Andover

The town of Andover in the county of Hampshire lies on the River Anton and is first mentioned as a place where King Edred built a royal hunting lodge in 950. By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the settlement was growing and prospering, with six watermills that ground grain to flour. The history here through the ages is rich and diverse and probably best explored at the excellent Andover Museum. The museum traces the history from Saxon times to the present day and is located in a former town house built around 1750 that was visited by Jane Austen, who wrote about the 'highly extolled staircase', and 'elegant drawing room'. Exhibits and displays offer a fascinating look back with a Natural History Room containing the bones of a woolly mammoth, the Dacre Room holding with warrior weapons from the Saxon cemetery, a Royalty, Religion and Superstition area looking at the  Medieval and Tudor periods as well as more on the Industrial Revolution and the 1846 scandal of the Andover Workhouse.

Andover is a picturesque market town that still holds a street market every Thursday and Saturday with local produce and crafts bringing shoppers to the High Street. Much of the town’s architecture and layout reveals its history with narrow walkways from Saxon times and buildings from the 18^th century when coaches used to stop to rest on the long journey between London, Southampton and Oxford. There is plenty to see, do and enjoy in Andover and a good choice of places to eat, drink and be entertained.