Totton and Eling
Encyclopedia
Totton and Eling is a town
and civil parish in Hampshire
, UK
, with a population
of around 28,000 people. It is situated on the eastern edge of the New Forest
and on the River Test
, close to the city of Southampton
and part of the city's urban area.
Surrounding towns and villages include Ashurst
, Marchwood
, Cadnam
and Ower
.
Totton claimed to be the largest village in England
until it was made a town in 1974. The Town is often considered to be made up of several smaller villages, such as Testwood, Calmore and Hammonds Green (as well as the original village of Totton) which have been connected by new clusters of housing to form the town as it is today. This is backed up by the presence of several areas of local shops, which served their respective villages in the past, and to an extent still do today. Until the 1967 forest perambulation fencing, New Forest ponies
were free to roam its streets. At their closest points, Totton and Ashurst
are less than 0.4 km (400m) apart, if measured from the closest buildings.
Totton's town centre hasn't changed much since the seventies and it only has Commercial Road and the A35
causeway as the main exit routes from the town.
The areas behind Calmore Industrial Estate by the river Test
have been regenerated for boating with lakes, but its main use is fishing and as a water supply resource.
There is also the Testwood Lakes
Centre, with walks along the Test Way
running from Totton to Inkpen Beacon in Berkshire
, via Romsey
in Hampshire.
Eling can be accessed by crossing the railway line which divides the original old village of Totton and the areas of Eling, and Hounsdown. This goes to Brokenford which has some pathways from Totton to the A35 Bypass road
at Eling recreation ground, by Bartley Water
.
Hillfort at Tatchbury Mount is evidence of early settlement in the Totton area and Netley Marsh
on the edge of Totton was the site of an early battle between Anglo Saxon invaders under Cerdic and Romano-Celtic peoples under Natanleod
. The construction of Testwood Lakes revealed a treasure-trove of ancient artefacts including one of the oldest known bridges in England, believed to date to around c.1,500BC. The area's history is inevitably closely connected with ship and boat building but more with its timber trade. It was the site of much illegal dealing in the timber unlawfully obtained from the New Forest.
Eling's attractions include its tide mill
that is at one end of the Harbour and Eling's Norman
parish church
, St Mary's, built on Saxon
foundations with registers dating back to 1537. Eling Tide Mill
is one of the very few working tide mills in the UK but cannot be equated with the mill listed in the Domesday Book. In addition, Eling contains Hampshire's only surviving medieval toll bridge
across Bartley Water by the side of the tide mill. This has been in use since at least 1418 and still charges users today. There is a Town council run Heritage Centre, with details of the history of Totton and Eling.
. From this, many new developments were made to expand the town. The Calmore estate was built in the early 1970s to the north of the Town, and subsequent housing has merged the estate to the town as a whole. Extended housing to the Hounsdown region also occurred during the 1970s, with the construction of the school and the increased housing found there. In the late 1980s and 1990s, more housing was built to the West of the town towards Netley Marsh and along Ringwood road. These developments, collectively referred to as West Totton, consisted of a new communal area and church and hall as well as huge amounts of new homes.
New Developments on the former BAT sports ground and Little Testwood Farm by Linden homes is set to take the population of the town to a new high of over 29,000 people. Despite this no new facilities are to be provided, and the current ones will, as a result, be put under larger pressure.
, on the South Western Main Line
to Southampton
, London Waterloo, Bournemouth
and Poole
, and is run by South West Trains
.
Bus services in the town are run by three main companies. Bluestar
, formerly Solent Blue Line
, runs services to Southampton
, Cadnam
, Hythe
, Dibden
and around the town. Wilts & Dorset
also operate cross county routes to Salisbury
and First Hampshire & Dorset
to Southampton via Southampton General Hospital
.
The town has easy access to the nearby M27 motorway
, to Salisbury via the A36
Salisbury Road, to Lyndhurst and Southampton via the A35
and to the Waterside region by the A326.
The town also has numerous cycle routes, which started with the suburban cycleway through West Totton, constructed when the estate was built and running from Hounsdown to Calmore Road. This has further been extended to two on-road routes to the centre of Totton from Calmore Schools down Water Lane, and down Salisbury Road. In addition, there are several links to the New Forest cycle network at Ashurst and Foxhills.
