The Village
The village of Medstead is situated in north-east Hampshire, to the east of Winchester, west of Alton and south-east of Basingstoke. Located on a plateau on the Hampshire Downs between the valleys of the Itchen, to the west, and Meon, to the east, it is one of the highest villages in Hampshire, at over 700 feet (210 metres) above sea level. The views from the village are magnificent and far-reaching, particularly to Winchester and the south west from Common Hill and Chalky Hill.
It is a rural community, agriculture is predominantly arable, with some livestock and, as smallholdings have gradually disappeared due to changing economic circumstances, increasing equestrian activities.
Today, there is a significant equestrian presence in the village, with three riding establishments and nearly sixty private yards. It is estimated nearly 200 horses are liveried around the parish, which has 105 horses per 1000 people, compared to a UK average of 17.
The village population of around 2000 has grown steadily from 350 in 1811, 776 in 1921, and 1,200 in 1966.
The village centre is clearly defined by the area around the High Street. At one end lies the Church, the Church Hall, which was previously the village school, the Castle of Comfort public house, Medstead Hardware and Post Office and the Handy Stores.
At the other end lies the Convent Of St. Lucy and the village green with its sports pavilion and village hall.
Medstead is not a compact settlement: the 10 mile (16.3 km) parish boundary covers an area of about 4.4 miles² (7.2 km²), and the village stretches along the roads which radiate from the centre, with areas of farmland in between.
Along South Town Road lies the village cemetery, a garden centre, the United Reformed Church, a builders' merchant, physiotherapist, the Watercress Medical Group surgery, and, almost on the boundary with Four Marks, a butcher, saddler, bicycle shop, café and Medstead & Four Marks Station, on the Watercress Line heritage railway.
Along Roe Downs Road lies Medstead Church Of England Primary School and Preschool & Nursery, the tennis and bowls clubs and, at Red Hill, an equestrian supplier.
Medstead Parish Council
Medstead Parish Council consists of nine members. It meets, every two months, on Tuesdays at 7.45pm in the Village Hall. The Annual Parish Meeting is usually held on the third Tuesday of April, each year. All meetings are open to the public.
parish n. 1. An area having its own church and clergy. 2. (in full civil parish) A district constituted for purposes of local government. 3. The inhabitants of a parish.
The next meetings are on:
15th January 2008
18th March 2008
15th April 2008 (Annual Parish Meeting)
20th May 2008
15th July 2008
16th September 2008
18th November 2008
Please contact the Parish Clerk for more details.
Medstead is part of the Four Marks and Medstead Ward of East Hampshire District Council, the Medstead and Selborne Hampshire County Council Division, the East Hampshire Parliamentary Constituency and the Wight and Hampshire South European Constituency. In 2004, the electoral roll contained 1565 names.
Medstead's elected representatives are:
Schools
Medstead Church Of England Primary School provides high quality primary education for children aged between 5 and 11. On the same site is the registered and highly regarded Medstead Preschool & Nursery for children over 2 years, 9 months old.
The Roman Catholic Convent of St. Lucy also runs a nursery school for children aged 2 years, 9 months to 5 years old.
Medstead toddlers group meets once a week on Thursday mornings during term time in the Village Hall.
Bentworth toddlers group meets in Bentworth School Hall from 10.00 to 11.30am every Monday during term time. Parents and toddlers from all the villages in the Benefice are welcome for this social gathering.
Churches
The Anglican Parish Church of St. Andrew's lies at the heart of the village and provides the parish with a healthy life of worship, prayer, study, community activities and events.
Besides St. Andrew's, there are two other churches in Medstead: the Roman Catholic Chapel of St. Lucy, on the High Street and the United Reform Church on South Town Road.
You will receive a warm welcome at whichever congregation is appropriate to you.
