New Alresford or simply Alresford ( or ) is a market

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

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 authority ...

in 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 Bis ...

district of

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

, England. It is northeast of

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

and southwest of the town of

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario *Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

. New Alresford has independent shops, a tourist information centre, a central

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

, four tea rooms, five pubs and is the western terminus of the

Watercress Line The Watercress Line is the marketing name of the Mid-Hants Railway, a heritage railway in Hampshire, England, running from New Alresford to Alton where it connects to the National Rail network. The line gained its popular name in the days w ...

, a steam-worked

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

at Alresford railway station.

History

There is evidence of

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

and

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

occupation on numerous sites in the Alresford area, with a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

or Romano-British site on nearby Fobdown and to the south-east of the town in

Bramdean Bramdean is a village in Hampshire, England. It is a linear settlement located along the busy A272 trunk road which was widened by the American troops in 1943 in preparation for D-Day. The village itself is peculiar due to the large number of lar ...

. There is evidence of a grant to the Church at

sometime before the 9th century, which became known as the Liberty of Alresford. Alresford was listed in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

but this probably refers to what is now

Old Alresford Old Alresford ( or ) is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It is north of the town of New Alresford, northeast of the city of Winchester, and south-west of the town of Alton. In 1851, George Sumner, son of Charles Richard S ...

as there is no evidence of a settlement south of the river at this time. Old Alresford as with

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley District and the council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughly east–west, parallel to the Pipp Br ...

and

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...

adjoins the

Pilgrims' Way The Pilgrims' Way (also Pilgrim's Way or Pilgrims Way) is the historical route supposedly taken by pilgrims from Winchester, Hampshire, Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent. This name, of compa ...

between

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

and Winchester. New Alresford was founded in the 12th/13th century, the idea originally being that of

Henri de Blois Henry of Blois ( c. 1096 8 August 1171), often known as Henry of Winchester, was Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey from 1126, and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 to his death. He was a younger son of Stephen Henry, Count of Blois by Adela of Normandy, d ...

, the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

and brother of

King Stephen of England Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne ''jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 unti ...

. The design of the T-shaped town (originally named Novum Forum) was followed by de Blois' successor

Godfrey de Lucy Godfrey de Luci (also Godfrey de Lucy) was a medieval Bishop of Winchester. Life Godfrey de Luci was the second son of Richard de Luci and his wife Rohese.

. Alresford was one of the Bishop's six new towns and was his most profitable plantation—his palace was situated in nearby

Bishop's Sutton Bishops Sutton or Bishop's Sutton is a village and civil parish east of the market town of Alresford in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 419, increasing to 463 at the 2 ...

, perhaps less than a mile distant. The medieval stone bridge he built at this time is still in place. This expansion also involved the construction of the Great Weir between New Alresford and Old Alresford, creating Old Alresford Pond. This remarkable period in the town's history included the construction of one of the oldest canal systems in England, based on the River Itchen. New Alresford quickly became established as a prosperous market town, focussed on the wool, leather and the other products from sheep and cattle; in the 14th century Alresford sheep markets produced one of five highest turnovers in England. Alresford sent two members to parliament until the population was reduced by the

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

. In the 17th century the town made news as a dangerous place to live due to the uncommonly frequent fires which razed it; in the spring of 1644, the

Battle of Cheriton The Battle of Cheriton of 29 March 1644 was an important Parliamentarian victory during the First English Civil War. Sir William Waller's "Army of the Southern Association" defeated a Royalist force jointly commanded by the Earl of Forth and ...

took place on Cheriton Down, reaching the outskirts of Alresford. Defeated Royalists set fire to houses in the town as they withdrew. Much of the medieval town was destroyed by a fire in 1689/90 that destroyed 117 houses in the town as well as the church and Market House, another in 1710 and a 'like calamity' in 1736. Much of the town was rebuilt in the 18th century, with many of the Georgian buildings that remain today. Shop Fronts, Broad Street, New Alresford

Shop Fronts, Broad Street, New Alresford

turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...

toll road linking London to primarily

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 ...

but viable for

Hamble Hamble may refer to: * The River Hamble in Hampshire, England * Hamble aerodrome on the banks of the River Hamble. ** Hamble-Warsash Ferry, a ferry service on the River Hamble * Hamble-le-Rice, a village on the river Hamble, close to the city of Sou ...

and

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

(now the A31), some of which was a

Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...

then a track in variable condition maintained by each

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

, was built in 1753, passing through the town. During the late 18th century,

Alresford Cricket Club Alresford Cricket Club was one of the strongest cricket teams in England during the late 18th century. It represented the adjacent small towns of New Alresford and Old Alresford in Hampshire. According to John Arlott, between about 1770 and 179 ...

was one of the strongest sides in England. The 13th-century church was, save the mostly 14th century tower, rebuilt in 1898 by Sir

Arthur Blomfield Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...

in the Norman

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

perpendicular style. The top third of the tower is of 16th century red crenellated parapet brickwork. A

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

commemorative plaque on the wall of public toilets, close to the railway station, commemorates that occasionally secret military documents obtained by members of the Portland Soviet Spy Ring in the early 1960s were left here for collection.

