Colden Common
Encyclopedia
Colden Common is a village and civil parish
in Hampshire
, England
, lying just east of the M3 motorway between Winchester
and Southampton
. The nearest town is Eastleigh
to the south west. Colden Common is in the Winchester District. To the east are the South Downs
and to the west is the River Itchen
. The village lies north of the hamlet of Fisher's Pond
and the village of Fair Oak
, and south of the village and parish of Twyford
.
. The Ecclesiastical Parish of Colden Common was formed in 1843 with Holy Trinity Church built the following year and situated on the southern boundary of the parish.
In the sixteenth century the hamlet of Brambridge
, then in Owslebury Parish, was granted by Bishop Fox to the newly-founded Corpus Christi College, Oxford
. In 1609-10 Brambridge was granted to John Pierson, together with lands belonging to three recusants
, Ursula Uvedale, Richard Bruning and Thomas Welles. Gilbert Welles was granted Brambridge by Charles I in 1636 and the property remained in the Welles family until the late eighteenth century, when it passed to a cousin, Walter Smythe. Walter Smythe's eldest daughter, Maria, became Mrs. Fitzherbert, and spent her childhood at Brambridge House. Maria is said to have lived for a while in a cottage at Colden Common when her first husband, Edward Weld, died. One of the rooms in the old Brambridge House was consecrated as a Roman Catholic chapel, but after the Catholic Relief Act a small chapel was built in the village and endowed by Mrs. Fitzherbert in about 1782 v
Colden Common has grown significantly during the past 15 years with the addition of new housing stock.
and Methodist church
es. There is a community centre located at the centre of the village. Colden Common used to have a Parish Hall until it was demolished in 2006, now there is a housing development on the site of the Parish Hall. Colden Common primary school
is also at the heart of the village and is in the catchment area for Kings' School
in Winchester.
The pubs within the boundaries of the village are: The Rising Sun, The Black Horse, The Queens Head, The Fishers Pond, and The Dog and Crook.
There are several shops in the parish including The Co-operative (brand).
Marwell Wildlife is situated just outside the parish boundaries, in the parish of Owslebury
, though the main entrance is on the parish boundary, where the parishes meet.
, on 20 September 1977, a giraffe called Victor did the splits and could not get up again. Despite desperate attempts to help Victor, he later died of a heart attack.
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...
, lying just east of the M3 motorway between Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
and 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...
. The nearest town is Eastleigh
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough which is part of Southampton Urban Area. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
to the south west. Colden Common is in the Winchester District. To the east are the South Downs
South Downs
The South Downs is a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen Valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the east. It is bounded on its northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose...
and to the west is the River Itchen
River Itchen, Hampshire
The River Itchen is a river in Hampshire, England. It flows from mid-Hampshire to join with Southampton Water below the Itchen Bridge in the city of Southampton. The river has a total length of , and is noted as one of England's - if not one of the World's - premier chalk streams for fly fishing,...
. The village lies north of the hamlet of Fisher's Pond
Fisher's Pond
Fisher's Pond is a small hamlet on the edge of Colden Common in Hampshire located on the main Winchester to Portsmouth Road. Fisher's Pond itself is an artificial lake held back by an earth dam at one end and adjacent to Marwell Zoo. The pond was constructed to allow the then Bishop of Winchester...
and the village of Fair Oak
Fair Oak
Fair Oak, Hampshire is a small village on the outskirts of Eastleigh, and near Southampton and Winchester. Its parish incorporates the neighbouring village of Horton Heath, which lies to the south.-History:...
, and south of the village and parish of Twyford
Twyford, Hampshire
For other places of the same name, see Twyford.Twyford is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England, approximately three miles south of Winchester and near the M3 motorway and Twyford Down. In 2001, the population of the parish was 1,456...
.
History
Colden Common became an independent civil parish (the lowest tier of local government) as recently as 1932 having initially been part of the parishes of Twyford and OwsleburyOwslebury
Owslebury is a village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire, in the South of England approximately outside of Winchester. It lies within the administrative district of the City of Winchester.-Geography:...
. The Ecclesiastical Parish of Colden Common was formed in 1843 with Holy Trinity Church built the following year and situated on the southern boundary of the parish.
In the sixteenth century the hamlet of Brambridge
Brambridge
Brambridge is a village in the parish of Colden Common in the Winchester District in Hampshire, England, north east of Eastleigh and close to the River Itchen. It lies in the south of Twyford civil parish....
, then in Owslebury Parish, was granted by Bishop Fox to the newly-founded Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...
