St Mary Bourne

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St Mary Bourne
St Mary Bourne shown within Hampshire
Population	1,226 (parish 2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SU422503
Parish	St Mary Bourne
District	Basingstoke and Deane
Shire county	Hampshire
Region	South East
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ANDOVER
Postcode district	SP11
Dialling code	01264
Police	Hampshire
Fire	Hampshire
Ambulance	South Central
European Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	North West Hampshire
List of places: UK • England • Hampshire

Coordinates: 51°15′N 1°23′W / 51.25, -1.39

St Mary Bourne is small village and civil parish in northwest Hampshire. It lies in the valley of the Bourne Rivulet, a tributary of the River Test 8km (5 miles) northeast of the town of Andover.

The village is in a rural area of downland, with a mixture of farms and woodlands nearby. It has many thatched houses and in the south part of the village is the flint and stone church of St Peter. The church is particularly notable for its 12th century Tournai marble font

There is a local amateur dramatic society, and two golf courses, both of which are based around pubs. These societies, along with the cricket club and other local organisations, are representative of the community in microcosm. A local celebrity is James Blunt, the singer, who spent much of his life in St. Mary Bourne. ^[1] There is also a primary school.

The farms, pubs (local pubs include the Coronation Arms, the Bourne Valley Inn and The George Inn) and the partly-volunteered shop aren't the only businesses in the village. There's one of the world's leading watercress companies - Vitacress. There's a business improvement consultancy, a thriving garage, a blacksmith, a recruitment company, an agency for marketing responsible tourism, and a maker of quality curtains and soft furnishings.

Most locals commute, heading off to railway stations 5 or more miles away. Just as many drive to Newbury, Whitchurch, Basingstoke, Winchester or Andover.

James Blunt the well known singer grew up here, and his parents still live there.