Art, tourism and rail transport

The town, crowned by its large T-shaped main street conservation area, is an attractive art, rail and tourist destination, with its two classical, dense Georgian streets. Here can be found the Swan Hotel, Bell Hotel, jewellers, wine merchants, butchers, flower shops, toy shop, dress shops, the Alresford Gallery, Candover Gallery and tea rooms. There are three other public houses, the largest being the Globe Inn, by one of the stream channels and the play area. Alresford railway station is at the south-western end of the

– officially the Mid-Hants Railway. This heritage railway line runs steam and diesel trains, and gained its nickname from the fact that it used to be the line that took locally grown

watercress Watercress or yellowcress (''Nasturtium officinale'') is a species of aquatic flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae. Watercress is a rapidly growing perennial plant native to Europe and Asia. It is one of the oldest known leaf ve ...

up to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. The other end of the heritage line is , which is also the terminus of the

Alton line The Alton line is a railway line in Hampshire and Surrey, England, operated by South Western Railway as a relatively long branch of the South West Main Line. The branch leaves the main line at Pirbright Junction to the west of Brookwood stati ...

, enabling rail access for visitors from London.

Brandy Mount House

Brandy Mount House, a Grade II listed building, holds the National Plant Collection of

Snowdrops ''Galanthus'' (from Ancient Greek , (, "milk") + (, "flower")), or snowdrop, is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. The plants have two linear leaves and a single ...

in their grounds. The gardens are open to the public during the season.

Itchen Valley brewery

The Itchen Valley

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

was founded in New Alresford in 1997. The brewery produces a range of cask ales and a selection of beers which until early 2006 were bottle conditioned by

Gales Brewery George Gale & Co. Ltd was a Hampshire brewery with a distinctive range of, mainly, bitter beers. Founded in 1847 it was bought by the London brewers, Fuller's of Chiswick in 2005. The brewery was closed in 2006 with production transferred to Chi ...

The Fulling Mill

About west along the river path, on the border between Old and New Alresford, is a 17th Century

half-timbered Timber framing (german: Holzfachwerk) and "post-and-beam" construction are traditional methods of building with heavy timbers, creating structures using squared-off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden ...

house and mill with mill race underneath. It benefited from the construction of the Great Weir. Dating from the period when the wool trade was the dominant local industry, it ceased operating early in the 19th century and has been used as a dwelling ever since. In 1950 it was acquired by Mr and Mrs G B Gush, who carried out a series of improvements to the property.

Education

There is one infant, one junior and one secondary school in Alresford with more than 140 staff and 2,000 pupils – Perins School (1,200 pupils –

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

). This school converted to Academy status in 2011 and in September 2017 formed a Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) with Sun Hill Junior School. In 2001 Perins was granted specialist status for leading the field in sport in Hampshire. This enabled Perins to open and complete a new state-of-art gym open to the public in the evenings, although the school no longer carries the title Community Sports College.

Sport and leisure

Alresford has a

Non-League football Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...

club

Alresford Town F.C. Alresford Town Football Club is a association football, football club based in New Alresford, Hampshire, England. Affiliated to the Hampshire Football Association, Hampshire FA, they are currently members of the and play at Alrebury Park. Hist ...

, which plays at Arlebury Park. Alresford is also home to a rugby club, Alresford RFC, which plays its home games at Arlebury Park in the centre of Alresford.

Events

Alresford holds a number of community events throughout the year. Several are organised by or with New Alresford Town Council (NATC). All events which are held in the main streets within the original town (Broad Street, East Street, West Street) require the permission of the New Alresford Town Trust (NATT – a registered charity which preserves the town's traditional rights of access, to fairs and to street markets, preserves old documents and buildings, and runs a community minibus). A fee for street usage is usually payable by organisers, which helps in the Trust's other works, including running the local minibus which serves the elderly and disabled. A number of events are organised by The Alresford Pigs Association, which raises money in the local area for those in need, by the local Rotary club (such as the annual 5 November Fireworks at Arlebury Park), and by the town council.

