Petersfield High Street North

Part of front cover designed by Edward Grainger for Petersfield Monographs No. 2 entitled ‘High Street Petersfield’.

Visits

Thursday 25 June 2015

On a delightful summer’s evening, PAHS members met up with our guides, Doug Jones and Bob Wright.

Starting beside the pond, Doug explained its importance as a water source and its probable reason for the early settlement of the village. Archaeological evidence shows activity nearby from the Bronze Age and Roman times but it was first recorded by the Normans in the Domesday Book as part of the Manor of Mapledurham.

Opposite the pond lies the Church of St Mary dating from the 12th century and the mother church of Petersfield until 1886. Bob gave us a fascinating tour of the interior with stories of its stained glass windows and the prominent people who have been involved with the church and village over the centuries.

The adjacent Georgian Manor House includes part of the former mediaeval structure and has been home to the lords of the manor for centuries. Amongst them were Edward Gibbon, the famous historian who wrote The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, and the Bonham-Carter family.

Our tour progressed up Bones Lane, past the sheep dip, which had been used over the centuries, to the Hop Kilns, part of the hop production process, which had been an integral part of village life until the mid 20th century.

 

How To Join

Contact us for an application form. Membership costs £15 per person or £20 per couple. This includes eight meetings per year with a speaker and five optional meetings of the Society’s Archaeological Group. You will also receive a copy of the Society’s twice-yearly bulletin.

Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery

Petersfield Museum

Visit Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery to see some of the archival work PAHS has undertaken.

Petersfield Musical Festival

"Petersfield

Petersfield Musical Festival has entertained the town with choral music for over 100 years.

Petersfield Physic Garden

fritillaryThe Physic Garden is open daily except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s day. Check the website for times. Entrance is free.

People of Petersfield Heath

People of the Heath Visit People of the Heath for more on the excavation of the Petersfield Heath barrows.