Ropley

Ropley is a village and large civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It has an acreage of 4,684 acres (1,896 ha), situated 4 miles (6.4 km) east from New Alresford, and is served by a station on the Mid Hants Railway heritage line at Ropley Dean, just over 1 mile (1.6 km) from the village shops. It is 6.7 miles (10.8 km) southwest of Alton, just off the A31 road. It lies within the diocese of Winchester.

Ropley
Village

View down Church Street
Ropley
Location within Hampshire
Population1,526 [1]
1,602 (2011 Census)[2]
OS grid referenceSU646319
Civil parish
  • Ropley
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townALRESFORD
Postcode districtSO24
Dialling code01962
PoliceHampshire
FireHampshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament

The St Swithun's Way, part of the Pilgrims' Way from Winchester to Canterbury, passes through the village.

It is distinguished by its general absence of pavements in favour of boundary walls, hedges and mature trees.[3] Ropley holds an annual Boxing Day walk, and a pram race on the spring bank holiday in May.

History

In the Domesday Book Ropley was part of the "Hundred of Bishops Sutton" (or "Ashley").[4] Ropley is noted as having provided the honey for William the Conqueror's mead.[5]

By the 13th century the land was owned by the Gervase family who gave some land to William of Wykeham in the 14th century, who was a Bishop of Winchester and the founder of Winchester College; he later gave land in Ropley to the College. In the 15th century some of the land in Ropley was acquired by Magdalen College, Oxford

[3]

The post office was opened in 1851 when the population was 818.[6] In 1870, the population was 796[7]

Parish church
St Peter's Church

St Peter's parish church lies in the village. Its World War I memorial lists 40 people who died, whilst the World War II tablet lists a further 10 people.[8] The Grade-II listed church was severely damaged by a major electrical fire on 19 June 2014 which gutted the building and destroyed the roof. However plans have been put forward to repair the building. There is also an urban legend that the priest burned down the clock tower by failing to put out a cigarette.[9]

The vicar of Ropley from 1796 to 1811 was the Reverend William Howley (who succeeded his father, also William Howley, in the post). Howley is perhaps Ropley's most famous resident, and went on to serve as a Canon of Christ Church, Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University, Bishop of London (1813-1828), and Archbishop of Canterbury (1828-1848), in which capacity he crowned two British monarchs.

Historic buildings

There are numerous old buildings in the village:

NameGradeCentury of oldest part
St Peter's Church of England Church Grade II[10] 11th or 12th
The Forge Grade II[11] 15th with

Later extended flemish bond red brick walls

The Old Manor House Grade II[12] 16th
Town Street Farmhouse Grade II[13] 16th
Dover Cottage Grade II[14] 16th
Fordes Grade II[15] 17th
Cromwell Cottage Grade II[16] 17th
Laurel And Pondside Cottages Grade II[17] 17th
Ropelia Cottage Grade II[18] 17th
Gardeners Cottage Grade II[19] 17th
Fieldview Grade II[20] 17th
Fairways Grade II[21] 17th
Sparrow Thatch Grade II[22] 17th
The Old Farm House Grade II[23] 17th
The Old Parsonage Grade II[24] 17th
Ropley House Grade II*[25] 18th features ionic columns

flemish bond red brick walls and architectural ornamentation

The Post House Grade II[26] 18th
Bounty House Grade II[27] 18th
North Street Farmhouse Grade II[28] 18th (1730)
Exeter House Grade II[29] 18th
Archbishop's Cottage Grade II[30] 18th
Hall Place Grade II[31] 18th (1790)
Ropley Grove Grade II[32] 18th flemish bond red brick walls
Carpenters Grade II[33] 18th
Little Barton Grade II[34] 18th
Stables 10 Metres East of Hall Place Grade II[35] 18th
Yew Tree Cottage Grade II[36] 18th
Ropley Lodge Grade II[37] 18th
Ropley Manor Grade II[38] early 19th
Stable Block 20 metres South-East

of The Post House

 Grade II[39] early 19th

Education

The village contains one primary school, Ropley CofE Primary School, founded in 1826 by the Reverend Samuel Maddock,[40] who first built it on a previous site in Petersfield Road. William Faichen was the co-founder of the school, and became the first Headmaster.[41]

There was already another school in the area, located in present-day Four Marks (originally called 'Ropley Street').[42] Maddock thought that it was too much of a struggle for young children to walk a long distance every day, so he built his school in the centre of the village. The older school was demolished in the mid 1800s.

In 1869, the school burned down in a fire. It was rebuilt on the present day site at Church Street and reopened the same year.[43][44] Since then, the school has operated continuously.

The school values its historic links with the community. Parts of the original Victorian traditional flint and brick buildings remain, and now form the hall and the school kitchen. The main teaching area consists of six modern classrooms with shared corridor working spaces. The most recent classroom was built in 2001 and is especially equipped for early years children.[43] The primary school is one of the feeder schools for Perins School, and both maintain high standards.[45]

Governance

Ropley is part of the Alton Rural county ward, and returns one county councillor to Hampshire County Council.

ElectionMember[46]ward
2009 Mark Kemp-GeeAlton Rural
2013 Mark Kemp-GeeAlton Rural
2017 Mark Kemp-GeeAlton Rural

Ropley is part of the Ropley and Tisted district ward, and returns one district councillor to East Hampshire District Council.

ElectionMember[47]Ward
2015Charles LouissonRopley and Tisted

Station
Ropley railway station

Ropley railway station opened in 1865, and has operated continuously since that date, other than for four years from 1973 to 1977. Originally opened by the London and South Western Railway, services ended in 1973, but were restored by a preservation society four years later, as part of the Mid Hants Railway, running heritage services between Alton and New Alresford. There is a 100-year established garden topiary by the station house side. The locomotive shed and engineering works are located adjacent to the station, and tours may be booked.[48] Trains operate from May to September each year, with additional Christmas and New Year special services.[48]

References
  1. Census
  2. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  3. "Conservation Area Booklet" (PDF). Hampshire County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011.
  4. Ropley history Archived 7 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Hampshire County Council". Archived from the original on 30 April 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  6. Timeline of Hampshire Archived 10 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Vision of Britain
  8. Roll of Honour Ropley
  9. "Ropley church gutted by blaze". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  10. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1339053)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  11. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1179655)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  12. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1339020)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  13. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093933)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  14. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1339055)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  15. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093929)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  16. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093930)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  17. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093932)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  18. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093936)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  19. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1339058)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  20. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093939)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  21. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1157350)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  22. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1179719)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  23. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1179855)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  24. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1339032)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  25. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1157351)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  26. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093928)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  27. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093934)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  28. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093935)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  29. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093931)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  30. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1179845)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  31. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1179958)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  32. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1301730)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  33. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1301760)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  34. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093937)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  35. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093938)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  36. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093940)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  37. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1093941)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  38. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1157300)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  39. Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1339056)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  40. "Maddock of Ropley". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  41. "William Faichen the first headmaster". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  42. Ropley former parish history
  43. Open document for details
  44. "School Brochure" (PDF). Ropley CofE Primary School. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2011.
  45. Ropley school exam results
  46. Retrieved 14 May 2012
  47. "Retrieved 14 May 2012". Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  48. "Overview to stations". Mid Hampshire Railway. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
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