Sopley
Encyclopedia
Sopley is a village and civil parish
situated in the New Forest
National Park of Hampshire
, England. It lies on the old main road from Christchurch
to Ringwood
, on the east bank of the River Avon. The Parish extends east as far as Thorny Hill and borders the parishes of Bransgore
and Burton
to the south and west respectively. It includes the hamlets of Shirley, Avon and Ripley. The area is mainly rural with less than 300 dwellings. The village is situated on the fringes of the New Forest
, just outside the New Forest National Park but within the perambulation boundary of the forest. Most of the buildings date back to the 19th century but there are more modern houses to the north. It is also home to Moorlands College, one of the largest evangelical theological seminaries in the country. The college was built on the site of the old manor house which was demolished in 1988.
and it has existed as a manor since before the Norman conquest. Sopley is listed in the Domesday Book
of 1086. Before 1066 it had been held by one Edric, but by 1086 it belonged to William son of Stur. By that time 4 hides
of the manor and all the woodland had been absorbed into the New Forest
. At the end of the 13th century, records are found of two distinct manors of Sopley. One of the manors was for two hundred years part of the lands of the Earls of Ormond. The other manor was owned, first by the Le Moyne family, and then, like nearby Ibsley
, by the Baron Stourton
s. In the middle of the 16th century, both manors were sold to the Berkeley family, and the two manors became one again.
In 1575 Sir John Berkeley conveyed
the manor to William Waller, and it eventually descended to the Tichborne Baronets
, being owned by the 2nd and 3rd Baronet, until the 4th Baronet sold the manor to James Willis around 1725. John Willis of Ringwood
inherited the manor in 1753, and upon his death in 1779, it passed to his nephew John Compton, and it descended, like Minstead
, with the Comptons. The manor house was rebuilt in 1790 by the then owner James Compton. Compton was a sheep farmer who, along with the local vicar, the Reverend Willis; introduced a particular breed of Spanish sheep to the area. The Merino sheep is renowned for its soft, fine, fleece which is still much sought after. Sopley became for a while, an important specialist wool producing area.
A mill in Sopley is recorded in the Domesday book when an annual levy of 10 shillings and 875 eels was imposed. It is disputed whether this is the current mill however, certainly parts of it are much younger; a third floor for flour storage was constructed in 1878 and the original undershot wheel was later superseded by a turbine. The mill remained in service until 1946.
The Parish Church of St Michaels and All Angels stands on a high mound overlooking the mill and the river Avon. It has been variously proposed that this high mound may have been the site of an earlier Pagan temple or the base camp of Jute invaders who travelled up the Avon from nearby Christchurch. Parts of the church date from the 11th century but much of it was constructed in the 13th century from rubble ironstone dressed with Binstead
stone.
In 1834 the manor house, then known as Sopley Park, was sold to wealthy London merchant and owner of the Schweppes company; John Kemp-Welch. He in turn sold it in 1885. The house was used as nursing home and two independent schools at various times during in its post war history and was demolished in 1988 to make way for a bible college. The house was notable for its three stained glass windows depicting the story of Walter Tirel
; spelled locally as Tyrrell. The lodges at either end of the park wall still exist however.
RAF Sopley
was a Royal Air Force
base near the village between 1940 and 1974. In the late 70s and early 80s it was used to accommodate refugees from Vietnam
. The site is now known as Merryfield Park. The site started out as a Ground Controlled Interception (GCI) radar station. Its purpose to detect, locate and track enemy aircraft and provide inland radar coverage for Britain. Initially a mobile station, by 1943 it was a permament fixture with rotating ariel array, transmitter equipment stored in an underground bunker, operations block, emergency back up power supply and guard hut. In 1946 RAF Sopley was re-classified as a master GCI station and reserve Sector Operations Centre. As part of the UK's programme to update its air defences, Sopley underwent much modernisation during the 1950s including a new guardhouse providing access to a two storey underground operations centre.
A one-way system was introduced in 1938 to aid the flow of traffic along the narrow lanes in the village. A 1937 traffic census recorded that within a week, a mere 9,271 vehicles used the main Ringwood to Christchurch road.
. The River Avon and the Parish of Burton run along its western edge and it extends eastwards into the New Forest
as far as Thorny Hill. To the south it borders the parish of Bransgore. It includes the settlements of Sopley, Shirley, Avon, and Ripley.
It is mainly rural with fewer than 300 dwellings and narrow lanes. The main Christchurch to Ringwood road passes through the centre of Sopley village where a one-way system helps these narrow byways cope with an often noticeable amount of traffic. A small stream, known locally as Sopley Brook, cuts through the centre of the village and enters the river Avon south of the Parish church of St. Michael and All Angels. The surrounding area includes farmland, flood plain, and open forest.
