Greatham, Hampshire
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Greatham is a village in the county of Hampshire, England. It is situated to the north-west of Liss.
Greatham (which is pronounced "Grettam") is a small village, located in East Hampshire, about 6 miles north of Petersfield, Hampshire, 10 miles south of Farnham, Surrey and 8 miles east of Alton, Hampshire. The population of Greatham is just over 800 people living in around 400 houses. The village is situated alongside the A3 which runs between London and Portsmouth, it has good transport links which, in turn has made it popular with Commuters.
The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Greteham, and later appears in written sources as Grietham in 1167 and as Grutam in 1236.[1]
Greatham is a linear village, mainly located along the old Petersfield Road (the main road between Farnham and Petersfield), with additional housing along Longmoor Road, Benhams Lane and Church Lane.
At the north end of the village is Longmoor Camp, where remains of the Longmoor Military Railway can be seen, and the new Woolmer Link road, re-routing the A325 from Farnham to join the A3 at Longmoor Camp, by-passing the village. Traffic calming within the village aims to discourage through traffic. Also at the north end of the village is Blackmoor stores, the combined village shop and Post Office.
In the middle of the village is the The Greatham Inn, the village's only public house, opposite the relatively-new "Todmore" housing estate.
Further south is Greatham Primary School, which caters for around 200 pupils from the village and surrounding areas. It has a large modern extension, housing a new hall, offices and library. Opposite the village school is the Village Hall, with The Village Nursery School attached to it. The village hall is adjacent to the recreation area, which contains a football field, and two playgrounds, catering for young and old children. The village hall and adjacent playing field are the venues for many of the events organised by the Greatham Village Events Committee (GVEC), including the annual fun day, summer ball and the bonfire/fireworks party.
Towards the south end of the village is the Old Church, which dates back to the 13th century. The only remaining part of this church is the chancel, which includes a tomb of some historical value. The present church, the Church of St. John the Baptist, was built in 1875, and lies opposite the Old Church.
Adjacent to the Old Church is a manor house, which is occupied by the L'Abri Fellowship, a Christian group.
The south of the village is bounded by the B3006 road from Liss to Selborne, known as the Selborne Road. Off the Selborne Road is the Le Court, the first Leonard Cheshire home.
[edit] References
- ^ Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-Names (4th ed.), p. 204.
