Upper Clatford, Goodworth Clatford, Barton Stacey,
Bullington
one of nineteen tapestry panels covering the
Borough of Test Valley
Upper Clatford
Canvas
TOP BORDER:Burdock leaves and flowers, symbolising the origin of the
name "Clatford".
MIDDLE SECTION:In the top centre is Bury Hill. In the top left corner is
the parish church of All Saints. Part of the Clatfords' history is
the firm of Taskers which, for more than 160 years, provided the
livelihood for generations of local people. Part of the Taskers'
works and one of their traction engines are depicted on the right.
The engine in the panel is "Little Giant", built in 1902. The
bridge with the graceful ornamental arches (lower left) is a fine
example of a Tasker iron bridge, which crosses the River Anton near
the picturesque Fishing Cottage. In the middle centre are the chalk
pits excavated by the Tasker brothers to provide ballast for the
foundations for the works they built on Clatford Marsh. The arched
building (bottom right corner), now known as The Lodge, was a
school built by the Taskers in Anna Valley in 1836. The left-hand
side was home for the schoolmistress and her husband and the
schoolroom was over the arch to the other side.
LOWER BORDER:King cups, clumps of which grow in Watery
Lane.
Goodworth Clatford
Canvas
TOP BORDER:A
"nodding donkey", representing the oil extraction undertaken in the
parish for about two years from 1986; a horse and rider; the keys
of St Peter on the church crest; crossed tennis racquets to
represent the flourishing club in the village; a tractor,
representing farming activities.
MIDDLE SECTION:The silo in the upper right corner was built in 1936 as a
water tower and was encased in wood. To its left is the parish
church of St Peter. The fine tree in the fork of the rivers, where
the Pillhill Brook joins the Anton, is a swamp cypress (Taxodium),
a native of South America. On the opposite bank are several
pollarded willows. The swans on the river represent the many who
are permanent residents; ducks can also be seen lower down. Moseley
Cottage (on the right) in the centre of the village is typical of
many thatched properties. Note the fisherman on the bank below. The
red brick building is the Village Club. The crown and the oak tree
symbolise the Royal Oak public house. This, together with the
school and Forge Cottages, was destroyed by a flying bomb on the
14th July 1944.
LOWER BORDER:burdock; a heron; kingcups; wild sorrel; roe deer;
willowherb.
Barton Stacey and Bullington
Canvas
TOP BORDER:The
blazing house recalls the great fire which destroyed much of the
village on 7th May 1792; the Roman soldier and his counterpart, the
modern soldier in combat uniform, symbolise the fact that Army
camps have been in the area from Roman to modern times; the corn
represents the ancient rights of villagers to thresh corn in the
market place.
MIDDLE SECTION: The fields at the top of the panel represent those on
either side of the road which climbs to Newton Stacey. The red flag
flies when the Army firing range at Moody Down is in use, and hot
air balloons and helicopters are a common sight. Below the
cornfield a tractor is seen at work. The parish church of All
Saints, Barton Stacey is in the centre at the foot of the hill.
Prominent in the centre is The Swan Inn. Next to it is the village
stores, post-office with its red letterbox, and, most unusually for
a village, a launderette. The building whose gables can be seen
behind the shop is "Homelea", and the group of houses about the inn
sign represent the view down the village street looking south,
including "Chestnut cottage", home of Mrs J Sambell who designed
the panel. The horse which just be seen at centre right is Chammy,
owned by Kim and Claire Wainwright. In the bottom left corner is
the viaduct which carried the now disused railway over the River
Dever and close to it is the picturesque church of St Michael and
All Angels. There are lime trees lining the church path,
representing the twelve apostles. In spring the borders are
carpeted with daffodils. Above the church a man can be seen fishing
in the Dever Springs Trout Fishers.
LOWER BORDER: Deer grazing in Harewood Forest;
poppies, hedgehogs about and sheep graze in large numbers; trout
are plentiful in the Dever and anglers can hire a rod in the trout
fishery; there are many pheasants and the area is a habitat for
barn owls.