Beacon Hill, Warnford

Exton is a small village and civil parish in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England. The village lies in the South Downs National Park, on the west bank of the River Meon, immediately to the north of Corhampton. It is located two miles north of Droxford and five miles north-east of Bishop's Waltham. Its name first appears in 940 as East Seaxnatune, meaning "farmstead of the East Saxons".The parish straddles the Meon Valley, including higher ground of the South Downs to either side, with Old Winchester Hill to the east and the southern part of Beacon Hill (shared with Warnford parish) to the west. It is crossed from east to west by the South Downs Way long-distance footpath. The A32 and the Meon Valley Railway footpath cross from north to south. The parish contains numerous archaeological sites including a Mesolithic flint working site, Bronze Age bowl barrows and the Iron Age fort at Old Winchester Hill. There are also Roman and Dark Age sites and the site of the mediaeval village of Lomer. The 13th-century church of St Peter and St Paul was heavily restored in the 19th century. The 1892 restoration (the second of the 19th century) added stained glass windows by Charles Spooner in the style of the Arts and Crafts movement.Exton has remained a small community for more than two centuries. In 1801 Exton's total population was 224, by 1901 it had grown slightly to 299 yet by 2001 the population had shrunk to 230 and again to 203 at the 2011 Census. Photographs from the 1950s show a village shop and post office in Exton but this closed in the 1960s. The only community buildings in the village are the church and the Shoe Inn public house. In 1870–72, John Goring's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Exton like this: "EXTON, a village and a parish in Droxford district, Hants. The village stands 2 miles N by E of Droxford, and 5 NE of Bishops-Waltham r. station; and has a post office under Southampton. The parish comprises 2,464 acres (10 km²). Real property, £2,640. Pop., 257. Houses, 41. Exton Lodge is a principal residence. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Winchester. Value, 331.* Patron, the Bishop of Winchester. The church was rebuilt in 1847, and is in the early English style. "

Corhampton Church is an Anglican church in the village of Corhampton, in Hampshire, England. Unusually, it does not have a dedication to a saint or other local person. It is in the Diocese of Portsmouth, and is one of the churches of the Meon Bridge Benefice. The building, dating from the early 11th century, is Grade I listed.

Corhampton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Corhampton and Meonstoke, in the Winchester district, in the county of Hampshire, England. It lies on the western bank of the River Meon. In 1931 the parish had a population of 87. On 1 April 1932 the parish was abolished and merged with Meonstoke to form "Corhampton and Meonstoke".

Corhampton and Meonstoke is a civil parish in the English county of Hampshire forming part of the area administered as the City of Winchester. It comprises the villages of Corhampton and Meonstoke.

Meonstoke is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Corhampton and Meonstoke, in the Winchester district, in the county of Hampshire, England. It is in the Meon Valley where it cuts through the Middle Chalk of the South Downs, Old Winchester Hill is at the edge of the parish to the east. In 1931 the parish had a population of 439.It sits on the eastern bank of the River Meon. On the northern part of the western bank is Corhampton. The A32 crosses the river between the two villages. On the southern bank is Droxford. Soberton lies to the south, Hambledon to the east and Exton to the north.

The A32 is a road in Hampshire, southern England, that links Gosport and Alton. Starting at Gosport, facing Portsmouth, it travels north via Fareham, Wickham, Droxford, before joining the A31 road near Alton. The road is 29.2 miles (47.0 km) long from the seafront at Gosport to the roundabout with the A31 near Alton, and has entirely non-primary status.

