Compton and Shawford
Encyclopedia
Compton and Shawford is a civil parish
in the City of Winchester
, Hampshire
, England
. The word compton means village in a combe and aptly describes the settlement as it primarily consists of a long street on the side of a chalk valley.
All Saints church in Compton is unusual in that it has two naves and two chancels, the original Norman
constructions being supplemented by a new nave and chancel in 1905.
Shawford is notable for having the longest railway viaduct
in Hampshire
(now known as Hockley Railway Viaduct
). This is over 2000 feet (609.6 m) feet in length and 40 feet high. The viaduct was initially threatened with demolition when the M3 motorway was proposed but after much protest it was incorporated into the scheme.
The two halves of the parish are linked by Shawford Down which runs alongside the River Itchen
. However they are now symbolically separated by the motorway with Compton on its west side and Shawford on its east.
Shawford is served by a railway station on the South Western Main Line
. The parish is crossed from east to west by the Monarch's Way
long distance footpath, and from north to south by the Itchen Way
.
Compton are represented in the Hampshire Cricket League as one half of Compton & Chandlers Ford CC
following the merging of Compton & Shawford CC and Chandlers Ford CC in 1995. The club is thriving and still play their home games at the Memorial playing fields, just off of Shepards Lane.
at the northern edge of the Hampshire Basin
, dipping south from the Winchester anticline
, with successively younger beds being exposed from north to south. In the north the Seaford Chalk formation of Santonian
age makes up Compton Down. South of this the Newhaven Chalk outcrops in the dry valley
running down from Olivers Battery
to Shawford. In the south of the parish the Culver Chalk of Campanian
age is largely overlain by a layer of 'clay-with-flints' weathered out of the chalk. In the east the chalk is cut through by the Itchen valley and overlain by calcareous tufa
.
in the episode "Things Aren't Simple Any More". It is also referred to in Robyn Hitchcock
's song "Winchester". http://www.rogerwatersonline.com/Artists_R/Robyn_Hitchcock_lyrics/Winchester.html
Shawford railway station
was featured in a 1974 film starring Sophia Loren
, a remake of Brief Encounter
, as was Winchester station. It caused great excitement in the village; a large crowd watched the actress being filmed getting out of a car on the forecourt.
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 the City of Winchester
City of Winchester
Winchester is a local government district in Hampshire, England, with city status. It covers an area of central Hampshire including the city of Winchester itself, and neighbouring towns and villages including New Alresford, Colden Common and Bishops Waltham....
, 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...
. The word compton means village in a combe and aptly describes the settlement as it primarily consists of a long street on the side of a chalk valley.
All Saints church in Compton is unusual in that it has two naves and two chancels, the original 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...
constructions being supplemented by a new nave and chancel in 1905.
Shawford is notable for having the longest railway viaduct
Viaduct
A viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
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...
(now known as Hockley Railway Viaduct
Hockley Railway Viaduct
The Hockley Railway Viaduct is a disused railway viaduct to the south of Winchester in Hampshire, England.-History:The viaduct, originally called the Twyford Viaduct, was built in the 1880s by the London and South Western Railway . It provided a link over the River Itchen and water meadows, from...
). This is over 2000 feet (609.6 m) feet in length and 40 feet high. The viaduct was initially threatened with demolition when the M3 motorway was proposed but after much protest it was incorporated into the scheme.
The two halves of the parish are linked by Shawford Down which runs alongside 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,...
. However they are now symbolically separated by the motorway with Compton on its west side and Shawford on its east.
Shawford is served by a railway station 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...
. The parish is crossed from east to west by the Monarch's Way
Monarch's Way
The Monarch's Way is a long-distance footpath in England that approximates the escape route taken by King Charles II in 1651 after being defeated in the Battle of Worcester.Most of the footpath is waymarked...
long distance footpath, and from north to south by the Itchen Way
Itchen Way
The Itchen Way is a long-distance footpath following the River Itchen in Hampshire, England, from its source near Hinton Ampner House to its mouth at Woolston. The walk finishes at Sholing railway station. The route has been promoted by the Eastleigh Group of the Ramblers with grant aid from...
.
Compton are represented in the Hampshire Cricket League as one half of Compton & Chandlers Ford CC
Compton & Chandler's Ford CC
Compton & Chandler's Ford CC are a cricket club who play in the Hampshire Cricket League. The club has 4 mens teams and 4 colts teams. Home games and training are held at the Memorial Playing Fields in the village of Compton and Shawford, junction 11 of the M3.The club caters for all standards and...
following the merging of Compton & Shawford CC and Chandlers Ford CC in 1995. The club is thriving and still play their home games at the Memorial playing fields, just off of Shepards Lane.
Geology
The parish lies on the Upper Cretaceous chalkChalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
at the northern edge of the Hampshire Basin
Hampshire Basin
The Hampshire Basin is a geological basin of Paleogene age in southern England, underlying parts of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, and Sussex...
, dipping south from the Winchester anticline
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
, with successively younger beds being exposed from north to south. In the north the Seaford Chalk formation of Santonian
Santonian
The Santonian is an age in the geologic timescale or a chronostratigraphic stage. It is a subdivision of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series. It spans the time between 85.8 ± 0.7 mya and 83.5 ± 0.7 mya...
age makes up Compton Down. South of this the Newhaven Chalk outcrops in the dry valley
Dry valley
A dry valley is a valley found in either karst or chalk terrain that no longer has a surface flow of water.There are many examples of the latter along the North and South Downs in southern England...
running down from Olivers Battery
Olivers Battery
Olivers Battery is a civil parish in Hampshire, England, of some 700 households located just to the south of the City of Winchester. The parish was founded in 1956 on land that was formerly part of Compton parish...
to Shawford. In the south of the parish the Culver Chalk of Campanian
Campanian
The Campanian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch . The Campanian spans the time from 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma ...
age is largely overlain by a layer of 'clay-with-flints' weathered out of the chalk. In the east the chalk is cut through by the Itchen valley and overlain by calcareous tufa
Tufa
Tufa is a variety of limestone, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies. Geothermally heated hot-springs sometimes produce similar carbonate deposits known as travertine...
.
Media
Shawford was the location used for Victor Meldrew's death in One Foot in the GraveOne Foot in the Grave
One Foot in the Grave is a BBC television sitcom series written by David Renwick. The show ran for six series, including seven Christmas specials, two Comic Relief specials, over an eleven year period, from early 1990 to late 2000...
in the episode "Things Aren't Simple Any More". It is also referred to in Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Hitchcock
Robyn Rowan Hitchcock is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar....
's song "Winchester". http://www.rogerwatersonline.com/Artists_R/Robyn_Hitchcock_lyrics/Winchester.html
Shawford railway station
Shawford railway station
Shawford railway station serves the villages of Twyford, Compton and Shawford in Hampshire, England. This station and all trains serving it are operated by South West Trains.-Layout and facilities:...
was featured in a 1974 film starring Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren
Sophia Loren, OMRI is an Italian actress.In 1962, Loren won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women, along with 21 awards, becoming the first actress to win an Academy Award for a non-English-speaking performance...
, a remake of Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter
Brief Encounter is a 1945 British film directed by David Lean about the conventions of British suburban life, centring on a housewife for whom real love brings unexpectedly violent emotions. The film stars Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway and Joyce Carey...
, as was Winchester station. It caused great excitement in the village; a large crowd watched the actress being filmed getting out of a car on the forecourt.
Nearby places
- 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....
- TwyfordTwyford, HampshireFor 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...
- Colden CommonColden CommonColden 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...
- 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...