Houghton, Bossington, Broughton

TOP BORDER:A game keeper and his dog, representing local shooting interests; a barge loaded with locally cut chalk blocks which would have been transported along the Redbridge to Andover canals; a wool merchant loading his mule and a sheep shearer; a soldier, representing those who served in both world wars; a Roman centurion.

MIDDLE SECTION:The 12th century All Saints Church is in the centre. To the left of the church is the sheepbridge arching over the river with the poplar trees beyond and part of Houghton Lodge, built by the river. Above the church roof is Bossington House, with its cedar tree, home of John Fairey of the aviation family. He flies his Fairey Flycatcher over the house. Hereford cattle graze below the bridge and nearby a badger can be seen. In the left foreground is the Boot Inn, and beyond are Wayside Cottages. To the right is the well-known wheelwright's workshop in front of which is a thatcher, with his straw bundles, about to work on one of the cottages. A fisherman wades in the river while a swan floats gracefully by the willow tree. A kestrel hovers above the river and mallards are on the wing above Houghton Lodge.

LOWER BORDER:The bullrush, yellow mimulus, water avens, moorhen, water rail; and orange balsam, represent the wildlife of the river and water meadows as do the trout, grey wagtail, kingfisher, marsh marigold, shrew and barn owl. The hare, tiger moth, wild strawberry, field bindweed, red squirrel, orange tip butterfly, rosebay willowherb and ragged robin, are all to be found in the surrounding countryside.

TOP BORDER:To the right of the centurion, the shepherd represents the ancient sheep drove which passed through Broughton on its way to the Stockbridge and Weyhill sheep fairs: the juggler, the girl carrying produce, the stall, the King and the goose-girl all represent the granting by Henry III in 1248 of a weekly market at the Manor of Broughton and a yearly fair on the feast of St Mary Magdalene; the next figures are William Steele and his daughter Anne the poet and hymn writer; two boys stand in front of the school endowed in 1601 by Thomas Dowse; a village blacksmith. Above him is the sign of the greyhound, now used by one of the public houses and originally part of the arms of Thomas Dowse.

MIDDLE SECTION:In the centre is the dovecote or columbarium situated in the graveyard of the church. In the churchyard are ancient Irish yews. The church clock is set at eight o'clock, a reminder that until 1963 a curfew bell was rung daily at 8pm from Michaelmas Day to Lady Day to tell householders to douse their fires to minimise the risk to thatched roofs. In the centre right of the main section is the former Baptist Chapel, which bears a stone to mark that the Baptist faith was established in Broughton in 1655. The houses between the Baptist Church and the Dovecote are modern village homes, whilst that between the dovecote and the parish church represents the many thatched cottages. In the background is Broughton Down, with the chalk track up to Whiteshoot Hill on the right. Below this are fields of hay, corn and grazing cattle and horses, all part of village farming. Just visible at the top right of the Baptist Church is the village community bus. The deer, heron, wild duck, swans and willow trees are all seen on or near the Wallop Brook as it flows through the village to join the Test at Bossington. The two horse-riders near the bridge and the pheasants in the foreground represent sporting pursuits, while the Hampshire Down sheep in the corner are another indication of the agricultural nature of Broughton.