Warnford is a village and civil parish in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England. The parish covers 1283 hectares (3170 acres). The village lies on the A32 in the upper valley of the River Meon between West Meon and Exton. The population in 2019 was estimated at 220. The village is rural in character, with most of the buildings along River Lane, Lippen Lane and Hayden Lane. The George and Falcon pub and hotel, which is grade II listed and dates to the 18th century is located on the A32 near the centre of the village. The Church of Our Lady, located in Warnford Park to the south of the village, is Grade 1 listed.The village hall is located in Lippen Lane close to the centre of the village and was converted from a farm shop, having been earlier a pig farm laboratory. It was given to the village in 1998 by the owner of the Warnford Estate. The hall has a single room which can accommodate up to 100 people and is available for hire by the hour. Warnford Playground in Lippen Lane was given by the family of R.P. Chester in his memory in 1978 for the benefit of parishioners. It is managed by a charitable trust. It is open to the public, but there is very limited parking and no facilities such as toilets.

Betty Mundy's Bottom is a wooded valley in the South Downs of Hampshire. There are a variety of folk tales about the name, which goes back centuries. One theory is that it is from the Latin beati mundae, meaning the most beautiful place in the world. Another has it that Betty Mundy lived in a cottage there and that she would waylay discharged sailors walking along the Sailor's Lane, murdering them for their wages or leading them to a press gang. Other stories are that she was a witch or fairy that would curse or trick people.In 1941, there was building work to renovate two cottages owned by Major Pelly. In 2012, a substantial country house known as Mundy's House was rebuilt there.

Brockbridge is a hamlet in Hampshire, England in the South Downs National Park . All parts are between a .5-mile (0.80 km) to 1-mile (1.6 km) walk across two footbridges or one road bridge to Droxford. Its nearest town is Bishops Waltham, approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) west and the community's Council taxpayers by law contribute to the small parish precept of Soberton Civil Parish Council. It is entitled to enjoy the playgrounds, village hall, sports and parish amenities of Soberton, its civil (and in the Church of England ecclesiastical) parish which is centred approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) away.

Kilmeston is a small village and civil parish in the City of Winchester district of Hampshire, England. Historically the village has been known as Chelmestune or Kilmiston, and some sources still quote Kilmiston as the official name of the civil parish. Kilmeston Manor, a substantial country house, is a grade II* listed building.The parish church of St Andrew has its origin in medieval times. Rebuilt in 1772 and again in the late 19th century, it is a grade II listed building. Lt.-Gen. Sir Henry Warde lived at Dean House, Kilmeston.

Droxford (arch. Drokensford) is a village in Hampshire, England.

Droxford railway station was an intermediate station on the Meon Valley Railway, built to a design by T. P. Figgis and opened in 1903. It served the villages of Droxford, Soberton and Hambledon in Hampshire, England. The railway served a relatively lightly populated area, but was built to main line specifications in anticipation of it becoming a major route to Gosport. Consequently, although the station was built in an area with only five houses, it was designed with the capacity to handle 10-carriage trains. It initially proved successful both for the transport of goods and passengers, but services were reduced during the First World War and the subsequent recession, and the route suffered owing to competition from road transport. In 1944, amid World War II, Droxford station was used by the Prime Minister Winston Churchill as his base during preparations for the Normandy landings. Based in an armoured train parked in the sidings at Droxford, Churchill met with numerous ministers, military commanders and leaders of allied nations. On 4 June 1944, shortly before the landings were due to take place, Free French leader Charles de Gaulle visited Churchill at Droxford, and was informed of the invasion plans. When discussing the future governance of liberated France at this meeting, Churchill expressed his view that if forced to side with France or the United States he would always choose the United States, a remark which instilled in de Gaulle a suspicion of British intentions and caused long-term damage to the postwar relationship between France and Britain. After the war, with Britain's railway network in decline, services on the Meon Valley Railway were cut drastically. A section of the line north of Droxford was closed, reducing Droxford to being the terminus of a short 9+3⁄4-mile (15.7 km) branch line. In early 1955 the station closed to passengers, and in 1962 it closed to goods traffic. Following its closure, Droxford station and a section of its railway track were used for demonstrating an experimental railbus until the mid-1970s. It then briefly served as a driving school for HGV drivers, before becoming a private residence and being restored to its original appearance.