, the highest level of club cricket in the Hampshire area, four times in six seasons between 2001 and 2006. In September 2007 Totton and Eling CC became North Gear National 2020 Champions beating Ockbrook & Borrowash in the live televised final on Sky Sports
.
In addition to the cricket club, Totton also has a local football team, A.F.C. Totton
. In 2007, AFC Totton made it to the final of the FA Vase and so had the chance to play the first competitive match at the New Wembley Stadium. The club were previously based in a stadium in the centre of the town, however moved in 2011 to a new ground with stand and several training pitches near the outskirts of the town in Calmore. The ground reportedly cost £2.5 million.
There is also a rugby
club, Tottonians, operating from grounds at Totton College
.
s within the boundary of the Totton and Eling Civil Parish; the original Testwood School, built in the 1940s and Hounsdown School
, built in 1963.
Testwood Sports College
is located in the north of the town and has undergone changes recently as part of it's acquisition of Sports college status in 2004. This has resulted in a change of name and improvement of facilities including building a synthetic turf pitch and an extension to their sports hall. The Testwood school logo includes the river, the wood and salmon encompassed into it, indicating the nearby River Test and the Salmon leap. Testwood hires out it's sporting facilities after hours, namely the synthetic turf pitch, which is used frequently by the community. Testwood's pupils mainly come from the central Totton and Calmore areas. Testwood normaly ends at five minuites to three.
Hounsdown, a specialist science college, is located in the Hounsdown area of the town, south of the A35
. It too has experiences expansion in recent years, including the construction of a new sports hall. The Hounsdown logo is of a stylised, curved triangle. Hounsdown also hires out it's sporting facilities after school, namely the swimming pool, which is used frequently by the local community and groups . Hounsdown source's it's pupils from the areas of Hounsdown, Eling, West Totton and Ashurst.
Both schools share a strong rivalry between each other, which is often reflected from sporting events to clashes between pupils outside of school. The severity of this led Hounsdown to change the time their school finishes 15 minutes later to quarter past three.
Totton also has a sixth form college
: Totton College
, which started life in 1955 as Totton Grammar School, and has rose to become one of the best in the area.
and the church of St. Winifred's in Testwood. These churches form the Team parish of Totton and are part of the Diocese of Winchester
. In addition to these, there is also Testwood Baptist Church.
Today the church stands on the hill looking out over the bay to the container port on the Southampton side of Millbrook. On this side, not far away is the expanse and beauty of the New Forest. St Mary's finds itself at a threshold between the industry of Southampton and the quiet of the Forest. Within the tension of both lies the possibility of both old and new. The church itself reflects this with a modern interior that brings a light, open effect and the traditional stone, including a Saxon arch.
St Mary the Virgin Church is a part of the Anglican team ministry that covers the town of Totton and Eling with 38,000 people within its area. Historically the mother church to the area, St Mary's is now one of four churches in the team ministry along with Calmore, Netley Marsh and Testwood. In 2003 two self-styled 'vampires' were imprisoned for harassment of the Vicar of St Mary's and his family.
, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
and South Central Ambulance Service
.
Compared to the national average for England and Wales and as of July 2011, central Totton has a high crime rate, while the Calmore, West Totton and Eling areas all experience normal levels of crime.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and civil parish 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...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of around 28,000 people. It is situated on the eastern 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....
and 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...
, close to the city of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and part of the city's urban area.
Greater Southampton
The Southampton Urban Area is the conurbation surrounding Southampton in Hampshire, England.In the 2001 Census, the area had a population of 304,400. With 234,224 people, Southampton itself makes up over three-quarters of the population...
Surrounding towns and villages include Ashurst
Ashurst
-Persons:*Henry F. Ashurst, U.S. Senator from Arizona *Lee Ashurst, British citizen convicted of computer crimes in Dubai*Len Ashurst, English footballer and manager*Mark Ashurst-McGee, Mormon historian-Places:*Ashurst, Hampshire...
