is a small market town in
Hampshire ,
England , to the southwest of
Farnham . It had a
Population of 16,584 at the 1991
Census , and is administered by
East Hampshire district council. It also is home to Treloar College, the National Specialist college for Young Disabled People.
Jane Austen lived at the nearby village of
Chawton .
A Roman road ran from
Chichester to
Silchester and there is evidence of a Roman posting station in the Alton area, and a ford across the River Wey. Centuries later, a
Saxon settlement was established in the area and a large seventh century cemetery has been discovered during building excavations. It contained a selection of
Grave Goods which included the ''Alton Buckle'' which is considered to be the finest piece of Anglo Saxon craftsmanship found in Hampshire. The River Wey has its source in the town, and the name ''Alton'' comes from an Anglo-Saxon word 'aewielltun' meaning "farmstead at the source of the river".Coates, Richard: 1989: Place Names of Hampshire: Batsford:: ISBN 0 7134 5625 6.
In 1001 Danish forces invaded England, plundering, ravaging and burning, and spreading terror and devastation. When they reached Alton, the men of Hampshire came together and fought against them. About 81 English were killed, including Ethelwerd the King's high-steward, Leofric of Whitchurch, Leofwin the King's high-steward, Wulfhere a bishop's thane, and Godwin of Worthy, Bishop Elfsy's son. Danish casualties were higher, but the Danes won the battle and fleeing Englishmen took refuge in
Winchester ...
Alton is listed in the
Domesday Book as in the 'Odingeton Hundred - Hantescire'Domesday Book, 1086
See Also: Treaty of Alton
The
Treaty Of Alton was an agreement signed in
1101 between
William The Conqueror's eldest son
Robert, Duke Of Normandy and his brother
Henry I Of England . Henry had seized the throne while his elder brother was away on the
First Crusade . Robert returned to claim the throne, landing in
Portsmouth . The two brothers met in Alton and agreed terms which formed the Treaty of Alton. Part of the main street through Alton is called Normandy Street, probably reflecting this event.
The first recorded Saturday market in Alton was in 1288. It was much bigger than the current weekly market and established Alton as a significant market town. Blome wrote in 1673 of a 'market on Saturdays, which is very great for provisions, where also are sold good store of living cattle'Blome's Hampshire, 1673. The Saturday market is also featured on Kitchin's map of Hampshire (1751) which marks the town as ''Alton Mt. Sat.''
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In 1307
King Edward II presented the town with a
Charter giving it the right to hold an annual
Fair , mainly for cattle and toys. The fair (although now a fun fair) still comes to Alton today.
There is a plaque on a house in Amery Street in Alton which tells us that the great Elizabethan poet
Edmund Spenser "lived some time in these parts"..
Eggar's School was founded in 1640 by John Eggar of Moungomeries as the ''Free Grammar School''. It later became known as Eggar's Grammar School. It occupied a site in Anstey Road until it moved to a new site in Holybourne in 1969.
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See Also: Battle of Alton
A battle was fought in Alton during the
English Civil War . A small
Royalist force were quartered in the town when on
13 December 1643 they were surprised by a
Parliamentary army of around 5,000 men. The Royalist
Cavalry fled, leaving Sir
Richard Bolle and his
Infantry to fight. Outnumbered, the Royalists were forced in St Lawrence Church, where Bolle was killed along with many of his men. Over 700 Royalist soldiers were captured and bullet holes from the battle are still visible in the church today.
See Also: Fanny Adams
The
Victorian Era also left its mark when, on Saturday,
August 24th ,
1867 a young eight-year old girl
Fanny Adams was murdered. Her assailant Frederick Baker, a local solicitors clerk, was one of the last criminals to be executed in Winchester, and one of the original public notices advertising his forthcoming execution hangs in the Crown Public House. Fanny Adams' grave can still be seen in Alton cemetery. The brutal murder, so the story goes, coincided with the introduction of tinned meat in the
Royal Navy , and the sailors who did not like the new food said the tins contained the remains of "Sweet Fanny Adams", hence the expression which for over a century has meant "sweet nothing".
Brewing used to be one of Alton's main industries.
Hops and
Barley were grown in the surrounding area and the barley would have been
Malted in the town. The
Maltings still stand in Lower Turk Street, though it is no longer used for that purpose. They belonged to Halls Brewery from 1841 and were still producing malt in 1949.
There have been a number of breweries in Alton since 1763. Today, Coors Brewers Ltd, Alton, produces
Carling ,
Grolsch and Worthington.
Alton was also famous in the eighteenth century for the manufacture of paper and of dress materials including ribbed
Drugget s,
Shallon s,
Silk s and
Serge s,
Bombazine and figured
Barragon sBrookes, R: 1815 (16th edn): General Gazetteer, The: (London).
