Alton, Hampshire

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Alton (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a market town and civil parish in East Hampshire, England, near the source of the northern branch of the River Wey. It had a population of 19,425 at the 2021 census.

Alton was recorded in the Domesday Survey of 1086 as Aoltone. During the Saxon period Alton was known as Aweltun. The Battle of Alton occurred in the town during the English Civil War. It also has connections with Sweet Fanny Adams and Jane Austen.

History

Early history

Coins from the Alton Hoard, 1st century AD

The Alton Hoard of Iron Age coins and jewellery found in the vicinity of the town in 1996 is now in the British Museum.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There is evidence of a Roman posting station at Neatham near Alton, probably called Vindomis, and a ford across the River Wey on the line of a Roman road that ran from Chichester to Silchester. An Anglo-Saxon settlement was established in the area and a 7th-century cemetery was discovered during building excavations. It contained grave goods including the Alton Buckle which is on display in the Curtis Museum and considered to be the finest piece of Anglo-Saxon craftsmanship found in Hampshire. The buckle, found in the grave of a warrior, has a silver-gilt body set with garnets and glass.<ref name="RWaN">Template:Cite web</ref>

The River Wey has a source in the town, and the name Alton comes from an Anglo-Saxon word "aewielltun" meaning "farmstead at the source of the river".<ref name="PNoH">Coates, Richard (1989), Place Names of Hampshire, Batsford. Template:ISBN</ref><ref name="Alton2002">Template:Citation</ref>

In 1001 Danish forces invaded England and during the First Battle of Alton the forces of Wessex came together and fought against them. About 81 Englishmen were killed, including Ethelwerd the King's high-steward, Leofric of Whitchurch, Leofwin the King's high-steward, Wulfhere a bishop's thane, and Godwin of Worthy, Bishop Elfsy's son. The Danes were the victors although Danish casualties were higher and fleeing Englishmen took refuge in Winchester.<ref name="tASC">Template:Citation</ref><ref name="EomHS">Template:Citation</ref>

Aoltone, in the 'Odingeton Hundred — Hantescire' is recorded as having the most valuable market in the Domesday Book.<ref name="RWaN" /> There were 13 households and was in the Hundred of Neatham.<ref name="DB">Template:Cite web</ref>

The Treaty of Alton was signed in 1101 between William the Conqueror's eldest son Robert II of Normandy and his brother Henry I of England. Henry had seized the throne while his elder brother was away on the First Crusade. Robert returned to claim the throne, landing in Portsmouth. The brothers met in Alton and agreed terms which formed the Treaty of Alton. Part of the main street through Alton is called Normandy Street, probably reflecting this event.

Middle Ages

The first recorded market in Alton was in 1232, although the market at Neatham first recorded in the Domesday Book may also have been in the town.<ref name="AP7">Template:Citation</ref> Blome wrote in 1673 of a 'market on Saturdays, which is very great for provisions, where also are sold good store of living cattle'.<ref name="BH">Blome's Hampshire, 1673</ref> The Saturday market is featured on Kitchin's map of Hampshire (1751) which marks the town as Alton Mt. Sat.<ref name="KH1751">Template:Cite book (viewed on website: Template:Cite web)</ref>

1307 was, in fact, the first year of Edward II's reign but Edmund of Woodstock was not lord of the manor then. According to the Victoria County History (written after Curtis' book):-

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As can be seen, Queen Margaret held the manor until 1317 and so the fair could not have been granted to Edmund of Woodstock in 1307.

The correct date for the grant seems to be 22 November 1320 (according to the Charter Rolls, 14 Edward II, no.15). The grant was for a 9-day fair – the vigil [eve] and feast of Whitsuntide and seven days after.

The two main manors in Alton – Alton Eastbrook and Alton Westbrook – had a fair each. That of Alton Eastbrook has no extant charter, and may never have had one. It was originally held on St Lawrence's Day and so its origin was, presumably, the patronal festival. The religious aspect would have ceased when the country was no longer Roman Catholic. This fair seems to have been held on Crown Close (which is in the manor of Alton Eastbrook) in the early 19th century. When this land was built upon, the fair moved and was held where ever the Westbrook fair was – the Market Place, various meadows and the Butts.