The Watercress Festival

The town is famed for its production of

and is recognised as The Capital of Watercress. Once a year New Alresford holds a festival on the third Sunday in May which attracts an enormous crowd; there is a street market with locally made food on sale and usually cookery demonstrations. From 2006–8,

Antony Worrall Thompson Henry Antony Cardew Worrall Thompson (born 1 May 1951) is an English restaurateur and celebrity chef, television presenter and radio broadcaster. Early life Worrall Thompson was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. His parents, Michae ...

was the celebrity chef. Both north-south and east-west main roads are closed to traffic for the event, with diversions and parking clearly signposted. Entry is free. During the Watercress Festival, the town welcomes visitors and opens a number of attractions and places of interest. The Millennium Trail at the north end of Broad Street offers a walk along a River Itchen tributary from Alresford Pond (a wildlife reserve) to The Eel House (a working migratory eel capturing sluice house restored by instigation of NATT by a specially formed company.

Alresford Show

The agricultural show takes place on the first Saturday in September. Animals are shown, flowers and vegetables are judged, there is horsejumping and other entertainment. The Alresford Pigs and Alresford Rugby Club assist. Entry is chargeable.

Alresford fair

A one-day street fair takes place on 11 October (

Old Michaelmas Day Michaelmas ( ; also known as the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the Feast of the Archangels, or the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels) is a Christian festival observed in some Western liturgical calendars on 29 September, ...

) or the first Thursday thereafter. The traditional English funfair, arrives on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning and sets up in Broad Street. The fair lasts from 3pm – 11pm and has to be gone by dawn on Friday. The main north-south road of Alresford (Broad Street) is closed to traffic.

Bonfire night

Organised by the local Rotary Club and usually held on 5 November. Traditionally the firework display is preceded by a torchlit procession starting in Broad Street making its way along West Street and up Pound Hill into Arlebury Park, the venue for the firework display. The display is always well attended with proceeds donated to local, national and international causes. Each year a 'Guy' is burned following tradition, with the Guys made by local schoolchildren.

Arrival of Father Christmas

The arrival of

Father Christmas Father Christmas is the traditional English name for the personification of Christmas. Although now known as a Christmas gift-bringer, and typically considered to be synonymous with Santa Claus, he was originally part of a much older and unrel ...

is a joint effort led by the Christmas Tree Fund. It takes place in Broad Street near a large Christmas Tree erected annually. A carol service with music provided by Perins Community School's orchestra precedes the arrival. The Alresford Pigs create the secret process by which Father Christmas arrives. He has arrived in World War 2

NAAFI The Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI ) is a company created by the British government on 9 December 1920 to run recreational establishments needed by the British Armed Forces, and to sell goods to servicemen and their families. It runs ...

van driven by

Wallace and Gromit ''Wallace & Gromit'' is a British stop-motion comedy franchise created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations. The series consists of four short films and one feature-length film, and has spawned numerous spin-offs and TV adaptations. The series c ...

and in a Thunderbirds, helicopter, fire engine,

Open-top bus An open top bus is a bus, usually but not exclusively a double-decker bus, which has been built or modified to operate without a roof. Early buses were constructed without roofs but in more recent times they have only been built for tourist and s ...

Tardis The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior ap ...

, and a BMW 5 Series. This is followed by Father Christmas giving presents to children in his grotto. The presents are organised by the Christmas Tree Fund. Money donated by the crowd at each year's event goes back into the pot for the following year. The schedule for many years has been: * 4pm Broad Street closed to traffic * 6pm Event opens * 6:30pm Carols * 7pm Arrival of Father Christmas * Followed by Santa's Grotto * 9pm Broad Street reopens

The Duck Race

The Duck Race is organised by the Alresford Pigs every two years during the summer. It was last held in 2019 and the next Duck Race will be held in June 2021. It brings the community out to watch several (decoy) duck races with 32 ducks in each race. The event, races and ducks are sponsored by a local family or business. It has been held for many years on the lawn at the Weir House, which has space for traditional fete activities: Tea and Cake, Beer Tent, Tombola, as well as Scalextric Racing, Face Painting, Bouncy Castle, and Jazz Band. This is the largest fundraising event organised by The Alresford Pigs.

Charity

One charity fundraising group in Alresford is The Alresford Pigs Association. As well as organising a number of events, they also erect and light over 160 Christmas trees on buildings in the three main streets receiving income from the businesses and house occupiers for this service. Over their 30 years of existence they have raised more than £250,000. monies raised are used to fund local projects and causes for people in need. This is in addition to the work of other local associations including the Rotary Club of Alresford and Women's Institute. The New Alresford Town Trust was constituted in 1890 and is a direct descendant of the medieval local government system begun by King Edward I in 1302, when he made a grant of

pavage Pavage was a medieval toll for the maintenance or improvement of a road or street in medieval England, Wales and Ireland. The king by letters patent granted the right to collect it to an individual, or the corporation of a town, or to the "bailif ...

