The church of St. Andrew at Tichborne is set on a slight hill overlooking the beautiful valley in which the village of Tichborne lies. There has been a church on this site for at least nine hundred years, for the chancel dates from the mid-eleventh century. Two interesting features which survive from this early building, and which can be seen as you walk up the path from the churchyard gate, are the stone pilaster strips and the small double-splayed windows set in the chancel wall.

The nave, although having no features like those in the chancel, probably preserves its eleventh century plan, but in the latter part of the twelfth century the south nave wall was pierced to form an arcade of plain pointed arches so that the south aisle could be added. At a slightly later date a north aisle was added in a similar way. In about 1330 the original small Saxon east window was replaced by three lights with net tracery, thereby producing the lighter interior which was progressively favoured in medieval times.

The tumultuous events of the Reformation have left their mark in a unique way upon Tichborne church. The Tichborne family, living in the great house in the valley, remained steadfast to the old Catholic faith. Although many were persecuted and some even killed (like Chidiock Tichborne who was executed for his part in the Babington Plot against Elizabeth I), one member of the family found royal favour. He was Sir Benjamin Tichborne, High Sheriff of Hampshire, whose service was rewarded with a knighthood and later a baronetcy. In 1603, he rode to Winchester to declare himself loyal to James I, thus helping to secure Hampshire for the new king. James, in later years, referred to him affectionately as 'old Ben' and visited him at Tichborne on several occasions.

A splendid alabaster monument of 1621 in the north aisle commemorates Sir Benjamin, his wife Amphillis and their seven children. The north aisle is virtually unique in that it is used as a Catholic chapel within an Anglican church and it was a mark of Sir Benjamin's favour with the king and of his public service that this was allowed.

The church also contains some other interesting memorials to the Tichborne family, especially the monument of 1619 to Richard, the infant son of Sir Richard Tichborne. Tradition has it that a gipsy woman begged for food at Tichborne house and, when she was refused, laid a curse on the infant Richard foretelling his death by drowning on a certain day. On that fatal day, servants were ordered to take the child up onto Gander Down which is well away from the river Itchen. When on the Down, however, the child fell out of his baby carriage and drowned in a cart rut full of water, while the attention of his guardians was diverted.

The church also contains some good Jacobean pews and communion rail and a Norman font. Somewhere on the north wall was a fragment of a medieval painting of St. Christopher (see the illustration), but it is now lost, perhaps obscured beneath a coat of whitewash. In the church's possession is a cover paten of 1567 and a cup of 1569.

The west tower was rebuilt in brick in 1703 and on its south face is an iron plaque commemorating this fact and bearing the name of the two church wardens who saw the business through: they were John Rowland and John Newell.