20-563: Dunbridge is a hamlet in the Test Valley district of Hampshire , England. It is on the River Dun , a tributary of the River Test . Its nearest town is Romsey , which lies approximately 3.75 miles (6 km) south-east from the village. Domesday Book records the manor of Denebrugg being held by one Gilbert de Breteville. The hamlet is served by Mottisfont & Dunbridge railway station on
40-612: A great work of art or music". Stockbridge is home of the Houghton Fishing Club, an exclusive fishing club founded in 1822, which meets in the Grosvenor Hotel. In December 2006, Sport England published a survey which revealed that residents of Test Valley were the 8th most active in England in sports and other fitness activities. 26.9% of the population participate at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes. In March 2012 Test Valley
60-566: A modern building at Beech Park, built in 1990 on the site of the old house. However, full council meetings are not held at Beech Park, but alternately at Andover Guildhall and in Romsey , the other main town in Test Valley. Andover Guildhall is also used for some meetings of Andover Town Council. A petition was launched in around 2014 to move the war memorial back in front of the guildhall where it would be more visible but, after several debates over
80-575: Is also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. In the part of the borough within the New Forest National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the New Forest National Park Authority . The borough council appoints one of its councillors to serve on the 22-person National Park Authority. The council has been under Conservative majority control since 1999. The first election to
100-567: The Wessex Main Line . There is one pub, the Mill Arms. This Hampshire location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Test Valley Test Valley is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire , England, named after the valley of the River Test . The council is based in the borough's largest town of Andover . The borough also contains
120-538: The area are: 51°08′22″N 1°29′28″W / 51.1394°N 1.491°W / 51.1394; -1.491 Andover Guildhall Andover Guildhall is a municipal building in the High Street, Andover, Hampshire , England. The guildhall, which was the headquarters of Andover Borough Council, is a Grade II* listed building . The first guildhall in Andover was built in around 1513 and remodelled in 1574. By
140-472: The centre of a riot in 1914, when magistrates imprisoned a teenager, Phyllis Beckenham, and her mother for non-payment of fines after, against the wishes of the court, she had accosted a shopkeeper, the supposed father of her child: a group of some 2,000 protestors, who supported the teenager, ransacked many of the shops in the High Street. During the First World War , recruitment rallies took place outside
160-507: The centre of the pediment. In November 1830, during the Swing Riots , a group of 300 protesting agricultural labourers set off from the Angel Inn in Andover for Taskers Foundry at Upper Clatford where they destroyed much of the machinery: the foundry must have recovered because the floor in the guildhall was strengthened with iron columns from the foundry in 1834. The town hall was again at
180-436: The composition of the council was: The next election is due in 2027. Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 43 councillors representing 20 wards , with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. The council has its main offices at Beech Hurst in Andover. The site had previously been a large house built in the 1850s, which had been purchased in 1947 by
200-410: The council was held in 1973, initially acting as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements took effect on 1 April 1974. Political control since 1974 has been as follows: The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Test Valley. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council . The leaders since 1980 have been: Following the 2023 election ,
220-412: The early 19th century it had become dilapidated and civic leaders decided to erect a more substantial structure on the same site. The new building was designed in the neoclassical style , built in ashlar stone and was completed in 1825. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing south down the High Street; the central section of three bays, which slightly projected forward and
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#1732895287102240-715: The old Andover Borough Council to use as its headquarters. The house continued to serve as offices for Test Valley after the new council's creation in 1974 until 1990 when it was demolished and replaced by a modern building on the same site, retaining the Beech Hurst name. The council also maintains a smaller office at the former Magistrates' Court on Church Street in Romsey. Full council meetings are held alternately at Andover Guildhall and at Crosfield Hall in Romsey. Test Valley covers some 250 square miles (650 km ) of western Hampshire , stretching from boundaries with Southampton in
260-557: The south to near Newbury in the north. Test Valley is a predominantly rural area. It includes part of the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The River Test is the centrepiece of the Test Valley; the river is a chalk stream of particular beauty known for its fishing , salmon and trout , which Lord Crickhowell (onetime chairman of the National Rivers Authority ) said "should be treated as
280-443: The style "town council". Whilst Stockbridge is a post town it has a parish council rather than a town council. Some of the smaller parishes have a parish meeting rather than a parish council. The parishes of Frenchmoor and West Tytherley share a grouped parish council. The area is served by BBC South and ITV Meridian with television signals received from either Rowridge or Hannington TV transmitters. Radio stations for
300-580: The town hall to attract potential soldiers for Kitchener's Army . A war memorial, designed by Captain Herbert Cowley to commemorate the lives of local service personnel who had died in the First World War, was unveiled in front of the guildhall by the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire , Major General J. E. B. Seely , on 5 May 1920. In preparation for an expansion scheme, which did not ultimately proceed,
320-582: The town of Romsey and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. A small part of the borough at its southern end lies within the New Forest National Park , and part of the borough north of Andover lies within the North Wessex Downs , a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The neighbouring districts are Basingstoke and Deane , Winchester , Eastleigh , Southampton , New Forest , Wiltshire and West Berkshire . The district
340-558: The war memorial was relocated to St Mary's Churchyard in 1956. The guildhall continued to serve as the headquarters of Andover Borough Council for much of the 20th century. In 1947 Andover Borough Council bought a large house called Beech Park on Weyhill Road to serve as its main offices, but continued to hold its meetings at the guildhall. In 1974 Andover Borough Council merged with other nearby authorities to become Test Valley District Council (renamed Test Valley Borough Council in 1976). Test Valley Borough Council has its main offices in
360-409: Was rusticated , featured three round headed openings on the ground floor and three sash windows on the first floor flanked by Doric order columns supporting an entablature , a frieze and a large pediment . The frieze featured circular decorations above the columns and also recorded the date of completion. At roof level, there was originally a central clock tower but the clock was later moved to
380-637: Was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , covering the area of four former districts which were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named Test Valley after the River Test which flows through the area. The district was awarded borough status on 22 October 1976, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. Test Valley Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Hampshire County Council . The whole district
400-533: Was ranked 14th best rural area to live out of 119 local authority areas in Great Britain by the Halifax . This was based on factors including employment and income levels, the weather, health and life expectancy, education, crime, broadband access and other things. The whole borough is covered by civil parishes . The parish councils for Andover and Romsey have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take
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