In 1855 a description of the land was given thus: "The arable land is a rich and productive loam and is chiefly what is known as good sheep and barley land. It is in a very high state of cultivation and we have seldom seen over land more even in quality or in better condition".
Much of the parish is within a large conservation area. The meadows to the west of the village are part of the River Avon flood plain and designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
The 2001 census, recorded the population of the parish as 774 of which 415 were male and 359 female. There were 274 households giving an average of just under 2.82 people per household. All but 2 households identified themselves as being of white ethnicity (99.3%).
Of the 645 residents over 16 years of age; 201 said they were single, 359 married and 85 either divorced or widowed. The mean age of the population was 40.78, the median 41.00. The majority of those living in the parish are of working age. 65.37% are aged between 16 and 65.
There are 284 dwellings in the parish of which 274 are lived in. Of these, 162 are occupied by the owner, 15 are social housing and 97 are rented privately. A vast majority of households (226) have central heating and sole use of a bath or shower and toilet. 6 dwellings are vacant and 4 are second homes or holiday accommodation.
Of the 586 residents in the 16–74 years age bracket; 353 are employed, 10 are unemployed and 205 are economically inactive. Of the 353 who are employed, 208 are male and 145 are female. The males work a mean average of 43.68 hours a week and females 29.38.
31% of 16-74 year olds have a grade 3 qualification or above. 43.5% however, have no formal qualifications or a grade 1 qualification or below.
The Woolpack Inn sits in the centre of the one-way system in the middle of the village. It was initially built as a cottage with a wool store in 1725 but has served as a public house since 1783. Built in brick with a thatched roof; it became a grade II listed building in 1986.
Now being used as a youth activity centre; Avon Tyrrell House is a grade I listed building constructed in 1891 by W. R. Lethaby as a private, medium-sized country residence for John Manners-Sutton, 3rd Baron Manners
(1852–1927). It is considered to be one of the archetypal Arts & Crafts buildings.
The All Saints church near Thorny Hill is a grade I listed, Edwardian Baroque church, built in 1906. Designed by Detmar Blow
and constructed from Caen stone
and rendered brick. Inside are wall paintings by Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852–1936) of Te Deum
featuring local people
The Parish Church of St Michaels and All Angels, a grade II* listed building, occupies a prominent position overlooking the Avon on the site of an old Saxon Church. It is constructed from ironstone rubble dressed with Binstead stone from the Isle of Wight, has stepped buttresses and lancet
doors and windows. It was endowed by Earl Godwin in 1050.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
situated in 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....
National Park 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. It lies on the old main road from Christchurch
Christchurch, Dorset
Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in...
to Ringwood
Ringwood
Ringwood is a historic market town and civil parish in Hampshire, England, located on the River Avon, close to the New Forest and north of Bournemouth. It has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, and has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages....
, on the east bank of the River Avon. The Parish extends east as far as Thorny Hill and borders the parishes of Bransgore
Bransgore
Bransgore is a village and parish within the New Forest District, Hampshire, UK. The village developed in the 19th century when a church and a school were built...
and Burton
Burton, Dorset
Burton Village is a village and parish in the borough of Christchurch, Dorset, England. It is situated some 2 miles north-east of Christchurch town centre...
to the south and west respectively. It includes the hamlets of Shirley, Avon and Ripley. The area is mainly rural with less than 300 dwellings. The village is situated on the fringes 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....
, just outside the New Forest National Park but within the perambulation boundary of the forest. Most of the buildings date back to the 19th century but there are more modern houses to the north. It is also home to Moorlands College, one of the largest evangelical theological seminaries in the country. The college was built on the site of the old manor house which was demolished in 1988.
History
There has been settlement in the area since the Bronze ageBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and it has existed as a manor since before the Norman conquest. Sopley is listed in the Domesday Book
Domesday 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. Before 1066 it had been held by one Edric, but by 1086 it belonged to William son of Stur. By that time 4 hides
Hide (unit)
The hide was originally an amount of land sufficient to support a household, but later in Anglo-Saxon England became a unit used in assessing land for liability to "geld", or land tax. The geld would be collected at a stated rate per hide...
of the manor and all the woodland had been absorbed into 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....
. At the end of the 13th century, records are found of two distinct manors of Sopley. One of the manors was for two hundred years part of the lands of the Earls of Ormond. The other manor was owned, first by the Le Moyne family, and then, like nearby Ibsley
Ibsley
Ibsley is a village in Hampshire, England. It is about 2.5 miles north of the town of Ringwood.-Overview:The village of Ibsley lies to the east of the River Avon on the main road between Ringwood and Fordingbridge, and has some picturesque thatched cottages...
, by the Baron Stourton
Baron Stourton
Baron Stourton is a title in the Peerage of England, It was created created by writ in 1448 for John Stourton. In 1878, the ancient barony of Mowbray was called out of abeyance in favour of the twentieth Baron Stourton. About two weeks later, the barony of Segrave was also called out of abeyance in...
s. In the middle of the 16th century, both manors were sold to the Berkeley family, and the two manors became one again.
