Test Valley Borough Council

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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.

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Test Valley Borough Council (Main Office Address) Beech Hurst, Weyhill Road, Andover, Hampshire, SP10 3AJ
telephone: 01264 368000 or: 01794 527700 minicom: 01264 368052 email:info@testvalley.gov.uk