Bishopstoke
| Bishopstoke | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Bishopstoke Location within Hampshire | |
| Population | 9,974 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SU472189 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Eastleigh |
| Postcode district | SO50 |
| Dialling code | 023 |
| Police | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Fire | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
Bishopstoke, a village recorded in the Domesday Book,[2] is a civil parish in the borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. At the 2011 Census the village was a civil parish in its own name. Bishopstoke was also mentioned when King Alfred the Great's grandson King Eadred, granted land at "Stohes" to Thegn Aelfric in 948 AD.[3] The village is about a mile east of Eastleigh town centre, and is on the eastern bank of the River Itchen. It adjoins Fair Oak on the east, in the Fair Oak and Horton Heath parish. The village was annexed to Eastleigh in 1932,[4] and was split out again as an independent civil parish later. It forms part of the Southampton Urban Area.
The Itchen Valley navigation running between Winchester and Southampton was completed in 1710 and used until 1869. Bishopstoke includes a sizeable proportion of the navigation, including a sluice that was in use until the closure of the navigation.[5]
Stoke Park Woods
Bordering the village to the North and comprising around 207 hectares, the Stoke Park Woods area contains 61% woodland and 39% arable land. It is home to many species, including the rare quaking grass. Originally these woods were owned by the Bishop of Winchester. King John of England hunted these woods in 1205. In 1540 they were licensed by King Henry VIII as a deer hunt enclosed by fences. They were purchased by the Forestry Commission in 1948 and are now a community woodland. They are managed by the commission to produce wood for paper pulp and timber.[6] Local Groups have been set up in the last year to fight the councils plans for a giant new town which would destroy the interwoodland countryside and significantly damage the Ancient Woodland around Stoke Park, including Upper Barn and crowdhill Copses. Bishopstoke and Fair Oak Local Green Space and action against Destructive Development being two of them.
Notable people
Among those born or resident in Bishopstoke have been:
- Richard Dummer (1589–1679), early settler in New England who has been described as "one of the fathers of Massachusetts"
- Edith Escombe (1866–1950), fiction writer and essayist
- William Gilbert (1804–1890), novelist and Royal Navy surgeon, father of dramatist W. S. Gilbert
- Samuel Sewall (1652–1730), Massachusetts judge, best known for his involvement in the Salem witch trials
Today
Bishopstoke contains one infant school, Stoke Park Infant School, and one Junior School, Stoke Park Junior School. which feeds the secondary school in Fair Oak, Wyvern College. The village has a Girl Guide group off West Drive, including Rainbow, Brownie and Guide units. It is also home to the 12th Eastleigh Scouts in West Drive. Eastleigh's museum in the High Street, which is open from Tuesday to Saturday, holds several files containing information about Bishopstoke's historic past and associated personalities, such as John Bale, Samuel Sewall, and Dean Garnier.
Bishopstoke still retains many buildings dating from the 18th century, although the village is expanding and now has a number of newer built residential and commercial premises. It has effectively become divided into Old Bishopstoke and New Bishopstoke, heading roughly West to East, reflecting the recent housing requirements within the area.
There are four churches in the village, which are the St. Mary's and the St. Paul's, both Church of England, Bishopstoke Evangelical Church in Stoke Park Road, and Bishopstoke Methodist Church in Sedgwick Road.
References
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ History Archived September 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Bishopstoke Parish Council
- ^ Vision of Britain Archived October 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Twyford info Archived 2013-03-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Eastleigh Council Report on Stoke Woods Management
Further reading
- Escombe, F. Dorothy (1935). Bygone Bishopstoke. Winchester: Wykeham Press.
External links
- Bishopstoke, Fair Oak & Horton Heath Local Community Magazine
- Stoke Park Woods Video on YouTube
- The Parish of Bishopstoke
- (http://www.eastleigh.gov.uk/lp36 Council proposals to build a link road and 1,000's houses in woodland countryside)
