Stockbridge and the Wallops are without doubt some of the prettiest and most popular places to live in Hampshire.
They feel untouched by time and are seeped in history. A feature of the Grosvenor Hotel in Stockbridge is its ‘porte cochere’ overhanging the pavement, which served two functions in stagecoaching days: those in the coach could alight and keep dry under its shelter, whilst travellers on top of the coach and the luggage could enter the building by a high level door. Nowadays, the upper storey of the porte cochere is used as the meeting room of the renowned Houghton Fishing Club, which is restricted to fewer than 20 members! The walls of its clubroom are covered with glass cases containing enormous stuffed brown trout, the fish for which the Test is famous.
The Wallop brook which joins the River Test south of Stockbridge runs through the three delightful villages of Over Wallop, Middle Wallop and Nether Wallop. Inside Nether Wallops parish church of St Andrew are medieval wall paintings depicting St George fighting the dragon. Nether Wallop was used as the location for Miss Marples home village of St Mary Mead in the BBC TV adaptations of Agatha Christie’s crime novels in the 1980s and 90s that featured Joan Hickson as the eponymous amateur detective.
If have yet to discover this lovely part of Hampshire, a drive through the Wallops followed by a stroll around the many lovely shops and tea rooms in Stockbridge is a must!