Waltham Chase

Waltham Chase is a village in Hampshire, England, neighbouring the town of Bishop's Waltham. It is in the civil parish of Shedfield, comprising about two square kilometres of land to the south-east of Bishop's Waltham.

History

Previously a forest used for the hierarchy of Bishop's Waltham to hunt game, the village started to establish its own, independent identity in the 19th century.

Amenities

The village has a primary school - St John the Baptist CoE; older children attend Swanmore College nearby. It has several green areas, e.g. a recreation ground and park area. It has a thriving village hall which is used by many societies and clubs. There is a village store which includes the post office and there is also a hairdresser. There is a garage with car repair, a car sales outlet and a commercial vehicle sales business. The village also has two public houses
It has a Methodist church; the local Anglican church, St John the Baptist, is located at Shedfield. The parish of Shedfield includes Shirrell Heath, Waltham Chase and Shedfield.

Demographics

According to the ONS the population of the whole Winchester LSOA - "Winchester 012F" area which includes both Waltham Chase and most of Shirrell Heath was 2,830.

Places of interest

There is an SSSI site within the village, Waltham Chase Meadows - "one of the best examples in the county of dry neutral unimproved pasture."
Across the road from the Moors Nature Reserve is the Chase Mill, which was still in use in 1957. This mill has been featured on a television restoration programme - Salvage Squad - which first aired on Channel 4 in January 2003.