| Horndean | |
|---|---|
| Village andcivil parish | |
 St. Edmund's Church | |
  Horndean Location withinHampshire | |
| Population | 12,639 [1] 12,942 (2011 Census including Catherington and Lovedean)[2] |
| OS grid reference | SU706131 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | WATERLOOVILLE |
| Postcode district | PO8 |
| Dialling code | 023 |
| Police | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Fire | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| 50°54′49″N0°59′46″W / 50.91363°N 0.99612°W /50.91363; -0.99612 | |
Horndean is a village andcivil parish in theEast Hampshire district, inHampshire, England, 8 miles (13 km) north ofPortsmouth.
The nearest railway station is 2.2 miles (3.5 km) southeast of the village atRowlands Castle.
The village had a population of 12,942 at the 2011 Census,[2] and shares the semi-rural character of others in the district.
The village was the home ofGales Brewery from 1850. In 2005, it was bought byFuller, Smith and Turner, who closed it in 2006, when it was converted to shops and flats.[citation needed]
Horndean expanded in the earlyMiddle Ages due to its convenient position as astaging post on the road fromPortsmouth toLondon (now theA3). In 1836 it became home to the Hon. Sir Charles Napier Senior, father to the more famousSir Charles Napier, who purchased a property in the village called The Grove but subsequently changed its name to Merchistoun Hall (named after his former home inFalkirk,Scotland). Merchistoun Hall is now a Grade IIlisted building and serves as the village's major community centre. Horndean was bypassed by main linerailways but was served bytrams of thePortsdown and Horndean Light Railway until 1935 and thereafter bybuses.
A three-storey workhouse was built during Victorian times to home the local poor. This stood on a site currently developed into a large retirement complex in 2017/18. This building had served a number of purposes including a local swimming pool. This was its primary function during the 1970s, provided by the use of a large polythene lined 'tank' on its ground floor.
Using the pool was a fairly unpleasant experience by today's standards due to its small size, lack of poolside space and most of all - daylight. The first and second floors were used in latter years as a small lampshade factory. Defunct and dangerous, the entire building was demolished in spring 1982, leaving a small building[3] that was closed and eventually demolished with the construction of the new retirement development in 2017.
The village experienced significant expansion in the 20th century, particularly with the building of the Hazleton estate on the former grounds of Merchistoun Hall in the early 1960s, and the building of theA3(M) motorway in the 1970s, which passes under a bridge adjacent to the village centre. The easy access to the motorway has encouraged an influx of light industry to the village, most of it concentrated in three major estates, the most recent of which is Hazelton Interchange, built in the early 1990s. The centre of the village has a 1960s built small shopping precinct which is home to specialist businesses, as well as a cafe, fast food and newsagent.
In 1992, Horndean was the site of the high-profile childmurder of Helen Gorrie, who was found strangled to death after going out one night to meet local man John Corcoran. He was convicted of the murder in 1999 but was released on a technicality in 2003 and moved back to Warren Park inHavant. Her murder remains officially unsolved.[4][5]
Dean refers to the old English word "denu" meaningvalley,[6] and the nameHorndean most likely means "valley by a horn-shaped hill" (the horn-shaped hill probably being Horndean Down). Alternatively "Harne" is the old English word forDormouse making it "valley of the Dormouse". The second part of the name,Dean, can also mean forest, giving rise to further connotations.
Horndean's major community centres are Horndean Community Association at Merchistoun Hall and Barton Hall,Horndean Technology College. There is also a youth centre, RKdia. Other venues include Napier Hall, which was partially rebuilt in 2004, and the Jubilee Hall, opened in 2002. The twoC of E churches in the area are Holy Trinity at Blendworth and All Saints in neighbouring Catherington. In 2020, Hampshire County Council announced plans to close Horndean library.[7]
The surrounding villages areCatherington,Cowplain,Blendworth,Rowlands Castle andClanfield.
Horndean has aNon-League football clubHorndean F.C., which plays at Five Heads Park.
The village of Horndean has been 'twinned' with the town ofAubergenville in France since 1998. Various activities and exchange visits are organised by the Horndean Parish Twinning Association.
Horndean is inthe Meon Valley constituency for elections to theHouse of Commons. Prior toBrexit in 2020, it was in theSouth East England constituency for elections to theEuropean Parliament.
ITV Meridian andBBC South are the localITV andBBC television franchises. ITV Meridian and BBC South is received from theRowridge transmitting station, on the Isle of Wight (though some parts towards Clanfield use the Horndean relay transmitter, which uses Rowridge as the signal feed for the relay station).
Radio services are received fromChillerton Down, on the Isle of Wight.
The localnewspapers andpublications areThe Village News (free) andThe News.
Authority control databases: National |
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