In 1575 Sir John Berkeley conveyed
Conveyancing
In law, conveyancing is the transfer of legal title of property from one person to another, or the granting of an encumbrance such as a mortgage or a lien....
the manor to William Waller, and it eventually descended to the Tichborne Baronets
Tichborne Baronets
There have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Tichborne, both in the Baronetage of England. Both creations are extinct....
, being owned by the 2nd and 3rd Baronet, until the 4th Baronet sold the manor to James Willis around 1725. John Willis of Ringwood
Ringwood
Ringwood is a historic market town and civil parish in Hampshire, England, located on the River Avon, close to the New Forest and north of Bournemouth. It has a history dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, and has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages....
inherited the manor in 1753, and upon his death in 1779, it passed to his nephew John Compton, and it descended, like Minstead
Minstead
Minstead is a small village and civil parish in the New Forest, Hampshire, about north of Lyndhurst. There is a shop and a pub, the Trusty Servant. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's grave is under a large tree at the back of the 13th century All Saints' church.-Overview:Minstead is a small village and...
, with the Comptons. The manor house was rebuilt in 1790 by the then owner James Compton. Compton was a sheep farmer who, along with the local vicar, the Reverend Willis; introduced a particular breed of Spanish sheep to the area. The Merino sheep is renowned for its soft, fine, fleece which is still much sought after. Sopley became for a while, an important specialist wool producing area.
A mill in Sopley is recorded in the Domesday book when an annual levy of 10 shillings and 875 eels was imposed. It is disputed whether this is the current mill however, certainly parts of it are much younger; a third floor for flour storage was constructed in 1878 and the original undershot wheel was later superseded by a turbine. The mill remained in service until 1946.
The Parish Church of St Michaels and All Angels stands on a high mound overlooking the mill and the river Avon. It has been variously proposed that this high mound may have been the site of an earlier Pagan temple or the base camp of Jute invaders who travelled up the Avon from nearby Christchurch. Parts of the church date from the 11th century but much of it was constructed in the 13th century from rubble ironstone dressed with Binstead
Binstead
Binstead is a village on the Isle of Wight. It is located in the northeast of the Island, two kilometres west of Ryde on the main road between Ryde and Newport.-Amenities:...
stone.
In 1834 the manor house, then known as Sopley Park, was sold to wealthy London merchant and owner of the Schweppes company; John Kemp-Welch. He in turn sold it in 1885. The house was used as nursing home and two independent schools at various times during in its post war history and was demolished in 1988 to make way for a bible college. The house was notable for its three stained glass windows depicting the story of Walter Tirel
Walter Tirel
Walter Tirel III - also spelt Tyrell, Thurold, Turold; French Gaultier or Gautier Tirel , was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He is infamous for his involvement in the death of King William II of England, also known as William Rufus....
; spelled locally as Tyrrell. The lodges at either end of the park wall still exist however.
RAF Sopley
RAF Sopley
RAF Sopley was a WWII airbase, codenamed Starlight, near the village of Sopley in Hampshire. It was opened in December 1940. In 1959 it became an air traffic control radar station, and finally closed on 27 September 1974...
was a Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
base near the village between 1940 and 1974. In the late 70s and early 80s it was used to accommodate refugees from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The site is now known as Merryfield Park. The site started out as a Ground Controlled Interception (GCI) radar station. Its purpose to detect, locate and track enemy aircraft and provide inland radar coverage for Britain. Initially a mobile station, by 1943 it was a permament fixture with rotating ariel array, transmitter equipment stored in an underground bunker, operations block, emergency back up power supply and guard hut. In 1946 RAF Sopley was re-classified as a master GCI station and reserve Sector Operations Centre. As part of the UK's programme to update its air defences, Sopley underwent much modernisation during the 1950s including a new guardhouse providing access to a two storey underground operations centre.
A one-way system was introduced in 1938 to aid the flow of traffic along the narrow lanes in the village. A 1937 traffic census recorded that within a week, a mere 9,271 vehicles used the main Ringwood to Christchurch road.
Geography
The Parish of Sopley is in the far south west corner of Hampshire on the border of Dorset some three miles north-north-east of the town of ChristchurchChristchurch, Dorset
Christchurch is a borough and town in the county of Dorset on the south coast of England. The town adjoins Bournemouth in the west and the New Forest lies to the east. Historically in Hampshire, it joined Dorset with the reorganisation of local government in 1974 and is the most easterly borough in...
. The River Avon and the Parish of Burton run along its western edge and it extends eastwards into 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....
as far as Thorny Hill. To the south it borders the parish of Bransgore. It includes the settlements of Sopley, Shirley, Avon, and Ripley.