, Marchwood
Marchwood
Marchwood is a village and civil parish located in Hampshire, United Kingdom. It lies between Totton and Hythe on the western shore of Southampton Water, next to the New Forest. The population of the village in the 2001 census was 5,586.-History:...
, Cadnam
Cadnam
Cadnam is a village situated in Hampshire, England, within the boundaries of the New Forest National Park. The village has existed since the medieval period, when it was an important crossroads between Southampton and the towns of southeast Dorset.-Overview:Cadnam is part of the civil parish of...
and Ower
Ower
Ower is a hamlet in the New Forest district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest towns are Totton – approximately to the southeast, and Romsey – approximately to the north-east....
.
Totton claimed to be the largest village in England
Largest village in England
Several places claim to be the largest village in England. This title is disputed as there is no standard definition of a village and size might be determined by population or area....
until it was made a town in 1974. The Town is often considered to be made up of several smaller villages, such as Testwood, Calmore and Hammonds Green (as well as the original village of Totton) which have been connected by new clusters of housing to form the town as it is today. This is backed up by the presence of several areas of local shops, which served their respective villages in the past, and to an extent still do today. Until the 1967 forest perambulation fencing, New Forest ponies
New Forest pony
The New Forest Pony or New Forester is one of the recognised Mountain and moorland or Native pony breeds of the British Isles. The breed is valued for its hardiness, strength and sureness of foot...
were free to roam its streets. At their closest points, Totton and Ashurst
Ashurst
-Persons:*Henry F. Ashurst, U.S. Senator from Arizona *Lee Ashurst, British citizen convicted of computer crimes in Dubai*Len Ashurst, English footballer and manager*Mark Ashurst-McGee, Mormon historian-Places:*Ashurst, Hampshire...
are less than 0.4 km (400m) apart, if measured from the closest buildings.
Totton's town centre hasn't changed much since the seventies and it only has Commercial Road and the A35
A35 road
The A35 is a trunk road in southern England, running from Honiton in Devon, that then passes through Dorset and terminates in Southampton, Hampshire...
causeway as the main exit routes from the town.
The areas behind Calmore Industrial Estate by 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...
have been regenerated for boating with lakes, but its main use is fishing and as a water supply resource.
There is also the Testwood Lakes
Testwood Lakes
Testwood Lakes is the name used to refer to a group of three lakes near the River Test on the northwest edge of Southampton, Hampshire, England. The lakes were built by Southern Water to provide drinking water for the Southampton area...
Centre, with walks along the Test Way
Test Way
The Test Way is a long-distance footpath in England from Walbury Hill in West Berkshire to Eling in Hampshire.The northern end of the footpath starts in the car park on Walbury Hill...
running from Totton to Inkpen Beacon in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, via Romsey
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...
in Hampshire.
Eling can be accessed by crossing the railway line which divides the original old village of Totton and the areas of Eling, and Hounsdown. This goes to Brokenford which has some pathways from Totton to the A35 Bypass road
A35 road
The A35 is a trunk road in southern England, running from Honiton in Devon, that then passes through Dorset and terminates in Southampton, Hampshire...
at Eling recreation ground, by Bartley Water
Bartley Water
Bartley Water is a stream and river going through the New Forest district of Hampshire, England.It runs from Bartley to Eling where it becomes tidal and flows out into Southampton Water which goes to the Solent....
.
Early history
The Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
Hillfort at Tatchbury Mount is evidence of early settlement in the Totton area and Netley Marsh
Netley Marsh
Netley Marsh is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, UK, close to the town of Totton. It lies within the New Forest District council, and the New Forest National Park. It is the alleged site of the battle between an invading Anglo Saxon army, under Cerdic and a British army under Natanleod in...
on the edge of Totton was the site of an early battle between Anglo Saxon invaders under Cerdic and Romano-Celtic peoples under Natanleod
Natanleod
Natanleod, according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, was a king of the Britons. It is considered unlikely that any such person existed. His inclusion in the Chronicle is believed to be the product of folk etymology....
