Cowplain
Encyclopedia
Cowplain is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 on the northern outskirts of Waterlooville
Waterlooville
Waterlooville is a town in Hampshire, England approximately 8 miles north of Portsmouth.The town has a population itself of about 10,000 and is surrounded by Purbrook, Blendworth, Cowplain, Lovedean, Clanfield, Catherington, Crookhorn, Denmead, Hambledon, Horndean and Widley. It forms part of...

. With a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 8775, it takes up 7.3% of Havant borough's
Havant (borough)
Havant is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Havant. Other places within the Borough include Bedhampton, Cowplain, Emsworth, Hayling Island, Purbrook, Waterlooville and Widley...

 population. The origins of the settlement
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...

 grew along the old London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 to Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

 road (the A3
A3 road
The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road for much of its length, is a dual carriageway, or expressway, which follows the historic route between London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classified as a trunk road...

). The village centre and local shops lie on this London Road
London Road
-England:There are countless London Roads in the UK. Only those significant outside their local area are listed here:* London Road, Brighton; for which a railway station is named* London Road, Guildford; for which a railway station is named...

.

The village boasts several restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

s: Thailand Thai Cuisine (serving Thai food, formerly Sara's, which was previously the Monthai Restaurant which before that was The Indian Cottage restaurant), the O Sole Mio Italian restaurant and takeaway, The National Curry Awards Finalist's; Pasha Bangladeshi Restaurant and the Good View Chinese takeaway. In 2010, a new restaurant, Red Lounge and Grill, was opened by the same people that own Pure Wine Bar and Bistro in Clanfield
Clanfield, Hampshire
Clanfield is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 2.4 miles north of Horndean, just west of the A3 road....

. There is also a pub, The Spotted Cow, after which the village is reportedly named. There are also shops in the small precinct, including Lidl
Lidl
Lidl is a discount supermarket chain based in Germany that operates over 7,200 stores across Europe. The company's full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG...

, Tucker's pharmacy and a small Co-op
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...

 with a Post Office counter inside. The Co-op
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...

 store was extensively re-furbished in November 2009 and was re-launched as a Co-op food store.

The village also features a social club, a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...

, Cowplain Community School
Cowplain Community School
Cowplain Community School is a comprehensive school & was previously named Cowplain Comprehensive School before changing to its current name. It is located in Cowplain, Hampshire in the south of England...

, and Padnell Infant and Junior Schools, next to a large recreation ground with a park, tennis courts and bowling facilities. There is also Queen's Inclosure Primary School adjacent to the Queen's Inclosure woods, a remnant of the original Forest of Bere
Forest of Bere
The Forest of Bere lies north of Fareham. A mixture of woodland, open space, ponds, streams, heathland, farmland and downland it provides countryside access to the residents of South-East Hampshire having a number of paths and bridleways for walking and cycling...

. The local church is St. Wilfrid's, although there are a number of others in the area.

The nearest town is Waterlooville
Waterlooville
Waterlooville is a town in Hampshire, England approximately 8 miles north of Portsmouth.The town has a population itself of about 10,000 and is surrounded by Purbrook, Blendworth, Cowplain, Lovedean, Clanfield, Catherington, Crookhorn, Denmead, Hambledon, Horndean and Widley. It forms part of...

 and the nearest villages Lovedean
Lovedean
Lovedean is a village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 1.4 miles west of Horndean.The nearest railway station is Rowlands Castle, 2.8 miles southeast of the village....

 and Horndean
Horndean
Horndean is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 8 miles north of Portsmouth.The nearest railway station is 2.2 miles southeast of the village at Rowlands Castle....

. The large housing estate, Wecock
Wecock
Wecock Farm is a 1970s council estate on the western edges of Waterlooville originally built by Portsmouth City Council. Its lineage can be traced back to the 16th century and is described as 'a place called Wycock' in 1591...

, lies west of Cowplain.

There are a number of buses that go through Cowplain. The 37 (Stagecoach), from Havant
Havant
Havant is a town in south east Hampshire on the South coast of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It gives its name to the borough comprising the town and the surrounding area. The town has rapidly grown since the end of the Second World War.It has good railway connections to London,...

 to Clanfield
Clanfield, Hampshire
Clanfield is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 2.4 miles north of Horndean, just west of the A3 road....

, Petersfield and Liss
Liss
Liss is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 3.3 miles northeast of Petersfield, on the A3 road, on the Hampshire/West Sussex border....

 and the National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...

 030 to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. First Provincial services 41, 42 and X41 also go through Cowplain - The 41 route follows the A3 from Clanfield to Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth; the X41 is the equivalent express service, using the M275 motorway into and out of the city and runs twice a day. There is also the 145 route from Hambledon through Denmead to Cowplain Community School on Weekdays.

Mark Wingett, the actor who played police constable Jim Carver in The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...

television series, grew up in Cowplain and attended the Horndean Community School.

External links

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