The date of the Eastbrook fair was changed to Michaelmas in the mid-18th century as it came during harvest time and the farmers were not satisfied. Some accounts for this fair in the early 18th century do survive and show that there was a cheese fair as well the usual mix of travelling and local people with stalls and stands – people selling lace, gloves, books, gingerbread, bodices, sugar plums, toys, soap and knives, to name but a few. By the late 19th century, this fair was said to be mainly for horses, sheep and, occasionally, hops. Alton still has an annual fair, but it now takes the form of a carnival.<ref name="Alton2002" />

Modern period

Eggar's School was founded in 1640 by John Eggar of Moungomeries as the Free Grammar School. It later became known as Eggar's Grammar School. It occupied a site in Anstey Road until it moved to a new site in Holybourne in 1969.<ref name="HCC">Template:Cite web</ref>

Church of St Lawrence. During the battle, many Parliamentary troops forced their way in through the west door (right), now walled up.

A battle was fought in Alton during the English Civil War. A small Royalist force was quartered in the town when on 13 December 1643 they were surprised by a Parliamentary army of around 5,000 men. The Royalist cavalry fled, leaving Sir Richard Bolle (or Boles) and his infantry to fight. Outnumbered, the Royalists were forced into the Church of St Lawrence, where Bolle was killed along with many of his men. Over 700 Royalist soldiers were captured and bullet holes from the battle are still visible in the church today.

In 1665, Alton suffered an outbreak of bubonic plague, but soon recovered.<ref name="TimLambert">Template:Cite web</ref> On Saturday, 24 August 1867, an eight-year-old girl, Fanny Adams, was murdered in Alton. Her assailant, Frederick Baker, a local solicitor's clerk, was one of the last criminals to be executed in Winchester. As was the custom of the time, the initial inquest for the death of Fanny Adams took place shortly after the body was found and took place at the Duke's Head public house (now "The George") on 27 August 1867. Frederick Baker was further remanded awaiting his trial on 29 August 1867 at Alton Town Hall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>internet research including You Tube channels "Eryberrie True Crime" "The True Story of FannieAdams"</ref> Fanny Adams' grave can still be seen in Alton cemetery. The brutal murder, so the story goes, coincided with the introduction of tinned meat in the Royal Navy, and the sailors who did not like the new food said the tins contained the remains of "Sweet Fanny Adams" or "Sweet F.A."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The expression "sweet fanny adams" has an old-fashioned slang meaning of nothing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Governance

Alton Town Hall

Prior to the Local Government Act 1972, Alton had fallen under the aegis of the (now defunct) Alton Urban District Council. The Act resulted in the dissolution of this body, and the establishment (on 1 April 1974) of the current Alton Town Council. The responsibilities of the Alton Urban District Council were divided between the new Alton Town Council, the Hampshire County Council and the newly formed East Hampshire District Council. The Council meets at Alton Town Hall, in Market Square.

Geography

Alton is between Farnham Template:Convert to the northeast and Winchester Template:Convert to the southwest. London is Template:Convert. Nearby Brockham Hill, situated Template:Convert northeast of Alton, rises to Template:Convert above sea level.

Climate

Along with the rest of South East England, Alton has a temperate climate which is generally warmer than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately Template:Convert and shows a seasonal and a diurnal variation. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between Template:Convert. June and July are the warmest months in the area with average daily maximum around Template:Convert.<ref name="weather">Template:Cite web</ref>

Economy

Courage's Alton Brewery and railway siding c.1930s
Coors brewery in Alton, which closed in 2015

