Hannington, Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Hannington is a civil parish in the English
county of Hampshire
. It is situated between Basingstoke
and Newbury
, on the North Hampshire Downs
in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
. In the 2001 census
it had a population
of 332 people.
The village's only Public House, The Vine At Hannington, has views over the Hampshire Downs and is a popular stopping point for hikers following the Wayfarer's Walk. Originally called The Wellington Arms, the pub stands on land that once belonged to the estate of the Duke of Wellington
.
of Hannington, and is part of the Kingsclere ward
of Basingstoke and Deane borough council
. The borough council is a Non-metropolitan district
of Hampshire County Council
.
The Hannington Silver Band celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2004 and regularly plays at churches, fetes and halls in the area.
The Hannington Wine Society meets the 2nd Thursday of the month in the Function Room of the Vine Public House at 8 pm. People come from Wine Merchants, Wine Companies, Wine Agencies, etc., to talk about and present their wines for tasting, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
The Hannington Country Fair and Barbecue is held every two years on the village green and surrounding land and attracts visitors from all over the county and beyond.
and radio
transmitting station located at 51°18′28.75"N 1°14′40.98"W on Cottington Hill, although this is actually in the parish of Kingsclere
. The station provides broadcast services to Berkshire and north Hampshire, and includes a 131.4 metres (431 ft) guyed steel lattice mast. Surmounting the mast is a GRP
aerial cylinder, which contains the UHF television transmitting antennas, which brings the overall height of the mast to 151.9 metres (498 ft).
Ofcom confirms that Hannington's digital broadcasts are severely attenuated to the East so as not to cause co-channel interference with Guildford transmitter, see picture.
On Saturday 26 November 1977 at around 5.10 pm, broadcasts from this transmitter were hi-jacked by unknown agents who blocked the UHF audio signal of transmissions from the then local ITV
station Southern Television
and broadcast their own audio message purporting to be from Vrillon
, an alien
from an institution calling itself the Ashtar Galactic Command
. The message, transmitted over an ITN News bulletin and a subsequent Merrie Melodies
cartoon
, lasted six minutes.
Despite extensive investigations by Hampshire Police, the Independent Broadcasting Authority
and Southern Television, those responsible have never been identified, and the potential culprits have ranged from students to university professors to disgruntled television technicians.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. It is situated between Basingstoke
Basingstoke
Basingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, in south central England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of...
and Newbury
Newbury, Berkshire
Newbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings. Newbury is best known for its racecourse and the adjoining former USAF...
, on the North Hampshire Downs
Downland
A downland is an area of open chalk hills. This term is especially used to describe the chalk countryside in southern England. Areas of downland are often referred to as Downs....
in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is an area of countryside considered to have significant landscape value in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, that has been specially designated by the Countryside Agency on behalf of the United Kingdom government; the Countryside Council for Wales on...
. In the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
it had 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 332 people.
History and architecture
At its centre is the village green, on the edge of which is All Saints' Church, some parts of which date from the 11th century. There are also many buildings listed as Grade II of significant local historical and architectural importance.The village's only Public House, The Vine At Hannington, has views over the Hampshire Downs and is a popular stopping point for hikers following the Wayfarer's Walk. Originally called The Wellington Arms, the pub stands on land that once belonged to the estate of the Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
.
Governance
The village of Hannington is part of the civil parishCivil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Hannington, and is part of the Kingsclere ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
of Basingstoke and Deane borough council
Basingstoke and Deane
Basingstoke and Deane is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its primary settlement is Basingstoke. Other settlements include Bramley, Tadley, Kingsclere, Overton, Oakley, Whitchurch and the hamlet of Deane, some from Basingstoke....
. The borough council is a Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
of Hampshire County Council
Hampshire County Council
Hampshire County Council is the county council that governs the majority of the county of Hampshire in England. It provides the upper tier of local government, below which are district councils, and town and parish councils...
.
Leisure
The Hannington Wine Society meets the 2nd Thursday of the month in the Function Room of the Vine Public House at 8 pm. People come from Wine Merchants, Wine Companies, Wine Agencies, etc., to talk about and present their wines for tasting, in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
The Hannington Country Fair and Barbecue is held every two years on the village green and surrounding land and attracts visitors from all over the county and beyond.
Transmitting station
Hannington is also the name given to the nearby televisionTelevision
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
transmitting station located at 51°18′28.75"N 1°14′40.98"W on Cottington Hill, although this is actually in the parish of Kingsclere
Kingsclere
Kingsclere is a large village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire, England. Kingsclere is located near to Watership Down, the setting of Richard Adams' 1972 novel Watership Down.-Geography:...
. The station provides broadcast services to Berkshire and north Hampshire, and includes a 131.4 metres (431 ft) guyed steel lattice mast. Surmounting the mast is a GRP
Glass-reinforced plastic
Fiberglass , is a fiber reinforced polymer made of a plastic matrix reinforced by fine fibers of glass. It is also known as GFK ....
aerial cylinder, which contains the UHF television transmitting antennas, which brings the overall height of the mast to 151.9 metres (498 ft).
Ofcom confirms that Hannington's digital broadcasts are severely attenuated to the East so as not to cause co-channel interference with Guildford transmitter, see picture.