. The construction of Testwood Lakes revealed a treasure-trove of ancient artefacts including one of the oldest known bridges in England, believed to date to around c.1,500BC. The area's history is inevitably closely connected with ship and boat building but more with its timber trade. It was the site of much illegal dealing in the timber unlawfully obtained from the New Forest.
Eling's attractions include its tide mill
Tide mill
A tide mill is a water mill driven by tidal rise and fall. A dam with a sluice is created across a suitable tidal inlet, or a section of river estuary is made into a reservoir. As the tide comes in, it enters the mill pond through a one way gate, and this gate closes automatically when the tide...
that is at one end of the Harbour and Eling's Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, St Mary's, built on Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
foundations with registers dating back to 1537. Eling Tide Mill
Eling Tide Mill
Eling Tide Mill, situated on an artificial causeway in Eling in Hampshire, England, is one of only two remaining operating tide mills in the United Kingdom. The other is Woodbridge Tide Mill. Whilst a mill is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, there is no evidence that there is any connection...
is one of the very few working tide mills in the UK but cannot be equated with the mill listed in the Domesday Book. In addition, Eling contains Hampshire's only surviving medieval toll bridge
Toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge over which traffic may pass upon payment of a toll, or fee.- History :The practice of collecting tolls on bridges probably harks back to the days of ferry crossings where people paid a fee to be ferried across stretches of water. As boats became impractical to carry large...
across Bartley Water by the side of the tide mill. This has been in use since at least 1418 and still charges users today. There is a Town council run Heritage Centre, with details of the history of Totton and Eling.
Recent history
The original village of Totton can be descibed as the area's of Totton, Testwood and the Salmon Leap and disected by the A36 and the A336 and bordered by the River TestRiver 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...
. From this, many new developments were made to expand the town. The Calmore estate was built in the early 1970s to the north of the Town, and subsequent housing has merged the estate to the town as a whole. Extended housing to the Hounsdown region also occurred during the 1970s, with the construction of the school and the increased housing found there. In the late 1980s and 1990s, more housing was built to the West of the town towards Netley Marsh and along Ringwood road. These developments, collectively referred to as West Totton, consisted of a new communal area and church and hall as well as huge amounts of new homes.
New Developments on the former BAT sports ground and Little Testwood Farm by Linden homes is set to take the population of the town to a new high of over 29,000 people. Despite this no new facilities are to be provided, and the current ones will, as a result, be put under larger pressure.
Transport
Totton and Eling is served by the railway at Totton railway stationTotton railway station
Totton railway station is a railway station serving the town of Totton, west of Southampton, England.The station is run by South West Trains and is served by the stopping service to Poole...
, on the South Western Main Line
South Western Main Line
The South Western Main Line is a railway line between London Waterloo and Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth...
to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, London Waterloo, Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
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...
, and is run by South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
.
Bus services in the town are run by three main companies. Bluestar
Bluestar (bus company)
Bluestar is a trading name of Solent Blue Line Ltd. Based in Eastleigh, the company operates bus routes in Hampshire that previously traded under the Solent Blue Line name. Blue Line was started by bus company Southern Vectis as it sought to expand from the Isle of Wight in 1987...
, formerly Solent Blue Line
Solent Blue Line
Solent Blue Line Ltd formerly Musterphantom Ltd is a bus company which operates buses in Hampshire, England under the names Bluestar and Uni-link. The company was taken over along with its parent, Southern Vectis in 2005 by The Go-Ahead Group. From 25 February 2008, all previous Solent Blue Line...
, runs services to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, Cadnam
Cadnam
Cadnam is a village situated in Hampshire, England, within the boundaries of the New Forest National Park. The village has existed since the medieval period, when it was an important crossroads between Southampton and the towns of southeast Dorset.-Overview:Cadnam is part of the civil parish of...
, Hythe
Hythe, Hampshire
Hythe is a village near Southampton, Hampshire, England. It is located by the shore of Southampton Water, and has a ferry service connecting it to Southampton...
