| Date: Location: Walk Leader: Participants: Distance: Parking: Lunch: | 27th November 2013 Rockbourne Peter Peter, Clive, Ray, Rob. 6.2 miles Parked just outside the Roman Villa Car Park which is closed at this time of year. Lunch at The Bat and Ball, which is now open all day for food, was quite good. ★★ |
We turned right at the entrance to the Villa and crossed the road taking the smaller road leading towards Whitsbury Cross. A short distance along this road we turned left onto the marked footpath. This path is quite interesting as it takes you along the back of the houses and at times seems to be going through peoples back gardens. Shortly before the church it goes along the edge of the drive of one of the houses and through a gate that looks as if it leads to another garden! The church is well worth a look as is the Manor House. The path also crosses what appears to be the private garden of the Manor. Turning right just after the Manor grounds there are some very interesting old buildings.
The web site http://www.british-history.ac.uk has a fairly detailed history of Rockbourne and includes the foliowing:
The village consists chiefly of one street almost half a mile long. The church is in the north-east of the main street Close to the church, adjoining the north side of the churchyard, is a very interesting group of buildings, consisting of a small L-shaped 14th-century house, now used as part of a modern farm-house, the remains of a large Elizabethan or Jacobean house a short distance to the east, a 13th-century chapel near its south-east angle, and a large 15th-century barn running northward from the chapel. The barn has two large waggon-porches, and at the north end has been divided into two stories for use as living rooms; the chapel is now used as a barn, and its most interesting feature is a north doorway with a cinquefoiled head.
The walk continues across some open fields and woodland before coming out at the immaculately kept Whitsbury Stud. The path then drops down to the bottom of the valley and joins Long Steeple Lane. This is not the most exciting stretch of the walk but was enlivened by the presence of a pheasant shooting party. We had our coffee at Roundhill Cross and watched one of the drives. This was so exciting that we forgot to go towards Outwick Cross as originally planned and continued up the hill past Roundhill Farm. We turned left onto a footpath to go around Whitsbury House and then branched off to the right to go on to Radnall Wood and Brookheath. A field full of young exuberant cows caused another change of plan and so instead of going past Sagles Spring we headed towards Rockstead Copse and then turned left following the road back to the Roman Villa.
The web site http://www.british-history.ac.uk has a fairly detailed history of Rockbourne and includes the foliowing:
The village consists chiefly of one street almost half a mile long. The church is in the north-east of the main street Close to the church, adjoining the north side of the churchyard, is a very interesting group of buildings, consisting of a small L-shaped 14th-century house, now used as part of a modern farm-house, the remains of a large Elizabethan or Jacobean house a short distance to the east, a 13th-century chapel near its south-east angle, and a large 15th-century barn running northward from the chapel. The barn has two large waggon-porches, and at the north end has been divided into two stories for use as living rooms; the chapel is now used as a barn, and its most interesting feature is a north doorway with a cinquefoiled head.
The walk continues across some open fields and woodland before coming out at the immaculately kept Whitsbury Stud. The path then drops down to the bottom of the valley and joins Long Steeple Lane. This is not the most exciting stretch of the walk but was enlivened by the presence of a pheasant shooting party. We had our coffee at Roundhill Cross and watched one of the drives. This was so exciting that we forgot to go towards Outwick Cross as originally planned and continued up the hill past Roundhill Farm. We turned left onto a footpath to go around Whitsbury House and then branched off to the right to go on to Radnall Wood and Brookheath. A field full of young exuberant cows caused another change of plan and so instead of going past Sagles Spring we headed towards Rockstead Copse and then turned left following the road back to the Roman Villa.
 Medieval Barn |  Light reflecting ruck sacks |  Pheasant Shoot |
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