On Saturday 26 November 1977 at around 5.10 pm, broadcasts from this transmitter were hi-jacked by unknown agents who blocked the UHF audio signal of transmissions from the then local ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
station Southern Television
Southern Television
Southern Television was the first ITV broadcasting licence holder for the south and south-east of England from 30 August 1958 until the night of 31 December 1981. The company was launched as Southern Television Limited and the title Southern Television was consistently used on-air throughout its life...
and broadcast their own audio message purporting to be from Vrillon
Vrillon
The Southern Television broadcast interruption hoax was a broadcast interruption through the Hannington transmitter of the Independent Broadcasting Authority in the United Kingdom at 5:10 PM on 26 November 1977...
, an alien
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
from an institution calling itself the Ashtar Galactic Command
Ashtar Galactic Command
Ashtar is the name of a purported extraterrestrial being, who was first claimed to be channeled by early UFO contactee George Van Tassel, on 18 July 1952.-Van Tassel:...
. The message, transmitted over an ITN News bulletin and a subsequent Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
, lasted six minutes.
Despite extensive investigations by Hampshire Police, the Independent Broadcasting Authority
Independent Broadcasting Authority
The Independent Broadcasting Authority was the regulatory body in the United Kingdom for commercial television - and commercial/independent radio broadcasts...
and Southern Television, those responsible have never been identified, and the potential culprits have ranged from students to university professors to disgruntled television technicians.
Analogue radio
| Frequency | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 102.9 MHz | 4 | Heart Thames Valley Heart Thames Valley Heart Thames Valley is an Independent Local Radio Station serving Berkshire, Oxfordshire, north Hampshire and parts of west Buckinghamshire from studios in Reading, southern England... |
| 104.1 MHz | 3 | BBC Radio Berkshire BBC Radio Berkshire BBC Radio Berkshire is the BBC Local Radio service for the English county of Berkshire, as well as parts of North Hampshire, including Basingstoke. Radio Berkshire broadcasts on 94.6 , 95.4 , 104.1 and 104.4 FM from its studios at Caversham Park near Reading. The 104.1 FM signal is the strongest... |
Digital radio
| Frequency | Block | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 222.064 MHz | 11D | 4.8 | Digital One Digital One Digital One is a national commercial digital radio multiplex in the United Kingdom, owned by Arqiva. , the multiplex covers more than 90% of the populationfrom a total of 137 transmitters... |
| 225.648 MHz | 12B | 5 | BBC National DAB |
| 229.072 MHz | 12D | 1 | NOW Berkshire & North Hampshire NOW Berkshire & North Hampshire NOW Berkshire & North Hampshire is the name of the DAB multiplex operator for the Reading & Basingstoke areas. It serves northern portions of Hampshire in the commuter belt and the Unitarian Authorities of Reading, Slough, West Berkshire and Wokingham.... |
Analogue television
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 583.25 MHz | 35 | 60 | Channel 5 |
| 615.25 MHz | 39 | 250 | BBC One BBC One BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution... |
| 639.25 MHz | 42 | 250 | ITV1 ITV1 ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their... |
| 663.25 MHz | 45 | 250 | BBC Two BBC Two BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio... |
| 831.25 MHz | 66 | 250 | Channel 4 Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel... |
- Aerial group: E
- Polarisation: horizontal
- BBC Two analogue closes on 8 February 2012, all other analogue services close on 22 February 2012.
Digital television
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 626.2 MHz | 40+ | 20 | SDN S4C Digital Networks SDN is a company that operates Multiplex A, one of the six groups of channels on digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom... (Mux A) |
| 634.2 MHz | 41+ | 10 | Arqiva Arqiva Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless... (Mux D) |
| 650.2 MHz | 43+ | 20 | Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 is a consortium consisting of regional Channel 3 companies and Channel 4 Television Corporation, which operates a multiplex broadcasting from a number of transmitter sites in the UK, carrying television and radio channels from both ITV and Channel 4; however three per-cent of the... (Mux 2) |
| 658.2 MHz | 44+ | 10 | Arqiva (Mux C) |
| 674.2 MHz | 46+ | 20 | BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... (Mux B) |
| 706.0 MHz | 50 | 20 | BBC (Mux 1) |
After switchover
| Frequency | UHF | kW | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|
| 618.0 MHz | 39 | 50 | BBC BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff... B |
| 634.2 MHz | 41+ | 25 | SDN S4C Digital Networks SDN is a company that operates Multiplex A, one of the six groups of channels on digital terrestrial television in the United Kingdom... |
| 642.2 MHz | 42+ | 50 | Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 Digital 3&4 is a consortium consisting of regional Channel 3 companies and Channel 4 Television Corporation, which operates a multiplex broadcasting from a number of transmitter sites in the UK, carrying television and radio channels from both ITV and Channel 4; however three per-cent of the... |
| 658.0 MHz | 44 | 25 | Arqiva Arqiva Arqiva is a telecommunications company which provides infrastructure and broadcast transmission facilities in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The present company, with headquarters located at Crawley Court in the village of Crawley, Hampshire, was formed by National Grid Wireless... A |
| 666.0 MHz | 45 | 50 | BBC A |
| 682.0 MHz | 47 | 25 | Arqiva B |
- Arqiva A & B will be restricted to 20 kW until further notice.
External links
- The Vine At Hannington
- Hannington Country Fair and Barbecue
- The Transmission Gallery: photographs, coverage maps and information
- Info and pictures of Hannington transmitter, including co-receivable transmitters
- Conservation Area Appraisal: Hannington
- Hampshire Treasures: Volume 2 (Basingstoke and Deane) Pages 149, 151, 156, and 162.
- Stained Glass Windows at All Saints, Hannington, Hampshire
- Hannington Wine Society
- Wayfarer's Walk