Melody Art

Melody Art

The Fulling Mill - 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 numerous sites in the Alresford area, with a Roman or Romano-British site on nearby Fobdown and to the south-east of the town in Bramdea n. There is evidence of a grant to the Church at Winchest er sometime before the 9th century, which became known as the Liberty of Alresford. The settlement was listed in the Domesd ay Book.

New Alresford was founded in the 12th/13th century, the idea originally being that of Henri de Blois, the Bishop of Winchest er and brother of King Stephen of England. The design of the T-shaped town (originally named Novum Forum) was followed by de Blois' success or Godfrey de Lucy. Alresford was one of the Bishop's six new towns and was his most profitable 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 constructi on of the Great Weir between New Alresford and Old Alresford, creating Old Alresford Pond. This remarkab le period in the town's history even included the constructi on of one of the oldest canal systems in England, based on the River Itchen.

New Alresford quickly became establish ed as a prospero us market town, focussed on the wool, leather, and the other products from sheep and cattle- in the 14th Century Alresford was one of the top five Sheep market towns of England. Alresford sent two members to parliament until the population was reduced by the Black Death. The town quickly picked up the label as a dangero us place to live due to the uncommo nly frequent fires which razed it to the ground- much of the medieval town was destroyed by a fire in 1689 that destroyed 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 remaining today.

In the spring of 1644, the Battle of Cheriton took place on Cheriton Down, reaching the outskirts of Alresford. 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, Alresford Cricket Club was one of the strongest sides in England.

Alresford was the birthplace of artist Graham Ovenden and novelist and dramatist Mary Russell Mitford (1787-1855) who lived at 37 Broad street until the age of ten. Furthermo re, the noted actor-manager Francis Robert Benson (1866-1939) spent his childhood in nearby Langton House. The cricket commenta tor John Arlott resided in Alresford during the 1950s and 60s. Sky Sports' Jeff Stelling is also a resident, living on Rosebery 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 hammers, known as fulling stocks. Fulling stocks were of two kinds, falling stocks (operating vertically ), used only for scouring, and driving or hanging stocks. In both cases the machine ry was operated by cams on the shaft of a waterwh eel 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 horizontall y. 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. However, the cloth was taken out about every two hours to undo plaits and wrinkles. The 'foot' was somewh at triangular in shape, with notches to assist the turning of the cloth.