HOUGHTON
About two miles to the Southwest of Stockbridge lies the rather large parish of Houghton and its 1.081 hectacres and with a population of 369 in 1981. The main feature here is the River Test and its trout and the village is situated on the west bank of the river.

The Church of all saints dates back to the 13th century there ae one or two other buildings of interest in the parish, mainly  Houghton Mill which has been turned into a residence or  the red brick Rectory and last but not least, Houghton Lodge which is an 18th century cottage ornee where it is said that Jane Austen the famed Hampshire novelist once visited.

Jane was born and raised in Steventon which is not that far away and she may well have know this house which had been built when cottage architecture was popular as it matches the description of such a house in 'Sense and Sensibility' which she wrote in 1797

Robert Ferrars extols the virtues of life in a Cottage. "I protest," he says "that if I had any money to spare, I should buy a little land and build one myself............and collect a few friends about me and be happy".

Houghton is built on what is called a ribbon development which means it stretches along a road or lane. There is a public house which stands  on a junction and opposite is a bus shelter that like the Boot Inn is full of hanging baskets of flowers in the summertime.. The Rectory is an elegant affair that was built in brick in the 18th century

HORSEBRIDGE
Horsebridge can be found southwest of King's Somborne and here the River Test divides into about four separate streams and they all claim to be the main one! Here the Winchester to Old Sarum Roman road cross the river and what is now the disused railway track has become a  part of the Test Way which is a footpath that leads to Inkpen Beacon over 30 miles away

Horsebridge Station a faithfully restore Victorian railway station is a popular venue for meals and even wedding receptions, and is built on the curiously named Sprat and Winkle line or as it is sometimes referred to The Parsons and Prawns which has been applied to this section of the London and South Western Railway that runs between Andover and Redbridge.

The Andover and Redbridge Canal formed the centre of the present day line and was constructed as far back as 1792 or there were several miles of it in used at that time. This old waterway was a benefit to the towns and villages that it served until the railway came to town and this began to take the trade from the canal so much that it was decided that the canal be converted into a railway thus shortening the distance between Andover and Southampton and it was in 1857 that the canal company changed its name to the Andover Canal and Railway Company and it first opened in 1865. Horsebridge was a rather large station that had sidings that were located in what is now the paddock and Test Way car park with the Railway Inn the local  pub (later to become the John O'Gaunt). Horsebridge was a very busy country station until its closure in 1965 due to the economical measures brought on by Dr Beeching who was the Chairman of the British Railways Board at that time and famed for the closure of may lines and station country wide.

The John O'Gaunt public house stand on a junction near to the mill and is named after John of Gaunt, 1340-99,  who was the 4th son of Edward III and the father of Henry IV, married Blance of Lancaster. He acquired a deer park covering the area between King's Somborne and the river.

IMAGES OF HORSEBRIDGE AND HOUGHTON

Horsebridge  Mill
The John O'Gaunt		The clear waters of the River Test
		I
The Old Schoolhouse at Houghton		All Saints Houghton
All Saints Church Houghton
The Boot Inn		Flower bedecked bus shelter opposite the Boot Inn
The Coach House		Thatched cottage at Houghton
Thatched Cottages with their English Country gardens
The Old Post Office		Street scene in Houghton
Wayside Cottage		The interior of All Saints
More of the interior of All Saints
A Corbel and piscina		The Mass Dial on the outside of All Saints
Painting in the church		The Pulpit
The font with its cap in place		Sculpture in the church
Another Piscina by the altar		The Corbel