Fordingbridge
Encyclopedia
Fordingbridge is a town and civil parish with a population of 5,700 on the River Avon
in the New Forest District
of Hampshire
, England
, near to the Dorset
and Wiltshire
borders and on the edge of the New Forest
. It is 81 miles (130.4 km) south west of London
, and 10 miles (16.1 km) south of the city of Salisbury
. Fordingbridge is a former market town
. The Avon Valley Path
passes through the town.
on the banks of the River Avon
. The parish includes the hamlets of Bickton
, Ashford, Upper Burgate
and Lower Burgate.
The first Great Bridge, from which the town received its present name, was built in mediaeval times, and is upstream from the ford. The bridge is a major feature of the town with its seven graceful arches, which can be seen very easily from the town’s large riverside park where one can walk along the riverbank draped with willows and waterside plants. Close by is a children’s play area, secluded memorial gardens, parks and sports playing fields. A bronze statue of the controversial painter, Augustus John
, stands on the banks of the Avon near the Great Bridge.
Not far from the High Street is the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin
which has some typical Norman characteristics. The Fordingbridge Museum, which houses local history exhibits, and the Visitor Information Centre are located in King's Yard. There is also a Roman villa
in the nearby village of Rockbourne
, which is open to visitors during the summer. The local comprehensive school
is The Burgate School And Sixth Form Centre
, which is situated in the northern outskirts of the town.
Since 1982 Fordingbridge has been twinned
with Vimoutiers
in Normandy
.
Fordingbridge is also home to Fordingbridge Turks FC, one of the 50 oldest football clubs in England.
of 1086 under the name Forde. It was held by a certain Robert from "Robert the son of Gerald". Prior to 1066 it had been held by Alwy from King Edward
. At the beginning of the 13th century Fordingbridge was held by Hugh de Linguire, who, dying around 1231, left a niece and heir Alice, wife of William de la Falaise. From that date Fordingbridge followed the same descent as Rowner
.
The manor was held by Elias de la Falaise at his death in 1254, and his brother William died in possession of the manor in the same year. Before 1277 the property had escheat
ed to the Crown
by the felony of William de la Falaise, grandson of William, and was granted in that year to Sir William le Brune, chamberlain to the king. The manor then stayed solidy in the Brune family until the the death of Charles Brune in 1769, when the family became extinct in the male line. By his will his estates eventually devolved onto his grand-nephew the Rev. Charles Prideaux-Brune of Prideaux Place
, Padstow
, Cornwall
, and the manor then remained in the possession of the Prideaux-Brune family.
The lord of the manor had a market before 1273, it was held weekly first on Saturday and then on Friday until the middle of the 19th century, when it was discontinued. A fair was held on 9 September. From the 13th to the 15th century Fordingbridge was governed by a bailiff, and then in later centuries by a constable chosen yearly at the court leet of the manor of Lower Burgate. The constable was the chief officer until 1878, when government by Local District Council was established. A fire in the town in the 18th century destroyed many of the houses, which were never rebuilt. The Town Hall, built in 1879, is almost in the centre of the town.
Cloth was made here in the 16th century, and in the 19th century there were factories for the manufacture of sailcloth and canvas and the spinning of flax. By 1900 the chief industries of the town were the manufacture of sailcloth and canvas and the making of bricks and tiles, and there were various flourmills, an iron foundry, and the Neave's food works.
The Fordingbridge railway station
was closed in 1964. It was originally just outside the town, on the road leading to Sandleheath
village, and connected the town with Salisbury
to the North and Poole
to the South.
for one year towards its repairs. Several similar grants followed, the last being dated in 1452. The bridge is 40 metres long and consists of seven stone arches. The bridge brought much traffic through the town. At the east end of the bridge there was a Saint John Baptist Hospital for poor travellers. The hospital was founded 1272, and dissolved in 1546. Some foundation walls are still visible, but no other remains. A custom which survived until 1840 obliged the lord of Fordingbridge during one summer month known as "fence month" to keep the bridge guarded and arrest anyone found taking venison
from the New Forest
. Significant alterations were made in 1841 when both sides were widened, adding 45cm to the width of the bridge. The original arches are still visible, being smaller in span than the 19th century additions. A reinforced concrete footpath on one side which was added in 1901 to widen the bridge.
River Avon, Hampshire
The River Avon is a river in the south of England. The river rises in the county of Wiltshire and flows through the city of Salisbury and the county of Hampshire before reaching the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour in the county of Dorset....
in the New Forest District
New Forest (district)
New Forest is a local government district in Hampshire, England. It is named after the New Forest.It was created on 1 April 1974, and was a merger of the borough of Lymington, New Forest Rural District and part of Ringwood and Fordingbridge Rural District....
of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, near to the Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
and Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
borders and on the edge of the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
. It is 81 miles (130.4 km) south west of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and 10 miles (16.1 km) south of the city of Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
. Fordingbridge is a former market town
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
. The Avon Valley Path
Avon Valley Path
The Avon Valley Path is a long-distance path in the English counties of Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset.The path takes its name from the River Avon. From Salisbury it passes through the towns of Downton, Fordingbridge and Ringwood as well as the villages of Odstock, Nunton, Charlton-All-Saints,...
passes through the town.
