River Hamble Country Park

River Hamble Country Park is a 144.1-hectare (356-acre) Local Nature Reserve which runs along the west bank of the River Hamble between the villages of Botley and Bursledon in Hampshire. It is owned by Hampshire County Council and managed by Hampshire Countryside Service.[1][2] It is part of Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar site[3] and Special Protection Area,[4] and of Solent Maritime Special Area of Conservation.[5] Part of it is in Upper Hamble Estuary and Woods, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[6]

River Hamble Country Park
The River Hamble as seen from the Country Park
TypeLocal Nature Reserve
Location, Hampshire
OS gridSU 501 114
Area144.1 hectares (356 acres)
Managed byHampshire Countryside Service

History
See also: HMS Cricket (shore establishment)

The park first opened in 1979 as Upper Hamble Country Park and in 1984 the Manor Farm museum was opened to the north of the site as a Wartime museum.[7] The museum site was once at the heart of the village of Botley.[7] The ancient duckpond in Manor Farm and the neighbouring St Batholomew's Church are mentioned in the Domesday book. There is evidence of a Roman road running through the site,[8] which would have been the route between the Roman settlements of Clausentum (Bitterne Manor) and Portus Adurni (Portchester).[9]

This park is on the site of the former Royal Navy shore establishment named HMS Cricket.

Once decommissioned in 1946, the buildings that were left behind by the Royal Navy were used to house citizens of Southampton who were displaced by bombing during World War II. The site was then known as "The Cricket Camp", until 1952 when it was no longer required for that purpose.[10]

Most of the wartime buildings have been demolished, but Manor Farm Country Park retains a much smaller "Cricket Camp" which is used by Scouts.

Facilities
Barnfield Kiosk.

Outside of Manor Farm, which is located within the country park on its North West boundary, the country park's facilities are located around two main fields surrounded by wooded copses. The northern 'Toplands' field contains eight barbecue pitches and has a dog training field nearby for locals.[11] The southern 'Barnfield' site contains a kiosk selling refreshments and a play area and is the start of a number of way-marked walks around the park.[11]

In 2019 it was reported that Hampshire County Council would be investing £800,000 into the Country Park through the construction of a new visitor centre, replacement of play equipment and the improvement of wayfinding and walking routes across the site.[12]

The western extremity of the site, along the access road, includes the location of Cricket Camp Scout Activity Centre, used by Itchen South Scouts and the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Activities Centre.[11]

Manor Farm
The ancient duckpond at Manor Farm.

Within the country park at the North East of the park lies Manor Farm, a historic farm attraction with its own opening hours and pricing policy. It opened in 1984 as the Manor Farm museum and has since developed into a family-focused visitor attraction within the setting of the historic village run by Hampshire County Council.[13]

The site includes historic buildings that link to the heritage of the site and the original museum including a forge, wheelwrights, farmhouse and Victorian schoolhouse.[13] The ancient duckpond and the neighbouring St Batholomew's Church also form part of the location.

Popular activities on offer at the farm include feeding, walking and seeing the animals and a large galvanised steel roundhouse was erected on the site in 2019 in order to house the animals while visitors could watch form the included viewing gallery.[13] Other on-site facilities include a visitor centre and gift shop located in the 18th century threshing barn,[14] a cafe for visitors[14] as well as amenities such as toilets and an education centre for visiting school groups.[13]

Manor Farm was the location for the historical documentary TV series Wartime Farm, broadcast by the BBC in 2012.[15]

See also

References
  1. "Manor Farm". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  2. "Map of Manor Farm". Local Nature Reserves. Natural England. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  3. "Designated Sites View: Solent and Southampton Water". Ramsar Site. Natural England. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  4. "Designated Sites View: Solent and Southampton Water". Special Protection Areas. Natural England. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  5. "Designated Sites View: Solent Maritime". Special Areas of Conservation. Natural England. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  6. "Designated Sites View: Upper Hamble Estuary and Woods". Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  7. "Manor Farm Country Park (Upper Hamble Country Park)". Hampshire Gardens Trust. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  8. Ordnance Survey
  9. Blyth, Joyce B., The Changing Face of Hedge End, 1979, ASIN : B0018LRNT6
  10. Local Heritage Initiative website
  11. "Explore River Hamble Country Park". River Hamble Country Park. Hampshire County Council. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  12. Cotterill, Tom (2 March 2019). "River Hamble Country Park set to be boosted by £800k investment". The News. IPI Media. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  13. "Manor Farm - Case Study". Roundhouse Building Solutions Ltd. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  14. "Plan your visit". Manor Farm. Hampshire County Council. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  15. "Wartime Farm official website". Wartimefarm.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2018.

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