Kimpton, Hampshire

Kimpton
Hampshire
Location
Grid reference:	SU282467
Location:	51°13’9"N, 1°35’51"W
Data
Population:	337  (2011)
Post town:	Andover
Postcode:	SP11
Dialling code:	01264
Local Government
Council:	Test Valley
Parliamentary constituency:	North West Hampshire

Kimpton is a village in north-western Hampshire, to the west of Andover, and close to Ludgershall, across the county border in Wiltshire. South of Kimpton is the Thruxton motor racing circuit.

The wider parish encompasses Kimpton itself, and the hamlet of Shoddesden to the north. The 2001 Census recorded a population of 352 for both together.

The A342 passes through the north-east corner of the parish. The Midland and South Western Junction Railway, which runs parallel to the road, was closed to passengers in 1961, however the line remains open as far as Ludgershall to serve an army depot on the edge of the town.

Church

The parish church, the Church of St Peter & St Paul is built of flint, stone rubble and brick, and has a tower and a cruciform layout. The oldest parts of the church are the nave and chancel, built in the 13th century; other parts were added later. It is a Grade I listed building.

About the village

Kimpton Manor, originally built in 1444, is one of the oldest inhabited houses in Hampshire.

The village has a small pub called The Welcome Stranger, The Kimpton Apple Press, a park and a village hall which also acts as a pre-school.

Kimpton Down, a rural area in the north and west of the parish, contains the remains of several historical sites including bowl barrows and Roman buildings. Excavations near Shoddesden found a former Iron Age/Romano-British settlement site.

A racehorse training complex at Kimpton Down Stables was opened in 2003 by Toby Balding. Ralph Beckett bought Kimpton Down Stables and gallops in late 2010, and trained Talent to win the 2013 Oaks at Epsom Downs Racecourse

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Kimpton, Hampshire)

• Kimpton Apple Press