Standing on the banks of the River Test and three miles southeast of Romsey and west of Chilworth the parish of Nursling and Rownhams borders Southampton district and carries  the M27 over the Test. Travellers on the M27 will see the tiny church of St Boniface amid the trees.  The parish was named Nhutscell in an 8th century life of St Boniface and in the Domesday Survey of 1086 it was recorded as Notesselinge. The Ordnance Survey had it marked on an early map as Nutshalling which probably came from the Old English word Hmitscelle which meant 'nutshell'.

The village of the same name is in the West of the parish and it is here that St Boniface set out on his missionary expedition to convert the Germans to Christianity during the 8th century. The Danes destroyed the monastery which was here but the 14th century church still stands, a short distance away from the church is Grove Place which is a perfect example of an early Elizabethan house built by Sir Francis Knollys and Elizabeth I used it as a hunting lodge.

The church of St Boniface, Nursling

It was in 1794 that saw the opening of the Andover Canal which was built for transporting coal and building materirals from Southampton to places like Romsey and Andover and also to bring back agricultural products to the port. The canal closed in 1859 and the Andover and Redbridge railway was laid over the bed of the canal for most of the way and in 1865 this was opened. It was known by the locals as 'The Sprat and Winkle Line' due to the fact that people fro Andover could not buy fresh fish that was landed at Southampton. Signs of the old canal can still be found though

The church is named after the Apostle of Germany or Winfrid, St Boniface who came from Devon.

Just up the road can be found Nursling Mill and it has a stone in its wall that has on insribed on itn "This Building stands on a Frame of Large Beech Timber which was given by Sr RICHd MILL BARtt in Memory of whose kindness this Stone was placed here by HK 1728". The HK is thought to be Henry Knollys who lived at Grove Place.

NURSLING COMMON
 

Nursling Common lay to the east of the Romsey Road from Bakers Drove towards Maybush, and was used as an army transit site in 1795. Several buildings were
in the locality and have now gone: the Scout Hut, the Hit and Miss Public House, Nutfield House where the roundabout now stands (the home of Rear Admiral
Tate and later Mrs Chambers), and the thatch cottage between the two where Wilcox the builder lived, whose name can still be found on some old manhole covers
in the community.
From ""Past Glimpses of Nursling and Rownhams"

THE STORY OF ST BONIFACE
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF ST BONIFACE

IMAGES OF NURSLING

St Boniface church		The interior of St Boniface
The wooden tower of St Boniface Churh		The font
Local 'residents' keeping the church wall clear of weeds!
The Old Rectory		The Thatched Cottage near the church
The monument to Sir Richard Mill 1613 and his wife Mary 1622