Hampshire

At Queen's House, in the village of Lyndhurst, Hampshire, an old and unusual court meets during alternate months throughout the year. The officials who meet in this court are the custodians of ninety thousand acres of woodland in Hampshire. The Verderers, as they are called, are responsible for maintaining law and order as well as looking after the welfare of the many animals that have made their home in the New Forest.

For many centuries this now peaceful part of the countryside was at the centre of bitter struggles between successive monarchs and their subjects. It was not until the nineteenth century that these struggles were resolved and the common people allowed the freedom of the forest for animal grazing. Today the New Forest has become a favourite place in which to Picnic, walk, horse ride and even camp. Its abundant wildlife makes it of especial interest to the naturalist and photographer, although it is of no less interest to the children, who delight in seeing the many hundreds of ponies. In such idyllic surroundings it is not surprising to find villages and hamlets tucked away amongst the trees. Typical of these is Swan Green, right in the heart of the forest. Neatly trimmed thatched roofs, the village green and, of course, their setting, all add to the illusion that such places have remained untouched for centuries.

Hampshire caters to people with widely differing interests to a surprising extent. Of great importance to anyone interested in tracing the history of the Roman occupation of Britain is Silchester, the only Roman town in the country to have been completely excavated. The work has been lovingly and painstakingly carried out and affords a fascinating view back through the ages into an equally fascinating past.

England, as a maritime nation, has always had strong associations with the sea. Nowhere is the evidence of this stronger than along the coast of Hampshire. Buckler's Hard may seem an unlikely setting today, with horses grazing *in its wide main street but it was here, in the eighteenth century, that many of the ships were built which were to sail under the command of Nelson in the Napoleonic war. This naval tradition is carried on, and brought up to date, at Portsmouth, with its great dockyards and training schools. Again, however, its links with the past are not forgotten and it has a poignant reminder of this in Nelson's flagship, the Victory, on board which this most famous of England's naval heroes died.

Seafaring traditions are not, of course, only connected with wars and warships. From Southampton the great ocean liners set out on their voyages across the Atlantic and smaller liners pick up their cargo of passengers bound for a few days cruising in the sun and blue seas of the Mediterranean. Oil tankers manoeuvre their immense bulk towards the oil refinery at Fawley with their precious cargo. In Southampton Water every imaginable type of yacht can be seen darting to and fro. For sheer spectacle, however, even these graceful craft seem insignificant when compared to the breathtaking sight of the magnificent sailing vessels taking part in the Tall Ships race. To many this is what the sea, and Seafaring, is all about.

Hampshire has its great highways and its quiet, winding country roads. It has its famous trout rivers and its gentle little streams. It has an embarrassment, almost, of thatched cottage villages and country churches. It also has its old Saxon capital of England, Winchester. Connected, particularly, with King Alfred, Winchester remained the capital city until well into the reign of the Norman kings. The cathedral at Winchester was built long after Alfred's day although it stands on the site of an earlier church built by him. Obviously a cathedral of great importance such as this should contain a wealth of interest and it does, indeed, come fully up to anyone's expectations in every respect, as does the lovely city it dominates.

It is difficult to think of any county in England that does not have connections with a literary figure of greater or lesser renown. In this respect Hampshire has, in Jane Austen, a figure who most certainly fits into the former category. She has been described as the most perfect English novelist and her 'Emma', 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Sense and Sensibility' have been read and loved by many people all over the world who would endorse this view. Much of her writing was done in the village of Chawton, and the house *in which she lived has now become a museum. She was, fittingly, buried in Winchester Cathedral. Jane Austen, in common with many other authors, drew strongly on the life of the people around her, and based many of her characters on them. By so doing she left us a precious account of the lives of the people of the county 'in which she lived, and so enriched us all.

Hampshire Hotels

Alton Grange Hotel - London Road Alton Hampshire GU34 4EG Tel: +44 (0) 1420 86565 Fax: +44 (0) 1420 541346
Alton House Hotel - Normandy Street Alton Hampshire GU34 1DW Tel: +44 (0) 1420 80033 Fax: +44 (0) 1420 89222
Apollo Classic Hotel - Aldermaston Roundabout Basingstoke Hampshire RG24 9NU
Basingstoke Country Hotel - Nateley Scures Basingstoke Hampshire RG27 9JS
Red Lion Hotel -Basingstoke Hampshire RG21 7NY Tel: +44 (0) 1256 328525 Fax: +44 (0) 1256 844056
Romans Hotel - Little London Road Silchester Basingstoke Hampshire RG7 2PN
Beaulieu Hotel - Beaulieu Hampshire SO42 7YQ