Michelmersh, Braishfield, Lockerley

TOP BORDER: Queen Emma, who presented the Manor of Michelmersh to St Swithun at Winchester in 1043. On the table beside her is the Michelmersh Pot, a late Saxon pot found intact inside a small kiln discovered locally; the archer and mounted knight refer to the tradition that in 1415 more than six hundred knights and archers camped in the parish before setting sail for France and the Battle of Agincourt; the gentleman on the black horse is Sir William Ogle who defended Winchester Castle for the king against Cromwell in 1645. The soldier on sentry duty and the army truck represent the units, which camped here before the D-day invasion of Normandy; the bricks are those still made from local clay.

MIDDLE SECTION: In the centre at the top is the parish church dedicated to 'Our Lady' but known as St Mary's. To the left is the barn. The fields show local arable farming. Top right is Michelmersh Court. The house on the left below the barn is Old House; the yellow bricked house is Michelmersh House, and below the sheep is Manor Farm, the site associated with Queen Emma's gift to Winchester. In the left centre, below the Old House, are strawberries at Yew Tree Farm. The row of cottages to the right of the strawberry field are houses built for estate workers during the last century. The fine house on the right is the Old Rectory. Below the strawberry field is one of the post-war houses. To the left of the red telephone kiosk is the Old Bakery where villagers took their cakes to be cooked. Below the bakery is a small bungalow, typical of a number built in the 1930's. At the other side is the smithy, happily still functioning, with Les Ninnim wielding the hammer and tongs. In the centre is the Michelmersh Brick Company, Britain's largest manufacturer of traditional handmade bricks and roofing tiles. The bottom corner features a stretch of the River Test, which forms the western boundary of the parish, and cattle, which symbolise local diary farming. Opposite is the Bear and Ragged Staff, the village public house. The signboard bears the coat of arms of the Earls of Warwick because the first Earl was known as the 'Bear' having strangled one single-handed, whilst another is reputed to have slain a giant with a tree-shaped club, hence 'The Bear and Ragged Staff'. In front of the pub is the Michelmersh Silver Band, which celebrated its centenary in 1985.

LOWER BORDER:A willow tree; two swallows and a swan found in the lower part of the village; the village name surrounded by some of the flowers which grow there. The right hand side has a barn owl, a deer and an oak tree for the higher part of the village.

TOP BORDER:Mesolithic Man and Fern Hill representing local archaeological finds; the oak tree, the village emblem, stands in the school grounds; the red coat soldier and the flags represent the semaphore station known to have been one of a chain during the Napoleonic period; in the vestry at Farley Chamberlayne Church, hung high in the rafters, is a cresset beacon which could date from the reign of Edward III, used at Farley Mount at the time of the Armada when a signal of fire stretched across the land gave a warning of the Spanish Fleet's approach.

MIDDLE SECTION:The large house at the top is Braishfield Manor. In the other corner is the memorial on Farley Mount also featured in the King's Somborne panel. To the lower right is the red brick parish church of All Saints. To the left of the parish church is the United Reformed Church. In the centre of the panel is the imposing war memorial. The village pond is on the right, with children playing on the banks. The willow tree is no longer there, but children regularly feed the resident ducks and moorhens. Below the pond is the school; children play netball in the playground. Below and to the left of the United Reformed Church is a scarecrow, recalling that Pucknell Farm in the parish was used as 'Scatterbrook Farm' for the television series 'Worzel Gummidge' starring Jon Pertwee. The public house is the Newport Inn. In the bottom left corner is a remarkable village character Reginald Guy (Boxer) Old with his steam tractor 'Boxer's Beauty'.

LOWER BORDER:Representative plant life; ragged robin, cedar tree (several grow in the gardens of the larger houses); cowslip; wild orchid; bluebell and foxgloves.

TOP BORDER:In the centre is the Victoria Cross won on 26th August 1914 by Bombardier Fred Luke who lived at Lockerley Green. On either side are trout found in the River Dun.

MIDDLE SECTION:The design is based on the four village greens. At the top left isTop Green, the highest, surrounded by a mixture of old and modern houses. In the top centre is Dean Hill, while top right is Holbury where there is still a mill by the river. Running diagonally across the panel is a stretch of the railway line that runs from Salisbury through Romsey to Portsmouth, with a busy bus station at Dunbridge. On the left, below Top Green, is Lockerley Post Office; while the yellow faced building on the right is the village stores. Below the stores are the man-made Lockerley Ponds, created to provide commercial fishing facilities. The River Dun runs under the ancient mill, now a private residence.