Beacon Hill, Burghclere, Hampshire

Old Burghclere is part of Burghclere in Hampshire, England, located south of the large town of Newbury near the A34 road. The village of Burghclere, but less so Old Burghclere, was once on the A34 and has now been by-passed, although this section is not really part of the Newbury bypass. Burghclere has been known variously as: Clere Episcopi, Burcler (xiii cent.); Bisshopesclere, Bourghclere, Burghclere (xiv cent.); Boroughclere, Burghcleere, Boroweclere, Burcleare (xvi cent.); Burroughclere, Borough Cleere, and Burgh Cleere (xvii cent.).Burghclere is a large parish five miles west of Kingsclere, and is immediately adjacent to Highclere, which is on its western boundary. In the heart of Old Burghclere, in centre of the whole Burghclere parish stands the old church of All Saints, and close by is Burghclere Manor House, which was formerly the rectory. Burghclere Farm is north of the old church.In 1233 the common fields (campi) of Burghclere comprised Stock (67½ acres), Surlande (31½ acres), Harebert and Leylie (242 acres), Lendecumbe (151 acres), as well as 10 acres of meadow dispersed over the manor. These commons were inclosed in 1783.The southern part of the parish (Old Burghclere) is open down country. Beacon Hill, which is 842 feet above the ordnance datum, is here a conspicuous landmark, upon which are the remains of an ancient earthwork. Down Farm lay east of the hill close to the former Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway run by the Great Western Railway, which ran almost due north from here through the parish. The total acreage of the parish of Burghclere is 5,269 acres, of which 1,740 acres are arable land, 2,174 acres permanent grass and 500 acres woods and plantations (1911). The chief crops are wheat, barley and oats (1911); the soil varies, being chiefly gravel and chalk, the subsoil chalk and greensand.

Burghclere railway station (originally named Sydmonton) was a station on the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway in England. It was further from the village of Burghclere than Highclere railway station but Burghclere station was relatively busy, serving the larger village of Kingsclere.

At 255 metres (837 ft), Sidown Hill is the third highest hill in the county of Hampshire, England. At the summit is a mid-18th century Grade II listed building known as Heaven's Gate which is hidden by the trees covering the top of the hill.The hill is on the watershed of the Hampshire Basin and forms part of the Hampshire Downs. To the east is Beacon Hill (261 metres (856 ft)). On 5 May 1945 a USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress of 326th Bombardment Squadron crashed on Sidown Hill with the loss of six of its crew of seven.

Old Burghclere Lime Quarry SSSI is a 4.61 ha (11.4 acres) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Burghclere in Hampshire, notified in 1979. The Lime Quarry was actively worked until the beginning of the 20th century, and since then has been left to nature, resulting in a unique mix of flora and fauna becoming established at the site. The site is located at grid reference SU473573, to the south of the village of Old Burghclere, in the county of Hampshire. Nearby to the west lies Beacon Hill and to the southeast is Ladle Hill and Watership Down. The A34 runs immediately to the west of the site the Ladle Hill and Beacon Hill to the east.

Whitway is a hamlet in the civil parish of Burghclere in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Newbury, which lies approximately 5 miles (8.1 km) north from the hamlet.

Highclere Castle is a Grade I listed country house built in 1679 and largely renovated in the 1840s, with a park designed by Capability Brown in the 18th century. The 5,000-acre (2,000 ha) estate is in Highclere in Hampshire, England, about 5 miles (8 km) south of Newbury, Berkshire, and 9.5 miles (15 km) north of Andover, Hampshire. The 19th-century renovation is in a Jacobethan and Italianate style produced by architect Charles Barry. It is the country seat of the Earls of Carnarvon, a branch of the Anglo-Welsh Herbert family. Highclere Castle has been used as a filming location for several films and television series, including 1990s comedy series Jeeves and Wooster, and achieved international fame as the main location for the ITV historical drama series Downton Abbey (2010–15) and the 2019 and 2022 films based on it. The house, Egyptian exhibition, and gardens are open to the public for self-guided tours during the summer months and at other times during the rest of the year, such as Christmas and Easter. The house also holds ticketed events, such as the Battle Proms picnic concert, and special guided tours throughout the year.

Litchfield and Woodcott is a civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. Forming part of the district of Basingstoke and Deane the main settlements in the parish are Litchfield, Dunley, Upper Woodcott and Lower Woodcott. At the time of the 2011 Census the population of the civil parish was 137.

Highclere Park is a 69.6-hectare (172-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Highclere in Hampshire. It is the park of Highclere Castle and is Grade 1 on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.This is the earliest documented estate in the county, recorded in 749, and it was landscaped by Capability Brown in around 1770. The mature trees have a rich and diverse lichen and moss flora, with many species typical of ancient woodland. There are two lakes, which were originally fishponds of the Bishop of Winchester, and they are bordered by areas of swamp and fen. There are also areas of grassland and the site is notable for its rich invertebrate populations.

Burghclere is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. According to the 2011 census the village had a population of 1,152. The village is near the border of Hampshire with Berkshire, four miles south of Newbury. It is also very close to Newtown and Old Burghclere. Work by the 20th-century artist Stanley Spencer can be found in the Sandham Memorial Chapel. The Church of the Ascension is on Church Lane in Burghclere.

Ladle Hill is a 10.5-hectare (26-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Kingsclere in Hampshire. It is also a Scheduled Monument.

Duncroft Farm Pit is a 0.1-hectare (0.25-acre) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Kingsclere in Hampshire. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.This site exposes beds dating to the Upper Chalk of the Late Cretaceous epoch, 100 to 66 million years ago. The strata are in the middle of the Kingsclere Monocline, a steep fold which is thought to be due to later movement in the underlying rocks.The site is private land with no public access.

Highclere railway station was a station on the Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway in England. It shares the name of the nearby village of Highclere and Highclere Castle.