Alton is home to ''Treloar's'', an independent educational establishment founded in
1907 by Sir William Purdie Treloar,
Lord Mayor Of London , to provide education for young people with physical disabilities. Treloar's now runs ''Treloar College'', a college of
Further Education in
Holybourne , and ''Treloar School'' in Upper Froyle about three miles away. Treloar's provides specialist facilities, therapy and medical care to enable pupils to achieve their academic potential and develop their confidence and independence. Former pupils include actress
Julie Fernandez , mouth and foot painting artist Tom Yendell, and actress and aspiring playwright Robyn Hunt.
The State
Secondary Schools in Alton are ''Eggar's School'' (formerly the
Grammar School ), and ''Amery Hill School''. There is also a private secondary school for girls, ''Alton Convent School''.
Sixth-form education is provided by ''
Alton College '' which has gained very good inspection reports from
Ofsted . Former students of Alton College include
Yvette Cooper (Member of Parliament),
Alison Goldfrapp (musician).
Alton has the following facilities:
- ''Allen Gallery'' is Alton's art gallery and houses a large ceramics collection
- ''The Palace Cinema'' is in Normandy Street and shows a regular programme of films {Link without Title}
- ''Holybourne Theatre'' is on the site of a former Nissen Hut that was converted into a theatre by German prisoners-of-war during World War II . Plays have been performed there since 1950, but the official opening was not until 1971. {Link without Title}
- ''Alton Maltings Centre'' was built in around 1850 and was used as a Maltings until about 1970. It was renovated in 2004-5 and is now used by Harvest Church and is available for hire for events such as conferences, receptions, business meetings, etc {Link without Title}
- ''Alton Sports Centre'' is open to the public and includes a swimming pool, gym, indoor and outdoor courts, etc
- '' Curtis Museum '' was founded in 1856 by Dr William Curtis and houses one of the finest local history collections in Hampshire
- ''Town Gardens'', with Bandstand (built in 1935 for the Silver Jubilee of King George V ), a children's playground, flower beds, trees and shrubs (4.5 acres)
- ''Anstey Park'', a large open space with playing fields and a small children's playground (32 acres)
- ''King's Pond'', with parking, a surfaced path all round, ducks and swans (11 acres)
- ''The Butts'', 2 acres of common land used for visiting circuses and fairs
- ''Flood meadows'', about 15 acres close to the source of the River Wey through which rivulets weave and public footpaths give access through the diverse plant and animal life
There's a Tourist Information Centre in Cross and Pillory Lane (near Market Square in the centre of the town).
Alton has a lively tradition of music, dance and drama groups including:
- ''Alton Morris'' formed in 1979. They have been Morris Dancing both in UK and abroad, and often perform at Alton street events. {Link without Title}
- ''Minden Rose Garland'' Dance team are a Ladies Morris Dance side formed in 1982. They perform displays of garland, stick and hankie dances. {Link without Title}
- ''Alton Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society'' was established in 1921 and performs two musical shows and one play each year in a wide variety of musical and dramatic styles. {Link without Title}
- ''Alton Community Choir'' sings unaccompanied Hampshire folk songs as well as some African, Gospel , Blues and Calypso Music
- ''Holybourne Dramatic club'' was formed in January 1948 and performs in Holybourne Theatre
- All Saints Anglican Church, Queens Road
- Alton Abbey (1895) in nearby Beech is a Benedictine Monastery in the Church Of England {Link without Title}
- Alton Baptist Church
- Alton Methodist Church, Drayman’s Way {Link without Title}
- Alton United Reformed Church, Normandy Street
- Brethren 's Meeting Room, Vicarage Hill
- Friends' Meeting House ( Quaker ) (1672)
- Harvest Church, Alton Maltings Centre, Maltings Close {Link without Title}
- Jubilee Church, Four Marks and Medstead {Link without Title}
- Kingdom Hall, Holybourne ( Jehovah's Witnesses )
- St Lawrence's Anglican Church (1070), Church Street {Link without Title}
- St Mary Catholic Church, Normandy Street
- The Butts Church, 56 Spenser Close {Link without Title}
- The Salvation Army , Amery Street
- Three Counties Church, Mount Pleasant Road
Alton Station is located on the
National Rail network at the end of the
Alton Line with a regular service to
London Waterloo . Journey time is usually just over an hour, stopping at
Bentley ,
Farnham ,
Aldershot ,
Ash Vale ,
Brookwood and
Woking .
Alton railway station also serves as a terminal for the
Mid Hants Watercress Railway , a restored steam railway running between Alton and
New Alresford , so called because it used to be used to transport fresh
Watercress to London.
The origins of the Watercress Line date back to 1861, the year in which
Parliament granted consent for what was then known as the ''Alton, Alresford and Winchester Railway''. Four years later the Mid Hants Railway opened, and the train service continued until the line was closed in 1967. Then in 1973 the line was partially re-opened, in 1983 it was extended further, and in 1985 it was re-opened as far as Alton to connect with the mainline London service
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Alton is located at (51.1493, -0.9755)
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