Test Way: Mottisfont to Stockbridge

Notes

General Data

This is a pleasant and easy stroll, much of which follows the course of the old Andover to Southampton railway line, otherwise known as the 'Sprat and Winkle'. Initially the path crosses the floodplain of the River Test, crossing the two streams of the bifurcated river. It then joins the course of the old railway line, which is followed for the rest of the day. This can be muddy underfoot, and the trees that line the route unfortunately obstruct the views.

Distance		6.2 miles
Ascent		187 feet
Descent		157 feet
Est. time		2 hours 14 minutes
Difficulty		easy

Map of the leg

Maps courtesy of Google Maps. Route for indicative purposes only, and may have been plotted after the walk. Please let me have comments on what you think of this new format.

Directions

Leave Mottisfont Church and head a few yards down the track to the road. At the road turn left, and follow it as it curves around to the right to head northwards. At SU325273 turn right to join a footpath. Initially this heads across a field for a little under half a mile, initially eastwards before curving to the left to head northeastwards. This ends at a road immediately to the east of Oakley Farm. Turn right; the road ends and a track continues onwards, crossing a tributary of the River Test. Follow this track for a little over half a mile, until it crosses the River Test proper.

On the other side of the river bridge turn left to follow the course of an old railway line northwards as it passes through Horsebridge. After nearly five miles the path reaches a large roundabout on the A30 immediately to the east of Stockbridge.

The John O'Gaunt pub in Horsebridge was originally named the Railway Inn. The station was large for such a country line, and served the local villages, including Kings Somborne. The station was restored by a local couple in the eighties, and is now available for certain functions. See their website at www.horsebridgestation.co.uk for details.

Places of interest

The 'Sprat and Winkle' line

The Test Valley has a long history as a minor transport corridor. The Andover to Southampton canal was opened in 1794 between Redbridge, where the River Test flows into Southampton Water, and Andover. It was never a profitable venture, and the owners chose to sell to a railway company.

The Andover to Southampton railway line opened in 1865, and the line obliterated much of the canal. It soon developed the nickname 'the Sprat and Winkle line', the reasons for which seem lost to history.

It was always a quiet stretch of line, despite much trade from the racehorse stables that lined the route. Closure north of Romsey occurred in 1967, and the Test Way now follows a long stretch of the route.

Not many traces of the canal remain to this day; a few stretches can be seen to the north of Redbridge, and a long stretch in Romsey, where it is known as the Barge Canal.

location UID #47

Stockbridge

Stockbridge is a small town situated in the Test Valley, midway between Romsey and Andover. Most of the town is formed around the long road that runs west-east through the center. It became a regular resting place for Welsh drovers, who would rest their flocks in the town overnight whilst on their way to sheep fairs in the south east.

A tiny 12th-Century chapel (known as ‘Old St Peters’) is situated at the eastern end of the town. This was replaced by the larger Gothic church of St Peters in the Victorian era.

The town is the largest settlement on the Test Way north of Romsey.

location UID #196

Mottisfont and Mottisfont Abbey

Mottisfont is a small hamlet situated to the north of Romsey. It would be like so many other small villages in the area, except for the presence of Mottisfont Abbey.

Mottisfont Abbey was originally built as a Gothic Augustinian priory in 1201, possibly on the site of a much older Saxon meeting place. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the priory was converted into a house for the Sandys family. The Tudor house was later remodelled into its present form in the eighteenth century. It has a room that was remodelled by Rex Whistler just before the Second World War.

The house is now owned by the National Trust, and is open to the public year-round. It is the home to a world-famous collection of old Rose species that are at their best in the late spring and early summer. Many traces of the alterations from priory into house can be seen on the exterior of the building.

The Grade-I listed St Andrew’s church, Mottisfont is a well-formed church in the typical Hampshire style. It was built in the 12th-Century and added to in the 15th Century. The interior is simple, with a barrel-vaulted roof. Of interest is the 17th-Century clock mechanism situated within.

Mottisfont is also home to a large Grade-II listed tithe barn, which has been converted into accommodation.

The Test Way and Monach’s Way both pass through the village.

location UID #176