, Dibden
Dibden
Dibden is a small village in Hampshire, England. It dates back to the Middle Ages but is nowadays dominated by the nearby settlements of Hythe and Dibden Purlieu...
and around the town. Wilts & Dorset
Wilts & Dorset
Wilts & Dorset is a bus company in England covering Poole, Bournemouth, East Dorset, South Wiltshire and West Hampshire. Its local headquarters is in Poole, but it is owned by the Go-Ahead Group, a major UK transport group....
also operate cross county routes to 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...
and First Hampshire & Dorset
First Hampshire & Dorset
First Hampshire & Dorset is a subsidiary bus company within FirstGroup, which operates buses and trains throughout Great Britain.First Hampshire & Dorset has its head office in Empress Road, Southampton and operates bus services in the Weymouth and Bridport areas in Dorset; and services in...
to Southampton via Southampton General Hospital
Southampton General Hospital
Southampton General Hospital is a large Teaching Hospital in Southampton, England, operated by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust...
.
The town has easy access to the nearby M27 motorway
M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983. It is however unfinished as an extension to the east was planned...
, to Salisbury via the A36
A36 road
The A36 is a trunk road and primary route in England that links the port city of Southampton to the city of Bath. At Bath, the A36 connects with the A4 road to Bristol, thus enabling a road link between the major ports of Southampton and Bristol. Originally, the A36 continued onto Avonmouth, but...
Salisbury Road, to Lyndhurst and Southampton via the A35
A35 road
The A35 is a trunk road in southern England, running from Honiton in Devon, that then passes through Dorset and terminates in Southampton, Hampshire...
and to the Waterside region by the A326.
The town also has numerous cycle routes, which started with the suburban cycleway through West Totton, constructed when the estate was built and running from Hounsdown to Calmore Road. This has further been extended to two on-road routes to the centre of Totton from Calmore Schools down Water Lane, and down Salisbury Road. In addition, there are several links to the New Forest cycle network at Ashurst and Foxhills.
Sport
One of the most successful sporting enterprises of the area has been Totton and Eling Cricket Club. Under its former guise of B.A.T. Sports, it won the Southern Premier leagueSouthern Premier Cricket League
The Southern Premier Cricket League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in central southern England, and since 2000 has been a designated ECB Premier League.The league covers the counties of Dorset, Hampshire and South Wiltshire....
, the highest level of club cricket in the Hampshire area, four times in six seasons between 2001 and 2006. In September 2007 Totton and Eling CC became North Gear National 2020 Champions beating Ockbrook & Borrowash in the live televised final on Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
.
In addition to the cricket club, Totton also has a local football team, A.F.C. Totton
A.F.C. Totton
A.F.C. Totton is a football club based in Totton, Hampshire, England. Totton Football Club was founded in 1886 and changed its name to A.F.C. Totton in 1975. The newly established club was among the founding members of the Wessex League in 1986. They are currently members of the Southern League...
. In 2007, AFC Totton made it to the final of the FA Vase and so had the chance to play the first competitive match at the New Wembley Stadium. The club were previously based in a stadium in the centre of the town, however moved in 2011 to a new ground with stand and several training pitches near the outskirts of the town in Calmore. The ground reportedly cost £2.5 million.
There is also a rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, Tottonians, operating from grounds at Totton College
Totton College
Totton College is a sixth form college located in Totton and Eling, Hampshire, England.The college offers courses to students from the local area. The courses include NVQs, A Levels, BTECs. The college also has a provision of adult education, including offering Access courses to mature students...
.
Schools
Totton now has two secondary schoolSecondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s within the boundary of the Totton and Eling Civil Parish; the original Testwood School, built in the 1940s and Hounsdown School
Hounsdown School
Hounsdown School is a secondary school in Totton, near Southampton, Hampshire, England. The headteacher is Ms Turvey. Classes are held in recently renovated 1960s buildings and new specialist blocks built since 2000. The school has 1,215 pupils, spanning ages 11 to 16...
, built in 1963.
