WHAT TO DO AROUND AND ABOUT

If the place of interest has a web site the photograph will link you to it

Longstock Park Water Garden

Open to the public on behalf of a charity on the first and third Sunday of the month, from April to September inclusive, from 2 - 5pm.  All proceeds go the charity concerned.  Most of the garden is accessible by wheelchair and guide dogs are welcome.  No other dogs can be admitted.

Teas are provided by members of the three local churches at Longstock Park Nursery. 

In 1870, Alfred and Arthur East, the owners of Longstock House, dredged gravel from the banks of the River Test in order to build a private road to the property, creating the lake in the process.

When the Easts sold the Longstock Estate in 1914, Reginald Beddington, the son of the new owner, decided to make an aesthetic feature of the water. In the 1920's, it was channelled into a central canal flanked by two small lakes and the margins were planted with perennial beds.

The gardens as it is now was created by John Spedan Lewis, with the help of a botanist, when he acquired the estate in 1946.  The water-logged soil meant all the work had to be done by hand, and it was ten years before the project was completed.

Longstock Park Nursery

Open Monday - Saturday (throughout the year) from 8.30am - 4.30pm, and Sunday (April - October) from 11am - 5pm,  and Sunday (November to March) from 11am - 4pm .

Visit the web site and try the on-line plant search.  Enter the name of the plant you are looking for and wait for the result.

The Museum of Army Flying

Open to the public daily from 10 am until 4:30 pm.  Last admission is at 4:00 pm.

Telephone:  +44 (0) 1980 674421

The heroic story of the army in the air from nineteenth century observation balloons to attack helicopters! The museum is home to a national collection of military kites, World War 2 gliders, aeroplanes and helicopters. With imaginative displays and dioramas the museum traces the development of army flying from pre World War 1 to today's modern Army Air Corps.

In 1941 Winston Churchill identified the need for combating the tactic that was being used by the enemy of directing artillery fire from the air and the use of gliders, by the formation of our own force. In February 1942 the Glider Pilot Regiment was formed followed in December 1942 by the Air Observation Post Squadron. The elite who made up these forces played a unique - and never to be repeated - part in World War 2.

Houghton Lodge Gardens

Open to the public all year.  Times vary according to the time of year so it is advisable to telephone for confirmation.

Telephone:  +44 (0) 1264 810912

The beautiful garden of Houghton Lodge sweeps down to the water's edge of the River Test.  The house dates from the end of the 18th century.

A feature of Houghton Lodge is a hydroponicum 'a garden of the future'.  This is a way of gardening which is used commercially in many places in the world, it is a soiless form of cultivation, which makes use of nutrient rich solutions so no water is wasted.  Other features of the gardens are a topiary yew hedge enclosing a 'Peacock Garden'.

Mottisfont Abbey and Gardens

Open to the public between March and November.  Times vary according to the time of year so it is advisable to telephone for confirmation.

Telephone:  +44 (0) 1794 340757

These tranquil grounds owned and maintained by the National Trust, beside a tributary of the River Test, contain green lawns, magnificent trees and the spring or font from which the place name is derived.  In the Abbey, a former 12th century priory, there is a room decorated by Rex Whistler and the cellarium of the old priory.

The walled gardens are internationally-renowned for the national collection of old fashioned roses, at its best in mid-June, but also offering colour and interest throughout the seasons.  There are magnificent trees, a tributary of the River Test and a spring, or font, from which it derives its name.

Andover Museum and Museum of the Iron Age

Open to the public all year.  It is recommended that you telephone for opening times.

Telephone:  +44 (0) 1264 366283

Andover's fascinating past can be explored giving the visitor insights into archaeological finds and old English myths.  The museum of the Iron Age allows you to discover a way of life that was destroyed by the Romans, telling the story of the Iron Age hillfort at Danebury.  The displays give a vivid impression of life in prehistoric times through life-size models.

Danebury Hill

Open to the public all year.  Very occasionally the site is closed for maintenance so it is recommended that you telephone first.

Telephone:  +44 (0) 1962 860948

Danebury is a very important archaeological site, set on the top of a hill just north of Stockbridge.  The Iron Age fortification can still be seen and the views around the Hampshire landscape are superb.  The site is also an important refuge for downland flora and fauna.

The Hawk Conservancy

Open to the public February until November.

Telephone:  +44 (0) 1962 860948

The Hawk Conservancy is one of the premier Bird of Prey parks in the United Kingdom, a Member of the Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland.

The Test Way

The 46 mile Test Way follows the valley of the Test for much of its length allowing walkers to spend time among the water meadows, and towns such as Stockbridge along the valley.  Parts of it follow an old railway line which was built in the 1860s on the bed of a canal first used to link Andover and Southampton in 1794.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information given is correct so we recommend that you telephone in advance to check details.