Sunday afternoon on the quiet St George's Square, High Street, Bishop's Waltham, Hampshire, UK
"Bishop's Waltham is a small town in Hampshire, England situated at the head of the River Hamble. It is home to the ruins of Bishop's Waltham Palace, an English Heritage monument. The town's name comprises three parts 'walt' - forest; 'ham' - settlement'; and 'Bishop's'. It started off as a Saxon village, and steadily grew to become one of Hampshire's largest villages, despite being burnt to the ground by Danes in 1001 AD. By the time of the Domesday book (1086 AD), it had a population of around 450. In 904, it was given by the king to the Bishop of Winchester. In 1136 Henry de Blois, a later bishop built the now-ruined Bishop's Waltham Palace. It was destroyed on the orders of Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil war. Much of the old Palace is still in the town. Apart from the ruins, which are open to the public and well worth a visit, material from the Palace was used as building materials in town buildings still standing to this day. William of Wykeham died in the town, while after the Battle of Trafalgar, some French sailors including Admiral Villeneuve were imprisoned there. There are many Georgian buildings in the town alongside the Norman parish church. The town retains a unique character, having few chain stores and lots of individual shops and services. Local residents and councillors have fought hard to ensure that new buildings complement the beautiful architecture instead of ruining it. Unusually for the United Kingdom, there is a vineyard nearby. During the 19th century Bishop's Waltham was a successful market town, being home to several agricultural suppliers, merchants and a cattle market. The town also had a large brickworks to its north, along with a gasworks that provided town gas for lighting and heating the town. " Wikipedia
Size: 5129px × 3386px
Location: Bishop's Waltham, Hampshire, UK
Photo credit: © Maurice Savage / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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