(the right to collect tolls for the paving of streets) to a bailiff and "good men" in the town. Today the Trust maintains the Avenue and the Old Fire Station in Broad Street as well as running a minibus for elderly and disabled residents. In addition to receiving various grants and donations, the Trust owns ancient rights which allow it to collect income from markets and events in Broad Street including the regular Thursday Market.

Governance

Alresford is part of the wider Itchen Valley Ward 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 ...

, which stretches across the Northeast of the

and includes several other parishes such as

Itchen Valley Itchen Valley is a civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. Forming part of the City of Winchester district, it comprises the villages of Avington, Easton, Itchen Abbas and Martyr Worthy, with a population of 1,267 at the time of the 200 ...

. Itchen Valley has been represented since 2005 by Jackie Porter, most recently elected in 2017: Alresford also elects three representatives to the City of Winchester District Council as part of the wider Alresford and Itchen Valley Ward. As with the Hampshire County Council War, this also includes

. The ward is currently represented by one Conservative Councillor and two Liberal Democrat Councillors: The town council holds elections, and is currently composed of eleven Councillors and six members of staff.

Notable people

* Alresford was the birthplace of artist

Graham Ovenden Graham Stuart Ovenden (born 11 February 1943) is an English painter, Fine art photography, fine art photographer and writer. Some of Ovenden's art has been investigated as possible child pornography by US and UK authorities and in 2009, he was ...

, novelist and dramatist

Mary Russell Mitford Mary Russell Mitford (16 December 1787 – 10 January 1855) was an English author and dramatist. She was born at New Alresford, Alresford in Hampshire. She is best known for ''Our Village'', a series of sketches of village scenes and vividly dr ...

(1787–1855) who lived at 27 Broad street until the age of ten, and of

John Frederick Peel Rawlinson John Frederick Peel Rawlinson (21 December 1860 – 14 January 1926) was an English barrister, politician and footballer. An amateur, he won the FA Cup with Old Etonians in 1882 and made one appearance for England in 1882 playing as a goalke ...

(1860–1926), lawyer, politician, and

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

for

Old Etonians F.C. The Old Etonians Association Football Club is an English association football club whose players are alumni of Eton College, in Eton, Berkshire. Having been a member of The Football Association and played several editions of the FA Cup, Old ...

in three early

FA Cup Finals The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official atten ...

. * South African cricketer Owen Robert Dunell (1856–1929) lived at Alresford in later life. * The cricket commentator

John Arlott Leslie Thomas John Arlott, OBE (25 February 1914 – 14 December 1991) was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's ''Test Match Special''. He was also a poet and wine connoisseur. With his poetic phraseology, he bec ...

resided in Alresford between 1961 and 1981. *

Alexa Chung Alexa Chung (born 5 November 1983) is a British television presenter, model, internet personality, writer, and fashion designer. She wrote the book ''It'' (2013). Her fashion label Alexa Chung, stylized , launched in May 2017 and closed in 2022. ...

, model and presenter, attended Perins Secondary School, as did

Russell Howard Russell Joseph Howard (born 23 March 1980) is an English comedian, television presenter, radio presenter, and actor. He was known for his television show ''Russell Howard's Good News'' and is currently doing ''The Russell Howard Hour'', and his ...

, comedian. * Formula One racing driver

Derek Warwick Derek Stanley Arthur Warwick (born 27 August 1954) is a British former professional racing driver from England, who lives in Jersey. He raced for many years in Formula One, collecting four podiums but never winning a Grand Prix. He did, however, ...

is from a local family. * Kate Walsh, runner up on the 2009 series of ''

The Apprentice ''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States. Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...

'' and presenter on ''

Live from Studio Five ''Live from Studio Five'' was an early-evening British magazine programme produced by Sky News for Channel 5. It was presented by Kate Walsh and a lineup of co-presenters. It featured interviews and discussions on topical issues, emphasizing sh ...

'' lives in Alresford. * The award-winning actor

Colin Firth Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the " Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a challenging series of roles, including leading roles in '' A M ...

used to live in Alresford as a young boy. * In November 1834, Henry ‘Orator’ Hunt’s sixty-first birthday was celebrated all over the north of England. In February 1835, he visited New Alresford in Hampshire on business. As he got down from his phaeton outside the ''George Inn'', he suffered a stroke and was taken to a private room. He died a few days later on Friday, 13 February, surrounded by his family and friends. He was buried in the churchyard of St Peter’s Church in Parham Park near Storrington in West Sussex . The Times published a lengthy report of the funeral.

Twin towns

New Alresford is twinned with: *

Bricquebec Bricquebec () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Bricquebec-en-Cotentin.

References

External links

*
New Alresford Town Council
* {{authority control Towns in Hampshire Civil parishes in Winchester