Hurstbourne Priors

Shire countyRegionCountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townWHITCHURCHPostcode districtRG28Dialling code01256PoliceHampshire and Isle of WightFireHampshire and Isle of WightAmbulanceSouth Central UK Parliament 51°12′54″N 1°22′31″W / 51.214980°N 1.375205°W / 51.214980; -1.375205

Hurstbourne Priors is a small village and civil parish in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Whitchurch, which lies approximately 1.8 miles (3.1 km) north-east from the village.

Geography

The parish sits astride the River Test, a minor tributary, the Bourne Rivulet, runs north to south through the village, paralleling the B3048. The West of England line runs along the north of the parish, the nearest station is Whitchurch to the east or, slightly further, Andover to the west. The A34 runs through the south-east of the parish with a junction at Tufton.

History

There is evidence of prehistoric Stone Age pit dwellings in the area.^[1]

Catherine Conduit, the great-niece of Isaac Newton married Lord Lymington and they lived in the former manor house at Hurstbourne Park, north-east of the village centre, which was described by Charles Kingsley as the "most beautiful park in the south of England". She brought with her a number of Newton's manuscripts and other relics. The house was destroyed by fire in the late 19th century but the collection was saved.^[1] The park itself is now Grade II listed on the National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.^[2]

Church

The Grade II* listed church of St Andrew the Apostle dates back in parts to the 12th century^[3] and is probably the oldest existing church in the Diocese of Winchester.^[4] In the churchyard is the grave of noted Irish baritone Harry Plunket Greene (1865-1936), as well as those of his two sons, Richard (born 1901) and David (born 1904).^[5]

References