There have been a number of breweries in Alton since 1763, with Hall & Co. and Crowley & Co. establishing large brewery operations in Turk Street in the 1800s. As the brewing industry consolidated in the c.20th, these breweries were acquired by Courage Ltd and Watney, Combe Reid & Co. Ltd.<ref name=":20">Template:Cite book</ref> A further brewery was opened nearby in Manor Park in December 1962 to produce Harp Lager as part of a consortium involving Guinness, Courage and a number of other partners. Watney, Combe Reid & Co. Ltd closed its brewery in 1970 and it became a depot until the 1980s. The original Courage site and Manor Park was sold to Bass Brewers in 1979 who closed the original brewery in 1980 to replace it with a warehouse and kegging facility. Following further mergers and sales within the brewing industry, Coors Brewing Company acquired the Manor Park brewery in 2001. The brewery produced Carling, Grolsch and Worthington until it was closed in 2015 due to a decline of demand for beer and a loss of a third party contract.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Alton was significant in the 18th century for the manufacture of paper<ref name="Alton2002" /> and of dress materials including ribbed druggets, shallons, silks and serges, bombazine and figured barragons.<ref name="HPoDHI" /><ref name="GG">Brookes, R., 1815 (16th edn): The General Gazetteer: (London)</ref>

Alton has businesses in the retail and service sectors in the centre of the town, and over a hundred businesses in the four industrial areas of Mill Lane, Newman Lane, Caker Stream and Omega Park, ranging from light industrial to computer software production.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ACC">Template:Cite web</ref> Clarcor, TNT N.V. and Poseidon Diving Systems all have businesses in Alton's Industrial Site, Mill Lane.

One of Alton's largest commercial employers is the financial services sector. Lumbry Park, which used to be known as Lumbry Farm, is on the B3006 Alton to Selborne road, and is occupied by Inter Group Insurance Services (IGIS), a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland. Inter Group employs over 170 people on this site, and specialises in travel insurance. The company has operated in Alton since 1999. It was acquired by Churchill Insurance in 2001, becoming part of RBS Insurance division in 2003 as part of an RBS takeover. However, on 11 November 2008, Inter Group announced its proposal to close its office in Alton in August 2009 due to "changes in the travel insurance market",<ref name="IGIS">Template:Cite web Template:Dead link</ref> leading to the loss of 104 full-time staff and around 16 part-time.

Alton has a range of chain stores and independent shops including greengrocers, butchers and a hardware shop. There are five main supermarkets that serve the town.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Culture

Jane Austen Regency Week is a celebration of the time the author Jane Austen spent in Alton and Chawton and is held in June each year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Allen Gallery serves as Alton's art gallery. It houses a large, permanent ceramics collection as well as temporary exhibitions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Holybourne Theatre is on the site of a former Nissen hut that was converted into a theatre by German prisoners-of-war during World War II.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Plays have been performed there since 1950, but the official opening was not until 1971.

Alton Morris was formed in 1979, and have been Morris dancing both in the United Kingdom and abroad. They often perform at Alton street events.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Local choirs include Alton Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society, established in 1921, who perform two musical shows and one play each year in a wide variety of musical and dramatic styles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Alton Community Choir sings unaccompanied Hampshire folk songs as well as some African, gospel, blues and calypso music.

A new Alton Arts Festival is due to take place over 10 days in July 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Notable landmarks

Alton Library, Vicarage Hill

The Alton Independent Cinema Project was formed in May 2011 to help secure the future of independent cinema in the town.

Alton Maltings was renovated in 2004–2005 and is now the home of Harvest Church and is used by community groups, charities, private users and other organisations throughout the week. The Alton Maltings claims to be the widest wooden spanned building in Hampshire.Template:Citation needed

Alton Library was rebuilt in 2005 to a design by the County Council Architects. The new library contains a lending library, reference library, computer facilities and a cafe.<ref>Glancey, J. Sense and sensitivity: Alton's new library... The Guardian, 25 April 2005. Retrieved 27 October 2011.</ref>

Alton Sports Centre is open to the public and includes a swimming pool, gym, indoor and outdoor courts.

The Curtis Museum was founded in 1856 by Dr William Curtis and houses one of the finest local history collections in Hampshire.

The Town Gardens contains a bandstand (built in 1935 for the silver jubilee of King George V), a children's playground, flower beds, trees and shrubs (Template:Convert). The bandstand was replaced in 2013 to commemorate Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.

