Bishops Sutton

Image:Farmland, Bishop's Sutton - geograph.org.uk - 1595596.jpg]] The parish of Bishop's Sutton, has irregular shape and is an area of {{convert|3739|acre|sqmi|2}} with {{convert|9|acre|ha}} of that being water. The village, which is at the centre of the parish, lies on low-ground (250 ft above sea level) compared to the surrounding area; it is by the head-waters of the River Alre. A long strip of land runs north-east between the parishes of Bighton and Ropley, rising to a height of {{convert|500|ft|m|abbr=on|0}} along the downs to the north. South of the river the boundary extends to the high ground above Cheriton Wood and Bramdean Common.

Historically, Watercress cultivation formed a significant occupation in the area, due to its chalk geology and the calciferous River Alre allowing it to grow in the beds of Chalk streams. In 1865, the construction of the Mid Hants Railway, also known as the Watercress Line, meant fresh watercress could be delivered to London and further afield. Today, agriculture is still a major employer in the parish with southern areas being arable land for crops.

The main road in the village is the B3047 named Bishop's Sutton Road this bears medium to low traffic into Alresford and has two side streets in the centre of the village, Church Lane and School Lane. The A31 bypasses the village to the south. The average commute to work for residents is {{convert|24.36|km|order=flip}}.

The villages is by or on (depending on which track was preferred) the Pilgrims' Way between Winchester and Canterbury, which can still be walked via the North Downs Way.

Image:St Nicholas, Bishops Sutton - geograph.org.uk - 1494933.jpg

In the Domesday Book, the Bishop's Sutton was recorded as Sudtone (which included Ropley and Bramdean), and the hundred of Bishop's Sutton was known as the hundred of Esselei, and comprised those places as well as West Tisted. Eselei, which was a small hundred, remained the hundred until the eighteenth century when the law was amended to make it part of the hundred of Bishop's Sutton.

A gazetteer of 1868 links Bishop's Sutton with a former residence of the Bishop of Winchester which was then used as a malthouse.The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) However, in 1872 it is recorded that the Bishops once had a palace in the village with the only alleged remains being its kennel.{{cite web|title=Entry in John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales from 1801-2011 A Vision of Britain website|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/place_page.jsp?p_id=4003|publisher=University of Portstmouth et al.|accessdate=3 June 2012}} The 1871 population was 537 in 114 houses.

The village has a number of historic buildings and many are thatched, with it being part of a conservation area. The Norman Church of St Nicholas, built in the 12th century, is a Grade I listed building.{{NHLE| num=1350825|desc=Church of St Nicholas|accessdate=3 June 2012}} It consists of a simple two-bay structure of a nave and chancel although additions were made to it through the medieval period and into the Victorian era.{{cite web|url=http://www.hampshire-history.com/st-nicholas-church-bishops-sutton/|title=St Nicholas Church Bishop's Sutton, the place of Bishops and surgeons and heroines|publisher=Hampshire History|accessdate= 3 April 2019}}

The village also has the grade II* 17th/18th Century brick-built Sutton Manor House which is on the sight of an earlier timber-framed construction.{{NHLE| num=1350823|desc= Sutton Manor House| accessdate=3 June 2012}} Its garden wall is also Grade II listed.{{NHLE| num=1155368|accessdate=3 June 2012}}

There are also a number of grade II properties: Western Court Farmhouse,{{NHLE| num=1095140|desc=Western Court Farmhouse|accessdate=3 June 2012}} Old Ship Cottages,{{NHLE| num=1095141|desc=Old Ship Cottages|accessdate=3 June 2012}} Newhouse Farmhouse,{{NHLE|desc=Newhouse Farmhouse|num=1095142|accessdate=3 June 2012}} The Ship Inn public house,{{NHLE| num=1155381|accessdate=3 June 2012}} 1 and 2 Church Lane,{{NHLE| num=1155429|desc=2 Church Lane|accessdate=3 June 2012}}{{NHLE| num=1095144|desc=1 Church Lane|accessdate=3 June 2012}} Old Mill House,{{NHLE|desc=Old Mill House|num=1155481|accessdate=3 June 2012}} The Old Post Office,{{NHLE|desc=The Old Post Office|num=1155485|accessdate=3 June 2012}} Tavy Cottage Yeoman's Cottage,{{NHLE| num=1263394|desc=Tavy Cottage Yeoman's Cottage|accessdate=3 June 2012}} Dairy Cottage,{{NHLE| num=1303344|accessdate=3 June 2012}} Grove Cottage{{NHLE| num=1303372|accessdate=3 June 2012}} and Bassett Farm Cottage and its granary.{{NHLE|desc=Bassett Farm Cottage|num=1350824|accessdate=3 June 2012}}{{NHLE|desc=Granary 10m NW of Bassetts Farm Cottage|num=1095143|accessdate=3 June 2012}} Several of these entries show elements of Tudor architecture.

Much of the population is retired, and it won the Hampshire and Isle of Wight village of the year award in 2011 due to the wide range of events and activities organised to transcend the generations by the parish council. The village has a summer fete, an active village hall with links to local businesses and a village green with a pond and meadow used for recreation.[http://www.bishopssutton.org.uk BishopsSutton.org.uk website]{{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130422190200/http://www.bishopssutton.org.uk/ |date=April 22, 2013 }}[http://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/9225738.Bishop_s_Sutton_named_Hampshire_s_Village_of_the_Year/ County News article]

• The Hundred of Odiham

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category-inline|Bishops Sutton}}

{{Geographic location

|title = Nearest Settlements

|Centre = Bishops Sutton

|North = Bighton
Gundleton

|Northeast = Four Marks

|East = Ropley

|Southeast = West Tisted

|South = Bramdean

|Southwest = Cheriton

|West = Alresford

|Northwest = Old Alresford

}}

{{Winchester}}

{{Winchester wards and parishes}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Villages in Hampshire