Introduction - on this page you will find links to
details of Romsey homes for sale, Romsey rental accommodation, holiday
homes and shared housing in Romsey. Romsey is an old market town
that lies to the North of Southampton about 7 miles in distance, and is to the
South of Winchester, around 12 miles away. It is in the home county of
Hampshire. The main river running through the town is the River Test, and in
the memorial gardens one used to be able to take a stroll to the mill and
watch the salmon leap in the River Test. Fishing in and around Romsey is a
popular sport and trout can be found in the waters, some of which run through
the Broadlands estate and therefore licences to fish must be sought.
The Romsey Property Market
- the areas around the main
town centre of Romsey are mostly residential; there are a few industrial estates
also. The main schools of Romsey are within these residential areas, such as
Halterworth School, which is a Primary school for children from the age of 4 up
to 10 or 11. Within Halterworth there is an old college, Montfort college which
has now been developed into apartments. Shops are situated in Saxon Way in
Halterworth. In the area of Whitenap, is the secondary school, Mountbatten
school, which is for children from 11 to 16. Mountbatten school has become well
known for its languages and music teaching. In the area of Cupernham, Woodley
and Richmond Lane, is another primary school, Cupernham school. There is an
infant school that is more centrally located along the Plaza parade in Romsey,
and Romsey Senior School is along the Greatbridge road area of Romsey just a
short walk from the Abbey. Additionally, the Catholic school within Romsey
itself is popular where the nuns teach.
Properties in Romsey and the
surrounding areas are largely more expensive than in neighbouring areas of
Eastleigh and Southampton, because it is regarded as an attractive place to
live. Along with the good schools, there is the large memorial park gardens and
Romsey Rapids swimming and leisure centre, that attract families to the area. It
is also attractive to young professionals who perhaps work in Southampton or
Winchester, or even London, as the train connections to London are good from
Romsey. Trains can also be caught that take you along the coast to Portsmouth to
the East, and to the West to Salisbury, Bath, Bristol and Cardiff.
Many of the housing around
Romsey, in Halterworth, Cupernham and Whitenap has been developed for families,
and as such it is 3 or 4 bedroom semi detached or detached housing. In Whitenap
and Halterworth, the houses were built in the 1950’s and 1960’s and these houses
are well spaced, set back from the roads with wide pavements, along streets.
Later housing developments in Richmond Lane, are larger houses, with unusual
layouts or bungalow style along Cupernham Lane. In Mercer Way, across from
Woodley is a 1980’s council house development, that runs along by the canal.
Newer houses were built in the 1980’s and 1990’s in Cupernham such as in Newlyn
Walk and Home Field and these are generally detached houses in cul-de-sacs.
Along from these is Fishlake meadows, that were built in the 1990’s and early
2000, that stand on what were wetlands and are still at risk from flooding.
Houses in the centre of Romsey tend to be period houses, and some are from the
Tudor age. There are many Victorian and Edwardian properties, lining the streets
around the library and Duttons Lane. These are terraced properties with small
front gardens and only street parking available. Within the very centre, there
are period cottages that have recently been refurbished and one bedroom cottages
are reaching in the region of £350,000. On the site of the old Brewery are new
apartments or converted buildings that are now flats and apartments, these are
attractive to young professionals as they are within easy walking distance of
the train station and also the pubs and restaurants of the town centre. There
are some low rise flat developments that are on the other side of the town, that
were initially council flats, however even these are within good walking
distance of the town centre and offer convenience at a more affordable price
within a higher than average house price bracket.
Market Town -
there is a central square in Romsey in which a statue of Lord Palmerston, a
British Prime Minister, stands. Overlooking the square is the Norman Abbey,
Romsey Abbey, that has Saxon routes. This Abbey is one of the highest churches
that non royals can marry in. The bells of Romsey Abbey have recently been
refurbished and for that they had to be removed by specialists for cleaning.
This is probably the only time that most common folk will have seen the Abbey
bells, for normally they hang proudly in the Abbey bell tower which is
inaccessible to the public and the steps up to the bells are precarious and
narrow. So narrow in fact, that in June 1998 when a bell ringer slipped whilst
ringing the bells for a wedding, the stretcher brought to carry her out could
not be manoeuvred up the inside steps and instead she had to be rescued by the
fire brigade through an upper window. This story made the national papers. A
larger story of Romsey Abbey is one which saved it from demolition under Henry
VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries. The people of Romsey actually bought the
Abbey for £100 from the King which saved it.
History - Romsey
is steeped in history that has seen this market town grow predominantly because
of its woollen and tanning industries. The canal that runs from Andover and
Redbridge would transport wool and leather to their destination, and later with
the opening of the Railways, this continued on. In what is now Barclays Bank,
was once the Corn Exchange where merchants would have their goods weighed out
and many transactions were made. Later, the paper and brewery industries took
over, and Whitbread brewery had a factory in the centre of Romsey until around
15 years ago. The smell of bear being brewed was familiar to the residents of
Romsey. Many public houses and coaching inns developed and thrived because of
the connection with the brewery, and it is said that there was a book written
entitled “So drunk he must have been to Romsey” because Romsey was synonymous
with pubs and drinking. Coaching houses, one of them being the White Horse,
still stands, with its cobbled archway that leads from the town square to the
stables at the back. Merchants visiting the town would need somewhere to stay
overnight before market day. Nowadays, there are no longer stables, instead
these have been turned into rooms for visitors staying at the now White Horse
Hotel.
Lord Mountabatten of Burma used
to live in Broadlands, which is a stately home in Romsey. Lord Mountbatten was
killed, but today Broadlands is lived in by Lord and Lady Romsey. Every year,
the Romsey Show is held on land within Broadlands, and stall holders, horse show
jumpers, farmers and many exhibitors and corporations come together. A schedule
of events for the day including, dog handling, horse jumping, cattle showing,
and many tents for art and crafts make for a great day out. Also, in the summer
months are outdoor concerts with fireworks and live bands and orchestras. These
are extremely enjoyable if the weather is good, where people come together
bringing their own picnics and chairs and can sit and enjoy the music in the
open air. Often the fireworks can be seen as far away as Cupernham.
How to Get There -
Romsey is located off the M271, M3 junction in the country of Hampshire.
It has connections to nearby Salisbury and can be reached by mainline railway
via Southampton.