It is mainly rural with fewer than 300 dwellings and narrow lanes. The main Christchurch to Ringwood road passes through the centre of Sopley village where a one-way system helps these narrow byways cope with an often noticeable amount of traffic. A small stream, known locally as Sopley Brook, cuts through the centre of the village and enters the river Avon south of the Parish church of St. Michael and All Angels. The surrounding area includes farmland, flood plain, and open forest.
In 1855 a description of the land was given thus: "The arable land is a rich and productive loam and is chiefly what is known as good sheep and barley land. It is in a very high state of cultivation and we have seldom seen over land more even in quality or in better condition".
Much of the parish is within a large conservation area. The meadows to the west of the village are part of the River Avon flood plain and designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Demography
| Age Distribution in the Parish of Sopley http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=795126&c=sopley&d=16&e=15&g=452216&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1307452692527&enc=1&dsFamilyId=781 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Years | Count | % |
| 0-4 | 31 | 4.01 |
| 5-15 | 98 | 12.66 |
| 16-24 | 89 | 11.49 |
| 25-44 | 216 | 27.91 |
| 45-64 | 201 | 25.97 |
| 65-74 | 80 | 10.34 |
| 75+ | 59 | 7.62 |
The 2001 census, recorded the population of the parish as 774 of which 415 were male and 359 female. There were 274 households giving an average of just under 2.82 people per household. All but 2 households identified themselves as being of white ethnicity (99.3%).
Of the 645 residents over 16 years of age; 201 said they were single, 359 married and 85 either divorced or widowed. The mean age of the population was 40.78, the median 41.00. The majority of those living in the parish are of working age. 65.37% are aged between 16 and 65.
There are 284 dwellings in the parish of which 274 are lived in. Of these, 162 are occupied by the owner, 15 are social housing and 97 are rented privately. A vast majority of households (226) have central heating and sole use of a bath or shower and toilet. 6 dwellings are vacant and 4 are second homes or holiday accommodation.
Of the 586 residents in the 16–74 years age bracket; 353 are employed, 10 are unemployed and 205 are economically inactive. Of the 353 who are employed, 208 are male and 145 are female. The males work a mean average of 43.68 hours a week and females 29.38.
31% of 16-74 year olds have a grade 3 qualification or above. 43.5% however, have no formal qualifications or a grade 1 qualification or below.
Notable buildings
Much of the parish is within a conservation area and most of the buildings date back to the 19th century, although there are more modern houses to the north of the village. There are many thatched cottages and some timber framed buildings. There are two grade I, one grade II* and 35 grade II listed structures including Sopley mill, both Sopley Park lodges, The Woolpack Inn and The Old Blacksmith's Shop; all five of which are sited close to in the village.The Woolpack Inn sits in the centre of the one-way system in the middle of the village. It was initially built as a cottage with a wool store in 1725 but has served as a public house since 1783. Built in brick with a thatched roof; it became a grade II listed building in 1986.
Now being used as a youth activity centre; Avon Tyrrell House is a grade I listed building constructed in 1891 by W. R. Lethaby as a private, medium-sized country residence for John Manners-Sutton, 3rd Baron Manners
John Manners-Sutton, 3rd Baron Manners
John Thomas Manners-Sutton was born on the 15th May 1852 to John Thomas Manners-Sutton, 2nd Baron Manners and Lydia Sophia Dashwood. On 12 Aug 1885, Manners married Constance Edwina Adelaide Hamlyn-Fane with whom he had twin daughters; Angela Margaret and Betty Constance Manners, born 15 June 1889;...
(1852–1927). It is considered to be one of the archetypal Arts & Crafts buildings.
The All Saints church near Thorny Hill is a grade I listed, Edwardian Baroque church, built in 1906. Designed by Detmar Blow
Detmar Blow
Detmar Jellings Blow was a British architect of the early 20th century, who designed principally in the arts and crafts style. His clients belonged chiefly to the British aristocracy, and later he became estates manager to the Duke of Westminster...
and constructed from Caen stone
Caen stone
Caen stone or Pierre de Caen, is a light creamy-yellow Jurassic limestone quarried in northwestern France near the city of Caen.The limestone is a fine grained oolitic limestone formed in shallow water lagoons in the Bathonian Age about 167 million years ago...
and rendered brick. Inside are wall paintings by Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852–1936) of Te Deum
Te Deum
The Te Deum is an early Christian hymn of praise. The title is taken from its opening Latin words, Te Deum laudamus, rendered literally as "Thee, O God, we praise"....
featuring local people
The Parish Church of St Michaels and All Angels, a grade II* listed building, occupies a prominent position overlooking the Avon on the site of an old Saxon Church. It is constructed from ironstone rubble dressed with Binstead stone from the Isle of Wight, has stepped buttresses and lancet
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
doors and windows. It was endowed by Earl Godwin in 1050.