Test Valley Borough Council

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Smannell, Knights Enham, Enham Alamein, Charlton

 
 
One of nineteen tapestry panels covering the Borough of Test Valley
 
Smannell Canvas
 

TOP BORDER:Skittles, representing the annual village fete and bowling for the pig competition held before the war. The fifty-pence coin commemorates Mr Christopher Ironside of Church Farm House who designed Britain's first decimal coinage introduced in February 1971; the steam engine "Lincoln Imp". The cottage loaf and peel denote bread making begun at Woodhouse Bakery nearly two centuries ago. Riding for the Disabled. The Andover group started at Woodhouse Farm in 1972; the hurdle represents three local businesses, which supplied hurdles, pea sticks, bean rods, faggots and logs

 

MIDDLE SECTION:The cottages in the top left corner are from the hamlet of Little London, which was established in 1665 by refugees from the great plague. The cultivated fields belong to Woodhouse Farm whose farmhouse (on the right) dates from 1746. The thatched building on the left is the Woodhouse Bakery. The red bakers' van can be detected at the end of the cottage. The cows opposite are part of the local herd of Friesians. The staddlestones with flowers at their base are from Finkley Manor Farmhouse (1787). The red-tiled building is the school, built in 1873. Between the school and the church is the distinctive letterbox. Christ Church, Smannell, with its brick decorated and flint walls. The mother and toddler next to the rider in the bottom corner represent the drug rehabilitation unit at nearby Ashley Copse. A new mother and baby unit was opened here by the Princess of Wales in 1988, which accounts for the red helicopter at the top of the panel

 

LOWER BORDER:Animals and plants of the countryside; primroses/ rabbit; blackberries; pheasant; an oak branch, representing the village inn, the British Oak.

 
Knights Enham and Enham Alamein Canvas
 

TOP BORDER:Two books representing Enham's bookbinding industry; the insignia of the Mediterranean Fleet 1942, the 8th Army (Desert Rats) and the Western Desert Air Force which are featured in the three stained glass windows in the Alamein Church of St George; a basketful of flowers representing the combined Enham industries of basket making and the garden centre.

 

MIDDLE SECTION:The large building at the top of the panel is the £1.3 million Enham Resource Centre for assessing the disabled, completed in 1990 and opened by the Patron, the Duchess of Gloucester. The cedar tree in front of the building is now the logo of the Enham Trust. The biplane in the upper corner symbolises the link between the First World War and the manufacture of glider parts in the Second. Below the Resources Centre, on the left, is an elm tree. The 17th century thatched cottage houses the estate office and a museum of the Battle of Alamein. Below the elm tree is the bus shelter, originally a shepherd's hut and rebuilt brick by brick. In front is a flower stall, representing the Garden Centre. The building in the centre is The Landale Wilson Institute. To its right is the general store and sub-post office. The disabled are represented by a lady in a wheelchair and friend, also emphasising the social aspect provided by the store. In front of the Landale Wilson hall is a bed of red roses planted as a memorial to the late Medical Officer Dr MacCullum. Below the rose garden is Bradbury House. In the bottom left corner is the 12th century church of St Michael, Knights Enham. The squirrel in the tree denotes its country setting; a hedgehog sits in front. The imposing gates in the bottom corner are one of the set of three presented by the Egyptian government. Surrounding the gates are some of the abundant flora and fauna including daisies, fly agaric fungus, cuckoo pint, cowslip, bluetits, butterfly and snail. The poppy represents the war dead. The huge candle made in the workshops is now listed in the Guinness Book of Records. It was 101.7 feet tall and was exhibited at the Andover Show in 1989.

 

LOWER BORDER:Fox, badgers in their set; ferns, leaves, robins, ladybird butterflies and sheep.

 
Charlton Canvas
 

TOP BORDER:Artefacts and a dwelling, representing Charlton's Saxon heritage; the oak tree planted to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in June 1897; the bell presented to the church of St Thomas, Charlton, by Lady Susan Sutton of Penton Lodge on its consecration in March 1908; symbols representing "livelihoods"; a horse shoe and arable farming; the school, and a baker representing the Hopgood family whose business goes back over 100 years.

 

MIDDLE SECTION:Just left of centre at the top of the panel is Marchment Farm, with grazing sheep, a horse and farm buildings. To the right of the farm is Foxcotte Tower. The houses to the right of the tower represent those built to meet the needs of the Andover district as a dormitory area. The lake represents the very popular Charlton Sports and Leisure Centre, built on 76 acres of waste ground. The boating and fishing lake, sports pavilions and children's play area depicted in the panel. To its left is the village shop and post office and across the road is the church of St Thomas. The Royal Oak public house is prominent lower in the panel. In front of the pub is a thriving flower stall which was established in the village in 1989 while the thatched cottages at the bottom of the panel, located opposite Carters Meadows, are Bluebell Cottage on the left and Snowdrop Cottage on the right. Below the splendid horse-chestnut tree and beds of daffodils are the watercress beds, which were still being harvested when the panel was designed.

 

LOWER BORDER: Local birds and fish found at Charlton Lakes - Canada geese; moorhens; swift, martin and swallow; trout, chub and silver bream.

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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