Melody Art

Melody Art

English country garden - Alresford

Original acrylic painting on paper

The Fulling Mill can be seen as you walk from the Town centre along the Itchen River.  This is a lovely walk and is part of the character of the town.  For information on the Fulling Mill please follow the link

There is evidence of Neolithic, Bronze Age and Iron Age occupati on on numero us sites in the Alresfo rd area, with a Roman or Romano-British site on nearby Fobdo wn and to the south-east of the town in Bramdea n. There is evidence of a grant to the Church at Winches ter someti me before the 9th century, which became known as the Liberty of Alresfor d. The settleme nt was listed in the Domesd ay Book.

New Alresfo rd was founded in the 12th/13 th century, the idea originally being that of Henri de Blois, the Bishop of Winches ter and brother of King Stephen of England. The design of the T-shaped town (original ly named Novum Forum) was followed by de Blois' success or Godfrey de Lucy. Alresfo rd was one of the Bishop's six new towns and was his most profitab le plantatio n- his palace was situated in nearby Bishop Sutton, perhaps less than a mile distant.T he medieval stone bridge he built at this time is still in place. This expansi on also involved the construc tion of the Great Weir between New Alresfo rd and Old Alresfor d, creating Old Alresfo rd Pond. This remarka ble period in the town's history even included the construc tion of one of the oldest canal systems in England, based on the River Itchen.

New Alresfo rd quickly became establish ed as a prospero us market town, focuss ed on the wool, leather, and the other products from sheep and cattle- in the 14th Century Alresfo rd was one of the top five Sheep market towns of England. Alresfo rd sent two members to parliame nt until the populati on was reduced by the Black Death. The town quickly picked up the label as a dangero us place to live due to the uncomm only frequent fires which razed it to the ground- much of the medieval town was destroy ed by a fire in 1689 that destroy ed 117 houses in the town as well as the Church and Market House. Much of the town was rebuilt in the 18th century, with many of the Georgian buildings remaini ng today.

In the spring of 1644, the Battle of Cheriton took place on Cheriton Down, reaching the outskirts of Alresfor d. Defeated Royalists set fire to houses in the town as they withdre w.

A turnpike linking London to the Channel ports (now the A31) was built in 1753, passing through the town.

During the late 18th century, Alresfo rd Cricket Club was one of the stronge st sides in England.

Alresfo rd was the birthpla ce of artist Graham Ovenden and novelist and dramatist Mary Russell Mitford (1787-1855) who lived at 37 Broad street until the age of ten. Furtherm ore, the noted actor-manager Francis Robert Benson (1866-1939) spent his childho od in nearby Langton House. The cricket comment ator John Arlott resided in Alresfo rd during the 1950s and 60s. Sky Sports' Jeff Stelling is also a resident, living on Rosebe ry Road.

From the medieval period, the fulling of cloth was often undertak en in a water mill, known as a fulling mill (also as walk mills or tuck mills). In Wales, a fulling mill is a pandy. In these, the cloth was beaten with wooden hammer s, known as fulling stocks. Fulling stocks were of two kinds, falling stocks (operati ng vertically ), used only for scourin g, and driving or hanging stocks. In both cases the machine ry was operated by cams on the shaft of a waterw heel or on a tappet wheel, which lifted the hammer.

Driving stocks were pivotted so that the 'foot' (the head of the hammer) struck the cloth almost horizont ally. The stock had a tub holding the liquor and cloth. This was somewh at rounded on the side away from the hammer, so that the cloth gradually turned, ensuring that all parts of it were milled evenly. Howeve r, the cloth was taken out about every two hours to undo plaits and wrinkles. The 'foot' was somewh at triangul ar in shape, with notches to assist the turning of the cloth.