Romsey Tourist Guide River Test Broadlands Mottisfont Abbey Hampshire

Romsey Tourist Information

Romsey lies eleven miles south west of Winchester on the banks of the River Test. The town grew up around a crossing point on the river and has a long history. Today it is the largest parish in Hampshire.

The site where the Norman Abbey stands today was first settled by Benedictine nuns in 907 AD. The nuns were led by Elflaeda whose father was Alfred the Great's son. Although the Saxon Abbey was well respected as it declined the nuns became notorious for their raucous behaviour - staying out all night and being seen drinking in the town's inns!

The Normans constructed the Abbey that we see today in the twelfth century after the Vikings sacked the Saxon Abbey. It is one of the finest examples of late Norman architecture in Europe. The streets around the Abbey have retained their medieval character making it an appealing place to stroll round.

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Romsey Heritage & Visitor Centre

More medieval history can be explored at Romsey Heritage & Visitor Centre. Three buildings make up the Centre; King John's House, the Tudor Cottage and a former Victorian gun shop. You can find out about the history of the town as well as explore the Victorian shop and parlour. You also pop in for tourist information about Romsey and the local area. Art exhibitions are frequently held at the centre and there's a tearoom for light refreshments.

King John's House is a medieval building with a timber framed extension that was added in the early Jacobean period. The house was only rediscovered in 1927. A local historian thought he'd found King John's hunting lodge mentioned in records around the early thirteenth century, but it has now been dated to the mid thirteenth century and its purpose is still unknown. Visiting the house you'll be able to see medieval graffiti in the upper room or the floor made from animal bones when it was used as a workhouse.

The Heritage Centre is open all year round from 10am-4pm.

Romsey Heritage & Visitor Centre, 13 Church Street, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 8BT. Tel: 01794 512200. Fax: 01794 512200. Email: annerhc@aol.com.

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The Test Valley Way

Romsey is at the heart of the Test Valley which follows the line of the River Test. The clear waters of the chalk stream of the River Test is particularly well renowned for its trout fishing. The River Test flows for twenty miles in Hampshire through the villages of Stocksbridge and Romsey.

It was on the River Test that fly fishing was founded when Frederick Halford worked up the dry fly fishing techniques that underpin flying fishing today. Brown trout, rainbow trout, grayling, sea trout and salmon can all be fished on the River Test. The trout season runs from mid April to early October with Grayling in season from mid June to mid March; meaning that the river is open for fly fishing for 11 months of the year.

You can pick up the Test Way walk at Romsey which then goes on through the Hampshire countryside past Broadlands mansion and on to Totton and Eling on the edges of the New Forest.

The Test Way stretches 44 miles along the course of the River Test from Inkpen in Berkshire to Eling. Along the way you'll pass water meadows, tidal marshes with riverside picnic areas and pubs to break the journey. Click on the link right for more information and a downloadable leaflet.

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Broadlands

Broadlands is the quintessentially English stately home. It lies in the Test Valley and the River Test actually flows through the estate. Broadlands is a fantastically grand Palladian mansion and is one of the finest examples of mid-Georgian architecture in England although there was a Tudor and Jacobean manor here from the times that Romsey Abbey owned the estate.

Capability Brown landscaped the gardens when the second Viscount Palmerston initiated the transformation works in 1767. Lord Louis Mountbatten later lived here and you can find out more about the Mountbatten family in the Mountbatten Exhibition.

Broadlands is usually open to visitors during July and August and there is a programme of events throughout the year. However, at the moment remedial works are currently ongoing which will affect opening times for the next two years.

Check the weblink right for up-to-date information. Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 9ZD. Tel: 01794 505010. Fax: 01794 529755.

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Mottisfont Abbey

A little further afield is the National Trust owned property, Mottisfont Abbey. It's a former Augustinian Priory that was built in the thirteenth century. Like most abbeys in the area it was disbanded under Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries at which time it became a private manor house. You can take a tour around the house and see the rooms including the drawing room with its stunning trompe l'oeil effect by Rex Whistler in 1938 and the Derek Hill collection of early twentieth century art.

The Abbey is surrounded by gardens and a 809 hectare estate of farmland and woodlands. The gardens are famous for housing the National Collection of Old-fashioned Roses. The best time to visit if you want to see them in full bloom is June.

You can also explore the grounds and there's a leaflet available detailing country walks across the estate. Throughout the year there are a range of events and open-air theatre productions. Check the National Trust website, link right for up-to-date information and opening times.

Mottisfont Abbey Gardens, Mottisfont Abbey, Mottisfont, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 OLP. Tel: 01794 340757 or 341220 (info). Fax: 01794 341492.

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