Stockbridge
Stockbridge is an attractive, one-street town spanning the River Test. A busy meeting place during the stagecoach era, it was quickly bypassed by A roads in the 19th-c isolating it as a quiet backwater.
Stockbridge © Travel About Britain
The town was granted permission to hold a weekly market by Richard I during the 12th-c. Its wide main thoroughfare contains buildings of all ages and styles, including Tudor and grand Georgian houses, backed by gardens and fields.
A low bridge crosses a delightful little stream in the centre of the broad main street, which is dominated by the Grosvenor Hotel with its enormous overhanging porch. There is also has a fine 19th-c Town Hall with a cupola and several other large coaching inns. The old church and chancel are mostly 13th-c. There are plenty of independent shops, craft outlets and galleries, plus several charming tea rooms, old inns and restaurants, mostly serving good local produce.
Stockbridge is a popular angling centre for the Test valley, providing some of the best trout fishing in England. To the south of the town is Houghton Lodge and Gardens, a pretty 18th-c Grade II listed cottage with spectacular views over the Test Valley. Open to the public in spring and summer.
The area is surrounded by beautiful countryside. One mile east is Stockbridge Down, a chalk down dotted with several ancient barrows and traces of old earth works. Run by the National Trust, it is now popular nature reserve with rare fauna and flora. Woolbury Camp, nearby, is an old hill-fort covering about 20 acres, offering spectacular views as far as the Isle of Wight. To the north-west stands the Iron Age hill-fort of Danebury Ring, consisting of three massive ramparts. Set in the rolling Hampshire countryside, these ancient monuments provide great views and idyllic places to walk.
Map of Stockbridge
South East England
