Stockbridge, Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Stockbridge is a small town and civil parish
in Hampshire
, England
. It has an acreage of 1323 acres (5.4 km²) and a population of little under 600 people according to the 2001 census in Hampshire
, England
. It lies on the River Test
, in the Test Valley
district and renowned for trout fishing. The A30 road
goes through the town, which once carried most of the traffic from London
to the South West
. However, today most of the traffic uses the A303 road
to the north of Stockbridge.
As in the 12th century, the town consists of one long wide street, and it is to this characteristic that it owed its early name of The Street. This street crosses the River Test at the junction of the parishes of Stockbridge and Longstock
by a low bridge of three arches rebuilt and widened in 1799. A number of smaller river channels also flow through the town.
The town was once given the right to hold a market by 1190, and elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons
from the 1560s. The Reform Act 1832
abolished it as a rotten borough
. Stockbridge had a railway station on the Andover & Redbridge Railway (known as the Sprat and Winkle Line
), later part of the LSWR. This closed in 1967.
Hicks Withers-Lancashire
was Lord of the Manor from the 1890's until 1902.
Stockbridge is a recurring setting for several Doctor Who stories (comics Doctor Who Magazine
, Big Finish
audio plays, novels). Not only being the temporary home for the Fifth Doctor
, it is the home of fictional companions Izzy Sinclair
and Maxwell Edison.
and graveyard survive of the original parish church at the eastern end of the town, now known as Old St Peter's Church. A Victorian Gothic
church, St Peter's, designed by J Colson, was built in 1866 at a central location in the High Street. The Roman Catholic church of St Thomas More is a modern brick built hall off of the High Street near the Town Hall.
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...
in 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...
. It has an acreage of 1323 acres (5.4 km²) and a population of little under 600 people according to the 2001 census in 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...
. It lies on the River Test
River Test
The River Test is a river in Hampshire, England. The river has a total length of 40 miles and it flows through downland from its source near Ashe, 10 km to the west of Basingstoke , to the sea at the head of Southampton Water...
, in the Test Valley
Test Valley
Test Valley is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England, named after the valley of the River Test. Its council is based in Andover....
district and renowned for trout fishing. The A30 road
A30 road
The 284 miles A30 road from London to Land's End, historically known as the Great South West Road used to provide the most direct route from London to the south west; more recently the M3 motorway and A303 road performs this function for much of the route and only parts of A30 now retain trunk...
goes through the town, which once carried most of the traffic from 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...
to the South West
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
. However, today most of the traffic uses the A303 road
A303 road
The A303 is a 92-mile long trunk road in England. It is the main road between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon. The M3, the A303 and the A30 together make up one of the main routes from London to South West England, running from London to Land's End in Cornwall...
to the north of Stockbridge.
As in the 12th century, the town consists of one long wide street, and it is to this characteristic that it owed its early name of The Street. This street crosses the River Test at the junction of the parishes of Stockbridge and Longstock
Longstock
Longstock is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It lies on the western bank of the River Test, to the north and west of Stockbridge and east of Leckford. The parish has a population of around 450...
by a low bridge of three arches rebuilt and widened in 1799. A number of smaller river channels also flow through the town.
The town was once given the right to hold a market by 1190, and elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons
Unreformed House of Commons
The unreformed House of Commons is the name generally given to the British House of Commons as it existed before the Reform Act 1832.Until the Act of Union of 1707 joining the Kingdoms of Scotland and England , Scotland had its own Parliament, and the term refers to the House of Commons of England...
from the 1560s. The Reform Act 1832
Reform Act 1832
The Representation of the People Act 1832 was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system of England and Wales...
abolished it as a rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....
. Stockbridge had a railway station on the Andover & Redbridge Railway (known as the Sprat and Winkle Line
Sprat and Winkle Line
The Sprat and Winkle Line was the familiar name of a railway line which ran between Andover and Redbridge in Hampshire, UK. It was also known as the Andover to Redbridge Line....
), later part of the LSWR. This closed in 1967.
Hicks Withers-Lancashire
Hicks Withers-Lancashire
Hicks Withers-Lancashire , also known as Hicks Withers, was a British veterinary surgeonHe was born in Ham Green in Somerset to Samuel Withers, a veterinary surgeon and Martha Lancashire....
was Lord of the Manor from the 1890's until 1902.
Stockbridge is a recurring setting for several Doctor Who stories (comics Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine
Doctor Who Magazine is a magazine devoted to the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, Big Finish
Big Finish Productions
Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays based, primarily, on cult British science fiction properties...
audio plays, novels). Not only being the temporary home for the Fifth Doctor
Fifth Doctor
The Fifth Doctor is the fifth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Peter Davison....
, it is the home of fictional companions Izzy Sinclair
Izzy Sinclair
Isabelle "Izzy" Sinclair, is a fictional character who appeared in the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was a companion of the Eighth Doctor...
and Maxwell Edison.
Religious buildings
Only the chancelChancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and graveyard survive of the original parish church at the eastern end of the town, now known as Old St Peter's Church. A Victorian Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
church, St Peter's, designed by J Colson, was built in 1866 at a central location in the High Street. The Roman Catholic church of St Thomas More is a modern brick built hall off of the High Street near the Town Hall.