Curdridge is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...

within the

City of Winchester The City of Winchester () is a local government district in Hampshire, England, with a city status. The district covers the ancient settlement of the city of Winchester itself, but also covers a large area of central Hampshire including ...

district of

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, England. The parish also contains the similarly-named village of Curbridge. The village has a small school. The parish is located eight miles to the east of

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

and had a population of 1,292 people in 473 households in the 2001 census, the population increasing to 1,398 in 520 households at the 2011 Census. Curdridge is also known for its annual Curdridge Country Show that takes place in a field off Reading Room Lane Although named after the nearby village of Botley,

Botley railway station Botley railway station serves Botley and the surrounding areas in the English county of Hampshire. The station is on the railway line between Eastleigh and Fareham, from . Although named after the nearby village of Botley, which is within the ...

is actually located in the civil parish of Curdridge.

Geography

The village of Curdridge itself is 2.0 km (1.25 mi) northeast of Botley, and is on the B3051 road. The A334 passes through the southern portion of the parish. Travelling from west to east the A334 enters the parish as it crosses the River Hamble near Botley. It exits the parish, 1.75 km (1.09 mi) later as it crosses Kitnocks Gully immediately east of Lake Road. The B3051 forks off the A334 100m northeast of Botley railway station. The B3051 carries on in a generally northeast direction for approximately 2.9 km (1.8 mi) exiting the parish 100m northeast of Harfield Bungalow. Within the parish the B3051 is named Botley Road. Curdridge Lane is a road, generally wider than 4m, which crosses the parish west to east. Curdridge Lane begins at the B3051 junction with Calcot Lane. Curdridge Lane passes The Cricketers Public House, crosses the course of an old Roman road and marks the boundary of the parish for approximately 190 m (620 ft), before it makes a complete change of direction and leaves the parish at Yew Tree Farm.

Governance

The village is part of the

of Curdridge and is part of the Owslebury and Curdridge

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

of the

non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of Districts of England, local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties (colloquially ''shi ...

, and the Meon Valley division of

Hampshire County Council Hampshire County Council (HCC) is an English council that governs eleven of the thirteen districts geographically located within the ceremonial county of Hampshire. As one of twenty-four county councils in England, it acts as the upper tier of ...

Church

The village Church is the church of St Peter. It was largely built in 1887 and 1888 to a design by

Thomas Graham Jackson Sir Thomas Graham Jackson, 1st Baronet (21 December 1835 – 7 November 1924) was one of the most distinguished British architects of his generation. He is best remembered for his work at Oxford, including the Oxford Military College at Cowl ...

. A tower was added in 1895.

Folklore and local legends

The local legends of two women with tragic lives are often mixed and confused in the village's folklore.

Kitty Nocks

According to local legend, Kitnocks Hill, on the Wickham road, takes its name from a young girl called Kitty Nocks, or some variation thereof, who drowned, either by suicide or accident while eloping with a lover of whom her father did not approve. Her ghost, reportedly seen by locals returning from Southampton on the bus, is now said to haunt the top of the hill.

Kate Hunt

According to local legend, Mill Hill on the Botley road was, in the 17th century, home to an elderly witch called Kate Hunt, who moved felled trees with magic, rode to

Bishops Waltham Bishop's Waltham (or Bishops Waltham) is a medieval market town situated at the source of the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It has a foot in the South Downs National Park and is located at the midpoint of a long-established route betwee ...

on a farm gate and changed into a white hare. The elderly woman was found dead after locals from Pink Mead Farm shot the hare with a silver coin.

References

{{authority control City of Winchester Civil parishes in Hampshire Villages in Hampshire