King's Somborne
To the south of Houghton and three miles outside of Stockbridge is what I think is Hampshire's prettiest village with an abundance of thatched cottages. The large parish includes the villages of King's Somborne, Up Somborne and Horsebridge and all in an area of 2,877 hectares. The Romans crossed the River Test at Houghton as the line of the Roman road passes through the south of the parish. The church stands proudly in the centre of the village and the war memorial stands on guard on a patch of green outside. Behind the church are some strange ridges with a few grey stones of ancient walls and it is thought to be all that remains fo the foundations of King Johns Palace but others think this was John O'Gaunt.

The manor was a royal property for centuries and in the Domesday Book it is recorded as Somborne Regis as it was possibly a royal possession in Saxon times.

The deer park that belonged to John O'Gaunt lies between the village and the River Test and other buildings of interest include Marsh court which was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and the many attractive little cottages such as the cruck framed cottage on the road to Little Somborne.


The church of St Peter and St Paul
The interior of St Peter's and St Paul's

The Sombornes nestle in a range of low hills near to the Test Valley and Up Somborne consists of a row of houses that lie about three miles from the village centre while Little Somborne has scattered housing that are grouped around a tiny Saxon chapel. Kings Somborne lying on the Winchester to Romsey road was once a rather dilapidated place as instead of repairing buildings the trend was to demolish them whereas today we are trying to restore a lot of these old buildings for future generations to enjoy.

There is only one public house in the village and that is the Crown Inn which stands opposite the church and is a popular place with tourists as well as the locals.

The church at Kings Somborne (history)

IMAGES OF KINGS SOMBORNE
 (Photos kindly submitted by Jeff Saunders, Owairaka, Auckland, New Zealand)

 
Winchester Road   Stockbridge Road
 
Some of the quaint thatched cottages of the village
 
More of the quaint thatched cottages of the village    
 
The Crown Inn   The War Memorial outside the church
"Cruck Cottage" (in Winchester Rd) according to a booklet,   "Illustrating Somborne", is "the "only example of a cruck 
cottage in the village, probably dating from the fifteenth century."  
 
Just look at the history etched into the walls of these cottages
If only they could talk!
 
The ford crosses the Som just off Romsey Rd -  along a small lane which we
believe to be Froghole Lane		   Romsey Road
 
  Cottages on Romsey Road
 The village centre
 
Another view of the village centre    Terraced cottages in the village

MORE IMAGES OF THE VILLAGE
(Photos taken by the webmaster)
 

 
Cottages in Romsey Road
 

More cottages and houses in Romsey Road
 

The Old Exchange

  

The Crown Inn
 

An autumn day in Romsey Road

  

Street scene
 

The old shop with the bridge over the stream

  

The War Memorial