Bishop's Waltham

Bishop's Waltham
Market town
Bishop's Waltham High Street
Bishop's Waltham is located in Hampshire
Bishop's Waltham
Bishop's Waltham
Location within Hampshire
Population6,723 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceSU554174
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSouthampton
Postcode districtSO32
Dialling code01489
PoliceHampshire and Isle of Wight
FireHampshire and Isle of Wight
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Hampshire
50°57′13″N 1°12′42″W / 50.9536°N 1.2118°W / 50.9536; -1.2118

Bishop's Waltham (or Bishops Waltham) is a medieval market town situated at the source of the River Hamble in Hampshire, England.[2] It has a foot in the South Downs National Park and is located at the midpoint of a long-established route between Winchester and Portsmouth. It is home to the ruins of Bishop's Waltham Palace, a Scheduled Ancient Monument under English Heritage management, and a well-preserved high street with many listed buildings which now house independent shops.

Bishop's Waltham's long history includes a roll call of Medieval and Tudor kings and queens who visited the town to stay at the palace. The name of the town is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words: "wald" (forest) and "ham" (settlement).[3]

Modern day Bishop's Waltham has a population of over 6,723[4] and is the largest settlement in the Winchester district outside the city itself. It is home to an infant and junior school.

  1. ^ "Home - Winchester City Council". Winchester.gov.uk. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Bishop's Waltham - Towns & Villages".
  3. ^ "Early History - Love Bishop's Waltham". Love Bishop's Waltham. Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
  4. ^ UK Census Data for Bishop's Waltham, UK Census Data 2011