| Binsted | |
|---|---|
 Binsted Church from the West | |
  Binsted Location withinHampshire | |
| Population | 1,871 [1] |
| OS grid reference | SU771411 |
| Civil parish |
|
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ALTON |
| Postcode district | GU34 |
| Police | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Fire | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°09′50″N0°53′56″W / 51.164°N 0.899°W /51.164; -0.899 | |
Binsted is a village and largecivil parish inEast Hampshire, England. It is about 4.1 miles (6.6 km) east ofAlton, its nearest town. The parish is one of the largest in northern Hampshire and covers almost 7,000 acres (2,800 ha). It contains two villages,Bucks Horn Oak andHolt Pound, as well as twohamlets,Wyck andWheatley. The parish also covers the entirety of theAlice Holt Forest, aroyal forest situated near the border withSurrey. The nearest railway station is 1.8 miles (2.9 km) northeast of the village, atBentley. According to the 2011 census, the parish had a population of 1,817 people.[1]
The village was first mentioned as being part of the Hundred of Netham at the time of theDomesday Survey in 1086. The history of Binsted from the 11th to 19th centuries is not documented, owing to its isolation and non-involvement in controversial activity. The parish has 58Grade II listed buildings, and one Grade I building – the Church of the Holy Cross.
At the time of theDomesday Survey, Binsted was listed as part of theHundred of Netham as well as the Manor of Alton Westbrook. The village was referred to as "Benested", which means "holding of land".[2] Over the years there have been different variations on the spelling of the name, including Bensted, Benested and Boonsted (11th century), Bensted (14th century), and Bennsted (17th century).[2] The name most likely has its origin from the Saxon word "bin", meaning "heap".[a] Before theNorman Conquest, the village was known as "Binsted Popham" and was held byEgbert of Wessex.
The history of Binsted from the 11th century to the early 19th century is not documented. A likely explanation is that the village remained a "simple agricultural community" and was not involved in any controversial activity, due to its isolation.[2] However, theAlice Holt Forest was an important supplier of timber from the 12th and 18th centuries, and the forest was claimed to have 13,000 trees "fit for ship building" in the early 17th century.
Binsted was recorded in theImperial Gazetteer of England and Wales by John Marius Wilson in 1870.[b] Five years later a school was built on land belonging to the Wickham Estate from stones brought from a pit near Semaphore House.[2]
Binsted is located in the eastern central part ofHampshire,South East England and is 4.1 miles (6.6 km) east ofAlton, its nearest town.[4] The parish is one of the largest in North East Hampshire[5] and covers an area of around 7,000 acres (2,800 ha), extending from the edge of Alton to theSurrey border in the east. It also includes the entirety of theAlice Holt Forest.[6] The landscape is dominated by farms and woodland such as Binsted Farm, Wheatley Copse and Sparkfield Wood.[4] The parish contains two hamlets;Wyck andWheatley, and two villages;Bucks Horn Oak andHolt Pound.[4] TheRiver Wey forms the parish's northern boundary.[6] According to the 2011 census, the parish of Binsted had a population of 1,817 people. In addition, there are 711 households in the parish with an average size of 2.56 people.[7]
_(May_2021)_(11).JPG)
The Church of the Holy Cross is a Grade I listed building.[8] The existing parish church started construction in about 1140 AD.[2] It has early 13th and 15th century additions, as well as a substantial restoration in 1863. The building itself consists of stone walls, a tiled roof, and a stone slated porch. The oldest part is thechancel, which dates from the 12th century with 15th century extensions. The north chapel was altered in 1331, and in its churchyard is the grave ofField MarshalThe 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, the famous military commander in theSecond World War,[8][9] who latterly lived in the parish atIsington Mill.[10] The churchyard also contains theCommonwealth war graves of six British Army soldiers ofWorld War I (all in the north west corner) and aRoyal Air Force airman ofWorld War II (in south west corner).[11] The west tower contains a ring of six bells, among the finest in Hampshire. These bells were cast atLoughborough Bell Foundry, by the world renowned firmJohn Taylor & Co in 1958, replacing an earlier ring of bells. The 'tenor' bell weighs 665kg (12cwt-3qr-17lbs) and is tuned to F#.
The parish contains a total of 58Grade II listed buildings,[12] including a Grade II* listed barn.[13] Other listed buildings include Barnfield House – three houses which were once separated all dating from 1550 with 20th century restorations. The house itself has a timber frame with a tiled roof, including a late medieval hall.[14] Mill Court, another Grade II listed building, is a large house dating from the early 19th century with a low pitched roof and yellow brickwork, and became a listed building on 15 August 1985.[15]
Telegraph House was built on the hill NE of the village by the Admiralty in 1825 as asemaphore relay station close to the railway line linkingLondon withPortsmouth, one of a number of relay stations.[16][17] It is now a private residence.
Neighbouring towns, villages, and places | |
|---|---|
Due to its location in south central England and its proximity to the sea, the average maximum temperature in January is 7.2 °C (45 °F) with the average minimum being 1.6 °C (35 °F). The average maximum temperature in July is 21.9 °C (71 °F), with the average minimum being 12.5 °C (55 °F). The hamlet gets around 755 millimetres (29.7 in) of rain a year, with a minimum of 1 mm (0.04 in) of rain reported on 103 days a year.[18]
| Climate data for Odiham weather station (nearest to Binsted),Odiham, elevation: 9 metres (30 feet) (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) | 7.4 (45.3) | 10.3 (50.5) | 13.0 (55.4) | 16.6 (61.9) | 19.5 (67.1) | 21.9 (71.4) | 21.6 (70.9) | 18.5 (65.3) | 14.4 (57.9) | 10.3 (50.5) | 7.4 (45.3) | 14.1 (57.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.6 (34.9) | 1.3 (34.3) | 3.0 (37.4) | 4.4 (39.9) | 7.5 (45.5) | 10.4 (50.7) | 12.5 (54.5) | 12.4 (54.3) | 10.2 (50.4) | 7.4 (45.3) | 4.2 (39.6) | 1.8 (35.2) | 6.4 (43.5) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 77.8 (3.06) | 56.0 (2.20) | 54.8 (2.16) | 52.6 (2.07) | 52.2 (2.06) | 48.5 (1.91) | 50.2 (1.98) | 52.1 (2.05) | 61.8 (2.43) | 87.2 (3.43) | 83.9 (3.30) | 78.5 (3.09) | 755.5 (29.74) |
| Average precipitation days | 12.2 | 9.8 | 10.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 8.6 | 8.9 | 11.7 | 11.7 | 11.5 | 120.9 |
| Source: Met Office[18] | |||||||||||||
Citations
Notes