Testwood Sports College
Testwood Sports College
Testwood Sports College is a secondary school located in the town of Totton and Eling. The headteacher is Mr I Appleton. The school was built in the late 1930s, but was delayed opening due to World War II. The school takes pupils between 11 and 16, but holds adult skills classes as well after...
is located in the north of the town and has undergone changes recently as part of it's acquisition of Sports college status in 2004. This has resulted in a change of name and improvement of facilities including building a synthetic turf pitch and an extension to their sports hall. The Testwood school logo includes the river, the wood and salmon encompassed into it, indicating the nearby River Test and the Salmon leap. Testwood hires out it's sporting facilities after hours, namely the synthetic turf pitch, which is used frequently by the community. Testwood's pupils mainly come from the central Totton and Calmore areas. Testwood normaly ends at five minuites to three.
Hounsdown, a specialist science college, is located in the Hounsdown area of the town, south of the A35
A35 road
The A35 is a trunk road in southern England, running from Honiton in Devon, that then passes through Dorset and terminates in Southampton, Hampshire...
. It too has experiences expansion in recent years, including the construction of a new sports hall. The Hounsdown logo is of a stylised, curved triangle. Hounsdown also hires out it's sporting facilities after school, namely the swimming pool, which is used frequently by the local community and groups . Hounsdown source's it's pupils from the areas of Hounsdown, Eling, West Totton and Ashurst.
Both schools share a strong rivalry between each other, which is often reflected from sporting events to clashes between pupils outside of school. The severity of this led Hounsdown to change the time their school finishes 15 minutes later to quarter past three.
Totton also has a sixth form college
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
: Totton College
Totton College
Totton College is a sixth form college located in Totton and Eling, Hampshire, England.The college offers courses to students from the local area. The courses include NVQs, A Levels, BTECs. The college also has a provision of adult education, including offering Access courses to mature students...
, which started life in 1955 as Totton Grammar School, and has rose to become one of the best in the area.
Religion
The town has a number of churchs in the area, the biggest and oldest being St. Mary the Virgin church in Eling. Other anglican churches in the town include the church of St. Anne's in Calmore, the church of St. Matthew's in Netley MarshNetley Marsh
Netley Marsh is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, UK, close to the town of Totton. It lies within the New Forest District council, and the New Forest National Park. It is the alleged site of the battle between an invading Anglo Saxon army, under Cerdic and a British army under Natanleod in...
and the church of St. Winifred's in Testwood. These churches form the Team parish of Totton and are part of the Diocese of Winchester
Diocese of Winchester
The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England.Founded in 676, it is one of the oldest and largest of the dioceses in England.The area of the diocese incorporates:...
. In addition to these, there is also Testwood Baptist Church.
St. Mary the Virgin Church
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest of the churches in the Totton area. Several years ago during the reordering of the church excavations, part of a Celtic cross that dates back to the 9th (possibly the 6th) century was found. The site of St Mary's has been a place of Christian worship since that date.Today the church stands on the hill looking out over the bay to the container port on the Southampton side of Millbrook. On this side, not far away is the expanse and beauty of the New Forest. St Mary's finds itself at a threshold between the industry of Southampton and the quiet of the Forest. Within the tension of both lies the possibility of both old and new. The church itself reflects this with a modern interior that brings a light, open effect and the traditional stone, including a Saxon arch.
St Mary the Virgin Church is a part of the Anglican team ministry that covers the town of Totton and Eling with 38,000 people within its area. Historically the mother church to the area, St Mary's is now one of four churches in the team ministry along with Calmore, Netley Marsh and Testwood. In 2003 two self-styled 'vampires' were imprisoned for harassment of the Vicar of St Mary's and his family.
Emergency Services and Crime
Totton houses a number of emergency services close to the town centre. Totton has a Police station, Fire station and ambulance station all located centrally near to the town hall. There were also previously magistrates courts in Totton, however these are no longer used for that purpose. The town is served by Hampshire ConstabularyHampshire Constabulary
Hampshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in southern England.The force area includes the cities of Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth...
, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory fire and rescue service for the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England. The service's chief fire officer is John Bonney.-History:...
and South Central Ambulance Service
South Central Ambulance Service
The South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the authority responsible for providing NHS ambulance services in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire in the South East England region...
.
Compared to the national average for England and Wales and as of July 2011, central Totton has a high crime rate, while the Calmore, West Totton and Eling areas all experience normal levels of crime.