Overview
Fordingbridge is a town and civil parish in HampshireHampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
on the banks of the River Avon
River Avon, Hampshire
The River Avon is a river in the south of England. The river rises in the county of Wiltshire and flows through the city of Salisbury and the county of Hampshire before reaching the English Channel through Christchurch Harbour in the county of Dorset....
. The parish includes the hamlets of Bickton
Bickton
Bickton is a hamlet in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England. It is within the civil parish of Fordingbridge, and is situated by the River Avon....
, Ashford, Upper Burgate
Upper Burgate
Upper Burgate is a hamlet in Hampshire, England. It is about 1 mile north of Fordingbridge.-External links:...
and Lower Burgate.
The first Great Bridge, from which the town received its present name, was built in mediaeval times, and is upstream from the ford. The bridge is a major feature of the town with its seven graceful arches, which can be seen very easily from the town’s large riverside park where one can walk along the riverbank draped with willows and waterside plants. Close by is a children’s play area, secluded memorial gardens, parks and sports playing fields. A bronze statue of the controversial painter, Augustus John
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
, stands on the banks of the Avon near the Great Bridge.
Not far from the High Street is the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin
St. Mary's Church, Fordingbridge
Listed in the Domesday Book in 1086 this is one of three ancient churches in our team, all dedicated to St. Mary. The Church was updated by the Normans around 1150 and would then have been an open space internally. The North Chapel and north and south aisles were added around 1230...
which has some typical Norman characteristics. The Fordingbridge Museum, which houses local history exhibits, and the Visitor Information Centre are located in King's Yard. There is also a Roman villa
Rockbourne Roman Villa
Rockbourne Roman Villa is a Roman courtyard villa excavated and put on public display in the village of Rockbourne in the English county of Hampshire, England. The villa was discovered in 1942 by the ferret of a local farmer and excavated by A. T...
in the nearby village of Rockbourne
Rockbourne
Rockbourne is a village and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire, close to Fordingbridge.-Overview:Rockbourne is a village of thatch, brick and timber houses, next to a stream now known as Sweatfords Water. The village consists chiefly of one street almost half a mile long. The church is...
, which is open to visitors during the summer. The local comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
is The Burgate School And Sixth Form Centre
The Burgate School And Sixth Form Centre
The Burgate School opened in 1957 and is an 11-18 comprehensive school. The school is situated in Fordingbridge, Hampshire, and at the current time has approximately 1250 students. The school is heavily over-subscribed, with pupils achieving results above the national average at all levels, and...
, which is situated in the northern outskirts of the town.
Since 1982 Fordingbridge has been twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Vimoutiers
Vimoutiers
Vimoutiers is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.The finish line of the Paris–Camembert bicycle race is Vimoutiers.-History:On 14 June 1944, during the Battle of Normandy, Vimoutiers was bombarded by Allied forces...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
.
Fordingbridge is also home to Fordingbridge Turks FC, one of the 50 oldest football clubs in England.
History
Fordingbridge is recorded in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 under the name Forde. It was held by a certain Robert from "Robert the son of Gerald". Prior to 1066 it had been held by Alwy from King Edward
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
. At the beginning of the 13th century Fordingbridge was held by Hugh de Linguire, who, dying around 1231, left a niece and heir Alice, wife of William de la Falaise. From that date Fordingbridge followed the same descent as Rowner
Rowner
Rowner is a part of Gosport, Hampshire, mostly famous for the high rise flats which dominate the area, known as 'The Concrete Jungle'. Rowner was first mentioned in the Domesday Book, during the 11th century. In the area is a field , accessible for walkers, and a dirt track for BMX and Mountain...
.
The manor was held by Elias de la Falaise at his death in 1254, and his brother William died in possession of the manor in the same year. Before 1277 the property had escheat
Escheat
Escheat is a common law doctrine which transfers the property of a person who dies without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in limbo without recognised ownership...
ed to the Crown
Crown Estate
In the United Kingdom, the Crown Estate is a property portfolio owned by the Crown. Although still belonging to the monarch and inherent with the accession of the throne, it is no longer the private property of the reigning monarch and cannot be sold by him/her, nor do the revenues from it belong...
by the felony of William de la Falaise, grandson of William, and was granted in that year to Sir William le Brune, chamberlain to the king. The manor then stayed solidy in the Brune family until the the death of Charles Brune in 1769, when the family became extinct in the male line. By his will his estates eventually devolved onto his grand-nephew the Rev. Charles Prideaux-Brune of Prideaux Place
Prideaux Place
Prideaux Place is a country house in Padstow, Cornwall, England.For over 400 years, Prideaux Place has been the home of the Prideaux-Brune family. Completed in 1592, the house has been enlarged and modified by successive generations...