Village Clubs & Organisations
Medstead has a number of active social and interest groups: the Toddlers, Gardeners Club, Women's Institute, Guides, Brownies and Scouts, and sports clubs such as football, cricket, tennis, table tennis and bowls, to name but a few.
| Organisation |
Contact |
| Badminton |
Kath Whitcher
Telephone: 01420 562123 |
Bowls |
Stan Whitcher
Telephone: 01420 562123 |
| Brownies |
Dianne Marlow
Telephone: 01420 564481 |
Car Club |
Graham Franklin
Telephone: 01420 541900 |
| Carpet Racers |
Peter Tims
email Pete, or
Telephone: 01420 84615 |
Cricket |
Andy Tingey
Telephone: 01420 563626 |
| Cubs |
Owen Thomas
Telephone: 01420 563048 |
Football |
Andy Brown
Telephone: 01420 563699 |
| Gardeners Club |
Gill Siddall
Telephone: 01420 564339 |
Guides |
Sarah Delaney
Telephone: 01420 563602 |
| Lawn Tennis Club |
Scilla Winchester
Telephone: 01420 83156 |
Medstead Old-Time Dance Club |
Bill Baxter
Telephone: 01420 86957 |
| Medstead Preschool & Nursery |
Pat Brough
Telephone: 01420 562092 |
Medstead Players |
Pam Kercher
Telephone: 01420 563553 |
| National Women's Register |
Sheila Wooding
Telephone: 01420 564345 |
Scouts |
Tim Warren
Telephone: 01420 562787 |
| Table Tennis |
David Bird
Telephone: 01420 563425 |
Toddlers |
Julie Burton
Telephone: 01420 562546 |
| Voluntary Care Group |
Duty Co-Ordinator
Telephone: 01420 561438 |
Women's Institute |
Sheila Dawson
Telephone: 01420 564176 |
Village Events
Medstead holds a traditional, annual, fund-raising Village Fête in July on the Village Green and in the Village Hall, with a parade, stalls, refreshments and entertainment throughout the afternoon.
May Day
In the nineteenth century celebrating May Day was a major village festival, a gala day with stalls and booths erected on the Village Green and dancing between rows of rustic poles, garlanded with flowers and leafy boughs.
Central to the celebration was the Jack in the Green, a colourful figure covered in greenery and foliage and accompanied by attendants, playing music, dancing and singing, celebrating the coming of summer.
Read more about Medstead's history.
A Harvest Supper, organised by St. Andrew's Church is held in the Village Hall in September and is open to all parishioners.
A family fun sports day, The Luke Frost Games is held annually every May to raise funds for research into childhood brain tumours.
In October the annual Mick Carter Memorial Walk raises funds for the Medstead over-60s Christmas Party, held in January in the Village Hall.
The Windmill Inn's football team, from Four Marks, and the Medstead cricket team play their home games on the Village Green.
The Village Hall (01420 562123), on the Village Green, and the Church Hall, next to St. Andrew's Church, are available to hire for a variety of functions.
Please see our Events page for a guide to this year's social events, meetings and other activities at St. Andrew's and around the village.
A Village Diary also appears in our monthly village magazine, The Medstead Times, published by the Management Committee of Medstead Village Hall and available for a small annual subscription.
The Villager, the parish magazine of Bentworth, Lasham, Medstead and Shalden, also has Dates For Your Diary, a selection of events throughout our united benefice. Published monthly, it is available, free, from the back of the Church, usually from the final Sunday of the preceding month.
Local Services
The village sub-Post Office may be found within Medstead Hardware in the High Street, Medstead, Alton, GU34 5LW, telephone: 01420 562107.
Opening hours are 9.00am to 5.30pm, daily. The Post Office is closed for lunch between 12.30pm and 1.45pm and on Sundays. Early closing days are Wednesday and Saturday.
Household waste and recyclables, in green and black wheeled bins, are collected alternately each week. Garden waste for composting is collected in green plastic sacks, at the same time as recyclables.
Sacks may be purchased from East Hampshire District Council at a cost, currently, of £18 per year for the first licence and £9 per year for subsequent licences. The initial licence is reduced to £9 if you receive Council Tax Benefit or Housing Benefit.
