The churches of Hampshire are as varied as the landscapes they occupy. Remote rural churches that have changed little in 900 years are so far removed from those found in medieval market towns or bustling seaports that one might imagine that they have little in common. Yet the building materials of natural flint, imported stone from Normandy or the Isle of Wight and, later, local brick hold these diverse buildings together.

As an early regional capital Winchester attracted powerful individuals whose influence spread through the county. Monastic houses flourished and have left us grand churches. Courtiers and courtesans have left their marks across the county, as have eighteenth- and nineteenth-century industrialists, many of whom rebuilt or restored churches.

This book looks at fifty Hampshire churches from the Saxon gems of Breamore and Titchfield through Romsey Abbey to isolated churches in the folds of the Downs at Idsworth and Wield to nineteenth- and twentieth-century churches that rank amongst England’s finest. Together with their rich memorials and furnishings there is something for everyone, and Churches of Hampshire will encourage all those who live in the county or are visiting to discover the history on their doorsteps.

Author Biography

John E. Vigar is a church historian, retired university lecturer and Arts Society accredited speaker who has visited and recorded over 13,000 churches in England and Wales. He has been a professional ecclesiastical historian for over 40 years and is a Trustee of the oldest church conservation body in the country. He served as a member of the Academic Board of the Centre for Parish Church Studies for several years and also sits on the Advisory Council of the Norfolk Churches Trust. In 2024 he was appointed a Trustee of the Francis Coales Charitable Foundation. He leads popular tours to churches across England and Wales and has written guidebooks to hundreds of churches. He also runs the www.kentchurches.info and www.hampshirechurches.co.uk websites.

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