St Mary Bourne

St Mary Bourne is small village and civil parish in northwest Hampshire. It lies in the valley of the Bourne Rivulet, a tributary of the River Test 5 miles (8 km) northeast of the town of Andover.

Governance

The village of St. Mary Bourne is part of the civil parish of St. Mary Bourne, and is part of the Burghclere, Highclere and St. Mary Bourne ward of Basingstoke and Deane borough council. The borough council is a Non-metropolitan district of Hampshire County Council.

Geography

The village is in a rural area of downland, with a mixture of farms and woodlands nearby.

Landmarks

It has many thatched houses and in the south part of the village is the flint and stone church of St Peter. The church is particularly notable for its 12th century Tournai marble font

Culture and community

There is a local amateur dramatic society, and two golf clubs, both of which are based around pubs. These societies, along with the cricket club and other local organisations, are representative of the community in microcosm. The farms, pubs (local pubs include the Coronation Arms, the Bourne Valley Inn and The George Inn) and the partly volunteered shop aren't the only businesses in the village. There's one of the world's leading watercress companies - Vitacress. There's a business improvement consultancy, a thriving garage, a recruitment company, an agency for marketing responsible tourism, and a maker of quality curtains and soft...
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