There is a household waste recycling centre at Omega Park, Wilsom Road, Alton.
The nearest library is in Alton. A mobile library also visits the parish fortnightly on Wednesdays, at these locations and times.
There is a Citizens Advice Bureau in Alton, at 7, Cross and Pillory Lane. They can be contacted via email, or telephone 01420 84399 and also offer a drop-in service from 10.00am to 4.00pm on Mondays to Thursdays.
As a voluntary body, depending on grants, charity contributions and volunteer help, they can offer independent and impartial advice. They deal with enquiries on a wide range of topics, including employment issues, consumer matters, benefits, debt, housing, legal and relationship issues.
Police
Hampshire Constabulary's Safer Neighbourhood, or Beat, Sergeant for Alton and the surrounding area is:
Police Sergeant 1242 Ian Dugdale
email:
Telephone Alton Police Station: 0845 045 045
The Safer Neighbourhood, or Beat, Officer for Bentworth, Lasham and Medstead is:
PC833 Colin Gray, assisted by Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Dave Nops
email:
The Safer Neighbourhood Officer for Shalden is:
PC Simon Dear assisted by PCSO Andy White.
The aim of Safer Neighbourhoods is to involve residents in the way policing is carried out, and to identify perceived issues in, the local community. Contact Ian or the Safer Neighbourhood Officer with any issues or concerns you may have.
Related Links
Safer Neighbourhoods Teams:
Alton
Bentworth, Lasham and Medstead
Shalden
Doctors, Hospitals, Dentists
Local medical practices, which come under the Mid-Hampshire Primary Care Trust, include:
Boundaries Surgery
Winchester Road, Four Marks.
Telephone: 01420 562153
Watercress Medical Group
Mansfield Park Surgery, Lymington Bottom Road, Medstead.
Telephone: 01420 562922
The nearest hospitals include:
Alton Community Hospital
Chawton Park Road, Alton.
Telephone: 01420 82811
North Hampshire Hospital
Aldermaston Road, Basingstoke.
Telephone: 01256 473202
Royal Hampshire County Hospital
Romsey Road, Winchester.
Telephone: 01962 863535
Other practices include:
Burchfield Physiotherapy Practice
Lymington Bottom Road, Medstead.
Telephone: 01420 563200
Medstead Physiotherapy and Sports Injury Clinic
Harfields, Wield Road, Medstead.
Telephone: 01420 560026
Local dental practices include:
Anstey Road Dental Practice
54, Anstey Road, Alton.
Telephone: 01420 83589
K.P Collins
56, Normandy Street, Alton.
Telephone: 01420 87756
Kingsclere Dental Practice
90, Normandy Street, Alton.
Telephone: 01420 82365
T Langford, A Hudson & H Chappel
Apollonia House, 2, Amery Street, Alton.
Telephone: 01420 84443
M Yewe-Dyer
The Alton Health Centre, Anstey Road, Alton.
Telephone: 01420 590085
Travel
There is a regular, if infrequent, bus service from the centre of the village to Alton and Basingstoke run by Stagecoach Hants and Surrey.
The nearest railway station is at Alton. Train services are run by South West Trains into London, Waterloo.
Southampton Airport, about 40 minutes away, serves numerous domestic and European locations.
Shopping
The village centre has two shops: the Handy Stores, a grocer and newsagent, and Medstead Hardware, which includes the village Post Office. The Castle Of Comfort, on Castle Street, behind the Church, serves lunches and a variety of fine beers.
The nearest shopping centre is the market town of Alton, where market day is Tuesday. There are also regular Hampshire Farmers Markets. Other nearby market towns are Alresford and Farnham.
Larger shopping centres may be found at Festival Place, Basingstoke; in the historic city of Winchester; and at Whiteley Village or West Quay, in Southampton.
Village History
Read more about the history of Medstead:
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