Weyhill, Shipton Bellinger, Tidworth
one of nineteen tapestry panels covering the
Borough of Test Valley
At the time this Panel was being worked, South
Tidworth was within the Borough of Test Valley and the County of
Hampshire. Subsequently, a Government boundary change brought the
whole of Tidworth together in the County of Wiltshire.
Weyhill
Canvas
TOP BORDER:Shows items associated with the fair: The Weyhill Ghost;
sheep bells, symbolising the sheep fair; "horning the colt" an
ancient ceremony held at The Star and other locations; hops and
cheeses sold at the fair.
MIDDLE SECTION:The church of St Michael is in the top left corner.
Weyhill Lodge to the right of the church has been converted into
luxury flats. In the corner are part of the yard and a crane of A J
Dunning and Son (Weyhill) Ltd who were based on the old fairground
site. The houses below the church include council houses, Barrett
homes and an old folk's bungalow. The thatched building across the
road, originally two cottages, is now a farmhouse. The horse and
rider going over the jump in the centre are a reminder of the
riding stables run by Mrs Hartigen at Homestead. The row of
cottages below the rider is owned by the Parish Council. Across the
road is Ramridge House on whose land the greater part of Weyhill
Fair was once held. The cows in the bottom right corner represent
local mixed farming; while in the opposite corner are the village
pond with swan, mallard, coot and moorhen. The swan was used for
the badge of the village school featured at the bottom of the
panel.
LOWER BORDER:Catkins; primroses, robin; hawthorn berries; hazel nuts;
snowdrops; mushroom; deer and heron.
Shipton
Bellinger
TOP BORDER:The
three medieval bells of St Peter's; the mail coach which ran daily
from Marlborough to Salisbury in the early 19th century; the Ram is
the village symbol; sign of The Boot, the village inn.
MIDDLE SECTION:St Peter's church is prominent at the top. The village
sign was erected by the Parish Council in 1982, the date being
added to the shield of the Berenger family but and when the sign
was repainted the date was left out. The sheep reflect the age-old
tradition of sheep farming. The thatched cottage on the left is
Bramble Cottage in the High Street. Below it is the village's
ivy-covered post box. The imposing house at the bottom of the panel
is Manor Farm House the only one of the five village farms left.
The pheasant flying over the village is a reminder of local field
sports practiced in the parish.
LOWER BORDER:
Hedgehog; purple milk vetch (Astragalus Damcus) rare in Southern
England; lapwing; short-eared owl (found on the Plain); red admiral
butterfly; primroses.
Tidworth
Canvas
UPPER BORDER:Nuns' walk and Nuns' market; the Tedworth Drummer Boy; a
mounted soldier representing cavalry regiments associated with
Tidworth; a modern tank and helicopter.
MIDDLE SECTION:Top left is The Tower or Observatory, built by the squire,
Thomas Assheton-Smith so that his disabled daughter could watch the
hunt. To the right of the tower is the little Burial Chapel in the
woods/ Prominent at the top of the panel is Tedworth House. The
small house in the fork of the road is the White Lodge. The red
brick building to the left of the Lodge was the Church of England
School endowed by Mrs Assheton-Smith in 1857. The red house further
up the road represents the station houses while to the right are
thatched cottages by the old Reading Room on the border of North
and South Tidworth. The Reading Room itself is alongside, in front
of which is one of the old style red telephone kiosks. The factory
type building in the centre is the Royal Ordnance Depot, which
issues clothing and equipment to Army personnel. In front of the
Depot is the Royal British Legion Club. Across the road is a
garage, which has subsequently, been rebuilt as a modern petrol
filling station. Below the garage is the parish church of The Holy
Trinity. Below the British Legion Club are two cottages in Pennings
Road, while further down the road, in the left bottom corner, is
the Ram Inn. Opposite are a former grocery shop and a post
office.
LOWER BORDER: Butterflies; badger; sheep; hares
and rabbits; squirrel; owl; pheasant; fox; hawthorn and blackberry
bushes; corn field; the Tedworth Hunt.