. In 1609-10 Brambridge was granted to John Pierson, together with lands belonging to three recusants
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
, Ursula Uvedale, Richard Bruning and Thomas Welles. Gilbert Welles was granted Brambridge by Charles I in 1636 and the property remained in the Welles family until the late eighteenth century, when it passed to a cousin, Walter Smythe. Walter Smythe's eldest daughter, Maria, became Mrs. Fitzherbert, and spent her childhood at Brambridge House. Maria is said to have lived for a while in a cottage at Colden Common when her first husband, Edward Weld, died. One of the rooms in the old Brambridge House was consecrated as a Roman Catholic chapel, but after the Catholic Relief Act a small chapel was built in the village and endowed by Mrs. Fitzherbert in about 1782 v
Colden Common has grown significantly during the past 15 years with the addition of new housing stock.
Amenities
Colden Common has both AnglicanAnglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
and Methodist church
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
es. There is a community centre located at the centre of the village. Colden Common used to have a Parish Hall until it was demolished in 2006, now there is a housing development on the site of the Parish Hall. Colden Common primary school
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
is also at the heart of the village and is in the catchment area for Kings' School
Kings' School
Kings' School is a comprehensive school in Winchester, Hampshire. The last Ofsted inspection returned an overall outstanding classification, with 30 out of a possible 31 sections of the report being considered as outstanding. Kings' School currently has Specialist status as a Business and...
in Winchester.
The pubs within the boundaries of the village are: The Rising Sun, The Black Horse, The Queens Head, The Fishers Pond, and The Dog and Crook.
There are several shops in the parish including The Co-operative (brand).
Marwell Wildlife is situated just outside the parish boundaries, in the parish of Owslebury
Owslebury
Owslebury is a village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire, in the South of England approximately outside of Winchester. It lies within the administrative district of the City of Winchester.-Geography:...
, though the main entrance is on the parish boundary, where the parishes meet.
Transport and road network
- There are two major roads in Colden Common—the B3354 and the B3335. The B3354 is known as the Main Road whilst it passes through the village, and the B3335 is called Highbridge Road. These two roads meet at a fork, just north of the village, outside the parish boundary. Within the parish boundary, the two roads are joined by Church Lane/Brambridge to the south and Spring Lane to the north.
- Southampton AirportSouthampton AirportSouthampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England....
is 5 miles south of the village. - The M3 Motorway is 3 miles west of the village. Junction 11, which is north of the village, down the B3354 and B3335 roads, is in Twyford DownTwyford DownTwyford Down is a small area of ancient chalk downland lying directly to the southeast of Winchester, Hampshire, England. The down's summit, known as Deacon Hill, is towards the north-eastern edge of the area which is renowned for its dramatic rolling scenery, ecologically rich grassland and as a...
which is south of WinchesterWinchesterWinchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. The other junction, which is closer to the village, is Junction 12, which is west of the village, north of EastleighEastleighEastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough which is part of Southampton Urban Area. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
and near AllbrookAllbrookAllbrook is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England....
; the junction is down the B3335 and A335 (Highbridge Road, Allbrook Hill (B3335) and Allbrook Way (A335)) (Tall vehicles can't go this way because there is a relatively low bridge in Allbrook, under the railway line to London); an alternative route to Junction 12 from Colden Common, but again for light and short vehicles only, is down Kiln Lane, Otterbourne Hill and Winchester Road through OtterbourneOtterbourneOtterbourne is a village in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately four miles south of Winchester and eight miles north of Southampton. In October 2002, its population was approximately 1,520, and there were 602 dwellings....
, There is a weak bridge over the River ItchenRiver Itchen, HampshireThe River Itchen is a river in Hampshire, England. It flows from mid-Hampshire to join with Southampton Water below the Itchen Bridge in the city of Southampton. The river has a total length of , and is noted as one of England's - if not one of the World's - premier chalk streams for fly fishing,...
over Kiln Lane and also low bridge so heavy and tall vehicles can't go this way either, the only way for heavy or tall vehicles to get the M3 from Colden Common is via Junction 11.
"The Tyre Pyre"
Colden Common hit the headlines when on 12 February 1974 a tyre depot (in a disused claypit in Vears Lane) caught fire. At 9:43 in the evening the local fire brigade received the first call. An estimated 65,000 to 70,000 tons of tyres were alight. The event was dubbed the "Tyre Pyre".Victor the Giraffe
In Marwell Zoological ParkMarwell Zoological Park
Marwell Wildlife, formerly known as Marwell Zoological Park, is a zoo situated at Owslebury in the English county of Hampshire, near Winchester...
, on 20 September 1977, a giraffe called Victor did the splits and could not get up again. Despite desperate attempts to help Victor, he later died of a heart attack.