Ampfield

Ampfield is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Test Valley in Hampshire, England, between Romsey, Eastleigh, and Winchester. It had a population at the 2001 census of 1,474, increasing to 1,583 at the 2011 Census. The civil parish of Ampfield falls into the Ward of Ampfield & Braishfield.

Geography

Ampfield lies on sands and clays of Eocene age near the northern edge of the Hampshire Basin. Ampfield Wood on the London Clay to the north of the village is crossed by the Monarch's Way long distance footpath. The parish includes the hamlets of Knapp and Gosport.

The village church is St Mark. Its construction took 3 years, finishing in 1841. The site and the cost of the church was provided by Sir William Heathcote. It has stained glass windows by W Butterworth dating from the 1850s. It is a Grade II listed building.

There is one school in the village, Ampfield CofE Primary School The Potters Heron Hotel, renowned for its thatched roof, is situated in the edge of village. The White Horse pub, in the village centre, is a Grade II listed building.
The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is situated in Ampfield. The arboretum covers and has over 42,000 trees and shrubs.

The author of the Thomas the Tank Engine series of books, Rev. W Awdry, was born in Ampfield Vicarage.