Test Valley Borough Council

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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.

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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