates: 50°57′13″N 1°12′42″W / 50.9536°N 1.2118°W
| Bishop's Waltham | |
 Bishop's Waltham high street |
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 Bishop's Waltham
Bishop's Waltham shown within Hampshire |
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| Population | 6,550 [1] |
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| OS grid reference | SU554174 |
| District | City of Winchester |
| Shire county | Hampshire |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Southampton |
| Postcode district | SO32 |
| Dialling code | 01489 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Meon Valley |
| List of places: UK • England • Hampshire | |
Bishop's Waltham is a small town in Hampshire, England situated at the head of the River Hamble. It is home to the ruins of Bishop's Waltham Palace, an English Heritage monument.
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[edit] History
The town's name comprises three parts 'walt' - forest; 'ham' - settlement'; and 'Bishop's'. It started off as a Saxon village, and steadily grew to become one of Hampshire's largest villages, despite being burnt to the ground by Danes in 1001 AD. By the time of the Domesday book (1086 AD), it had a population of around 450. In 904, it was given by the king to the Bishop of Winchester. In 1136 Henry de Blois, a later bishop built the now-ruined Bishop's Waltham Palace. It was destroyed on the orders of Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil war. Much of the old Palace is still in the town. Apart from the ruins, which are open to the public , material from the Palace was used as building materials in town buildings still standing to this day.
William of Wykeham died in the town, while after the Battle of Trafalgar, some French sailors including Admiral Villeneuve were imprisoned there.
There are many Georgian buildings in the town alongside the Norman parish church. The town retains a unique character, with a number of small local businesses (such as a butchers, bakery and fishmonger) including an off-licence which was established in 1617 (Bakers Wine Merchants).[2] The famous High Street in the town is also home to a number of chain stores (such as Co-op and Spar) and a small supermarket chain (Budgens), however, the owners of these and other stores have fought to prevent larger chains from threatening their businesses and, they argue, the character of the town. Unusually for the United Kingdom, there is a vineyard nearby.
During the 19th century, Bishop's Waltham was a successful market town, being home to several agricultural suppliers, merchants and a cattle market. The town also had a large brickworks to its north, along with a gasworks that provided town gas for lighting and heating the town. The town had a large enough working population by the late 19th century to support a Working Men's Institute, which occupied an ornate brick building on Bank Street, which remained open until 2003, when it was converted into housing. Bishop's Waltham was home to Gunner and Company, which was the last provincial private bank in the United Kingdom.
[edit] Railway
Bishop's Waltham's commercial status warranted the construction of the Bishops Waltham branch Line railway to the town from Botley in 1862. The railway became part of the London and South Western Railway in the 1870s, who operated distinctive steam railcars on the line for passenger services, although the majority of traffic was goods- with bricks coming from the town and coal for the gasworks going to. The LSWR laid on special services to allow farmers to bring their cattle to market at Bishop's Waltham, with trains made of a mix of cattle trucks and carriages. The line was closed to passenger traffic in 1932, but goods services remained, becoming ever less frequent and regular before finally stopping in the 1960s. Bishop's Waltham station was a distinctive brick/half-timbered design with numerous architectural details produced in terracotta by the local brickworks, which stood where the main roundabout in the town now is. A short section of the line and a pair of level crossing gates next to the roundabout have been preserved.
[edit] Culture and attractions
Bishop's Waltham is twinned with Saint-Bonnet-le-Château in France. The town has a number of privately owned shops. The Palace ruins themselves are fascinating, and are excellent for photography, as is the "pond" directly adjacent to it. The Palace grounds are frequently used to hold festivals and other events. The town has a small museum.
[edit] Education
Bishop's Waltham Junior School was established in 1969. Following the July 2010 Ofsted inspection, the school was rated as Grade 1 'Outstanding.[3]
[edit] Notable people
- Amanda Holden, actress and presenter.
- Jeff Stelling, sports journalist.
[edit] Destinations from Bishop's Waltham
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Lower Upham | Upham | Corhampton | |
| Durley |  |
Droxford | ||
 Bishop's Waltham  |
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| Curdridge | Waltham Chase | Swanmore |
[edit] References
- ^ Census data
- ^ "Bishops Waltham's off-licence shuts after centuries". BBC News. 27 March 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-12862193. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
- ^ "Bishop's Waltham Junior School - Inspection Report". Ofsted. 13 September 2010. http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/oxedu_reports/display/%28id%29/125232. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