, Padstow
Padstow
Padstow is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary approximately five miles northwest of Wadebridge, ten miles northwest of Bodmin and ten miles northeast of Newquay...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and the manor then remained in the possession of the Prideaux-Brune family.
The lord of the manor had a market before 1273, it was held weekly first on Saturday and then on Friday until the middle of the 19th century, when it was discontinued. A fair was held on 9 September. From the 13th to the 15th century Fordingbridge was governed by a bailiff, and then in later centuries by a constable chosen yearly at the court leet of the manor of Lower Burgate. The constable was the chief officer until 1878, when government by Local District Council was established. A fire in the town in the 18th century destroyed many of the houses, which were never rebuilt. The Town Hall, built in 1879, is almost in the centre of the town.
Cloth was made here in the 16th century, and in the 19th century there were factories for the manufacture of sailcloth and canvas and the spinning of flax. By 1900 the chief industries of the town were the manufacture of sailcloth and canvas and the making of bricks and tiles, and there were various flourmills, an iron foundry, and the Neave's food works.
The Fordingbridge railway station
Fordingbridge railway station
Fordingbridge was a railway station serving Fordingbridge, a small town in Hampshire. It was one of many casualties of the mass closure of British railway lines in the 1960s and 1970s; the last service was on 2 May 1964. The line was officially closed on 4 May 1964 but as there was no Sunday...
was closed in 1964. It was originally just outside the town, on the road leading to Sandleheath
Sandleheath
Sandleheath is a village and civil parish about west of Fordingbridge in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England. It has a population of 663.-History:Sandle Manor is an Elizabethan manor house that was extended in 1900 and 1936....
village, and connected the town with Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
to the North and Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
to the South.
The bridge
The first bridge at Fordingbridge was built before 1252, when the bailiff and men of the town received a grant of pontagePontage
Pontage was a medieval toll levied for the building or repair of bridges.Pontage was similar in nature to murage and pavage ....
for one year towards its repairs. Several similar grants followed, the last being dated in 1452. The bridge is 40 metres long and consists of seven stone arches. The bridge brought much traffic through the town. At the east end of the bridge there was a Saint John Baptist Hospital for poor travellers. The hospital was founded 1272, and dissolved in 1546. Some foundation walls are still visible, but no other remains. A custom which survived until 1840 obliged the lord of Fordingbridge during one summer month known as "fence month" to keep the bridge guarded and arrest anyone found taking venison
Venison
Venison is the meat of a game animal, especially a deer but also other animals such as antelope, wild boar, etc.-Etymology:The word derives from the Latin vēnor...
from the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
. Significant alterations were made in 1841 when both sides were widened, adding 45cm to the width of the bridge. The original arches are still visible, being smaller in span than the 19th century additions. A reinforced concrete footpath on one side which was added in 1901 to widen the bridge.
Saint Mary's church
The church of Saint Mary was originally a 12th century building. About 1220–40 the church was greatly enlarged and practically rebuilt. A tower was built in the 15th century. In the 19th century the south vestry was rebuilt and enlarged, and a second vestry added. There was also a great deal of renovation.Famous residents
- Augustus JohnAugustus JohnAugustus Edwin John OM, RA, was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher. For a short time around 1910, he was an important exponent of Post-Impressionism in the United Kingdom....
- Welsh portrait artist, born 1878, who lived in Fordingbridge from 1927 until his death in 1961 - Frank JefferisFrank JefferisFrank Jefferis was a football player.-Playing career:He initially played football for his local non-league team, Fordingbridge Turks, before being invited for a trial at The Dell by Southampton of the Southern League in March 1905...
- former SouthamptonSouthampton F.C.Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
, EvertonEverton F.C.Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and EnglandEngland national football teamThe England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
footballer, born 1884 - Neil McCarthy - actor, born 1933
- Daniel O'MahonyDaniel O'MahonyDaniel O'Mahony is a half-British half-Irish author, born in Croydon. He is the oldest of five children, his siblings including Eoin O'Mahony of the band Hamfatter, and Madeleine O'Mahony, who has designed and made hats for Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge.-Biography:O'Mahony's first professionally...
(writer, born 1973) - DJ Chatweeeen
External links
- Fordingbridge Town Council
- Fordingbridge Society
- Fordingbridge Museum
- Rockbourne Roman Villa
- National StatisticsNational StatisticsNational Statistics may refer to the following agencies and government departments:*Office for National Statistics, the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority.*National Bureau of Statistics of China*Statistics Sweden...
- Fordingbridge (Ward)