Anstey Park, is a large open space with playing fields and a small children's playground (Template:Convert); the park is home to the town's rugby club.

Sports

Alton F.C., nicknamed the Brewers, play in 9th tier of English Football in the Combined Counties Football League Premier Division South as of the 2024/25 season.

The town is also home to Alton R.F.C who won Counties 4 Hampshire in the 2024/2025 season, giving them promotion to Counties 3 Hampshire next season.

Alton Cricket Club, also nicknamed the Brewers, play in the Premier Division of the Southern Premier Cricket League. The club play their home games at Jubilee Playing Fields having moved there from Anstey Park in the early 1980s.

The Municipal Ground (also known as previously as the Alton Recreation and Sports Ground) and latterly at different times as the Courage Ground and Bass Sports Ground, was another sports ground in the town. Hampshire played one first-class match at the ground, against the touring South Africans in 1904.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The ground was home to Courage (Alton) Cricket Club (later renamed Bass (Alton) Cricket Club) and Courage & Company (Alton) FC (later Bass (Alton) FC. Bass (Alton) Cricket Club folded in the 1990s. Bass (Alton) FC merged with Alton Town FC who then played their home games at the ground until 2015 when the ground was sold by the owners, Coors for redevelopment into housing for £6.7 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The old site of the Municipal Ground is now occupied by housing and apartment blocks on a road called Goswell Square with access through Murray Grove. The ground was also home to a tennis club and a bowls club.

Education

Alton lies approximately midway between the University of Winchester and the University of Surrey at Guildford but its nearest University campus is the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham. It is home to Treloar's, an independent educational establishment founded in 1907 by Sir William Purdie Treloar, Lord Mayor of London, to provide education for young people with physical disabilities. Treloar's now runs Treloar School and College, a provision of education for pupils aged from 2–25 with physical and learning difficulties in Holybourne.

The state secondary schools in Alton are Eggar's School (formerly the Grammar School), and Amery Hill School. Sixth-form education is provided by Alton College, which has gained outstanding inspection reports from Ofsted.

Until 2024, there was an independent Catholic day school, Alton School (formerly Alton Convent School), which educated boys and girls from 6 months to 18 years old. The school was closed due to a 'continued decline in pupil numbers' and a ‘combination of adverse political and economic factors’.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Transport

Watercress Line

Alton station is on the National Rail network at the end of the Alton line with a service to London Waterloo.

Alton railway station is the terminus for the Watercress Line, formerly the Mid Hants Railway, a restored steam railway running between Alton and New Alresford, so called because it used to be used to transport fresh watercress to London. The Watercress Line is now a charity largely operated by volunteers, and best known for its events such as Steam Illuminations,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> War on the Line<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Day Out With Thomas featuring Thomas the Tank Engine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The origins of the Watercress Line date back to 1861, the year in which Parliament granted consent for what was then known as the 'Alton, Alresford and Winchester Railway'. Four years later the Mid Hants Railway opened, and the train service continued until the line was closed in 1973. Then in 1977 the line was partially re-opened, in 1983 it was extended further, and in 1985 it was re-opened as far as Alton to connect with the mainline London service.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Cress">Template:Cite web</ref>

Alton was previously the site of a railway junction at Butts Junction. As well as the Mid-Hants Railway, from 1903 to 1955 the Meon Valley Railway ran from Alton down the Meon Valley to join the Eastleigh to Fareham line at Fareham.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Basingstoke & Alton Light Railway ran north to Basingstoke.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Buses in Alton are operated by Stagecoach South.<ref name="Busses">Template:Cite web</ref> These buses include, 64 to Winchester (via Four Marks, Ropley, Bishop’s Sutton, New Alresford and Science Centre), 65 to Guildford (via Bentley and Farnham), 13 to Basingstoke or Whitehill (this route is via Alton, it also includes Odiham and Hook if going towards Basingstoke) and 38 to Petersfield (via Chawton, Selborne, Greatham and Liss).

Notable people

Twin towns

Template:See also Alton is twinned with:<ref name="Alton twinning">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Alton Town Twinning Association Template:Webarchive, UK.</ref>

See also

References

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