Sparsholt, Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Sparsholt is a village and civil parish
in Hampshire
, England
. The village lies to the west of Winchester
, and has a population of 967.
Sparsholt College
, a leading land-based college and home to the BBC Radio 4 Gardeners' Question Time
'potting shed', is located on the outskirts of the village. The parish church, St. Stephen's, contains sections ranging from 12th to 19th century in age. The parish also contains the small hamlet of Dean, Farley Mount Country Park and Crab Wood SSSI. The grounds of the 17th century Lainston House
(now a hotel) contain the ruins of the 12th century St. Peter's church.
Archaeological discoveries include Bronze Age
bowl
and disc barrow
s.
Today Sparsholt is served by a regular bus service (services 7 and 7A), operated by Stagecoach from Winchester Bus Station. However, the village's narrow lanes make accessibility difficult for large vehicles.
Given the relatively small size of the village, it has a very good provision of services. Within the village centre, and located within 100m of each other, there is a Primary School, Church (of St. Stephen), Village Hall, telephone box and the small Village Shop with Post Office. This tiny building was originally the Well House of the village, holding water drawn from a wind-powered well for use by the villagers. The shop still bears the same name and its internal Post Office is arguably one of the smallest in the United Kingdom. In 2009 the shop was purchased by the villagers, under an industrial provident scheme, in order to safeguard its future.
Within the Parish there is also a garage, located on the B3049 Stockbridge Road and the country hotel of Lainston House.
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...
. The village lies to the west of 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 has a population of 967.
Sparsholt College
Sparsholt College Hampshire
Sparsholt College Hampshire is a Further Education and Higher Education college located at Sparsholt near Winchester, Hampshire, in the south of England...
, a leading land-based college and home to the BBC Radio 4 Gardeners' Question Time
Gardeners' Question Time
Gardeners' Question Time is a long-running BBC Radio 4 programme in which amateur gardeners can put questions to a panel of experts.-History:...
'potting shed', is located on the outskirts of the village. The parish church, St. Stephen's, contains sections ranging from 12th to 19th century in age. The parish also contains the small hamlet of Dean, Farley Mount Country Park and Crab Wood SSSI. The grounds of the 17th century Lainston House
Lainston House
Lainston House is a 17th century country house hotel in Winchester, Hampshire in the south of England.-History:Lainston House is noteworthy for several reasons throughout history. Commissioned by Charles II to build a palace at Winchester, renowned English architect Sir Christopher Wren started...
(now a hotel) contain the ruins of the 12th century St. Peter's church.
Archaeological discoveries include Bronze Age
Bronze 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...
bowl
Bowl barrow
Bowl Barrow is the name for a type of burial mound or tumulus. A barrow is a mound of earth used to cover a tomb. The bowl barrow gets its name from the fact that it looks like an upturned bowl...
and disc barrow
Disc barrow
A disc barrow is a type of tumulus or round barrow, a variety of fancy barrow identified in English Heritage's Monument Class Descriptions.A disc barrow comprises a circular or oval-shaped flat platform, defined by a continuous earthen bank and inner ditch; sometimes the platform is raised above...
s.
Today Sparsholt is served by a regular bus service (services 7 and 7A), operated by Stagecoach from Winchester Bus Station. However, the village's narrow lanes make accessibility difficult for large vehicles.
Given the relatively small size of the village, it has a very good provision of services. Within the village centre, and located within 100m of each other, there is a Primary School, Church (of St. Stephen), Village Hall, telephone box and the small Village Shop with Post Office. This tiny building was originally the Well House of the village, holding water drawn from a wind-powered well for use by the villagers. The shop still bears the same name and its internal Post Office is arguably one of the smallest in the United Kingdom. In 2009 the shop was purchased by the villagers, under an industrial provident scheme, in order to safeguard its future.
Within the Parish there is also a garage, located on the B3049 Stockbridge Road and the country hotel of Lainston House.