Thruxton, Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Thruxton is just off the A303 road
five miles (8 km) west of Andover
. It is a village with a Manor House, thatched cottages and village green. Pillhill Brook runs from Thruxton Down through the grounds of the Manor House and along the village street to Mullen's Pond, a natural habitat for many species of migratory birds and wild plants.
under the Andover Hundred. In the 12th century the name was Turkilleston (Turkil being a Saxon
name and ‘tun’ being the Saxon word for farmstead and later hamlet, or village - so Turkils or Thurcols Homestead ) which, over the centuries, changed via Turcleston, Thorcleston (13th century), Throkeleston, Thurkcleston (14th century), Throkeston (15th century), Thruckleston (16th century), Throxton (18th century) to the present form.
A Roman
building considered to be a temple or a basilican villa was unearthed in 1823, which contained a mosaic depicting Bacchus
seated on a tiger. The tessellated pavement was acquired for the British Museum
in 1899.
The manor was held in 1086 by Gozelin de Cormeilles; in 1304, his descendant, John de Cormeilles, was granted the right to hold a market every Monday and a fair on the eve of the feast of St Peter and St Paul (the saints the village church is dedicated to).
Parts of the parish church of St Peter and St Paul's date from the thirteenth century and contain the tombs of three knights.
Two coffin slabs for two of the knights stand upright at the entrance in the bell tower. Made of purbeck marble, they are heavily weathered, although the great helm and shield of one is still discernable. His spear lies beside him on his right side.
Just when the de Cormeilles family parted with the manor of Thruxton and how the Lisles acquired it is unknown. Sir John Lisle and his wife are buried in the church, with Sir John commemorated with an outstanding example of an early 15th century monumental brass.
Further generations of Lisle family were buried in the church, although by the time of Sir John Lisle in the early 1520s, space was becoming restricted. He decided to build a chapel to provide further room for future burials, including his own.
Sir John died in 1524, followed shortly by his wife, Mary. Their tomb is considered a classic of the early English Renaissance style and can be seen to the left of the altar. The effigies are made from Purbeck marble. Sir John lies with his bare head on his shield, wearing full plate armour and chain collar of linked Ss. The work was possibly by Thomas Bertie, a master mason whose work is evident in Winchester Cathedral.
The bulk of the Lisle chapel is, sadly, gone. Most of it was used to provide building material when the church tower collapsed in 1796 and had to be rebuilt.
The Lisle line of direct male heirs died out soon after Sir John and Mary, with the manorial rights passing to Agnes, married to John Philpot. Behind the choir pews on the left of the altar is a weathered wooden effigy from the early 17th century, believed to be of Elizabeth Philpot.
The toll house for Andover to Amesbury turnpike road
at Mullen's Pond was demolished in 1965.
is a major draw for visitors to the area and can claim to be Britain's fastest motor racing circuit. Currently the track plays host to a variety of high profile car and motorbike championships, including the British Superbikes, as well as truck racing. The circuit is located on the site of the former aircraft base.
Civilian flight training started at Thruxton Aerodrome in 1947 when the airfield was taken over by The Wiltshire School of Flying until 1967. Western Air then took on the mantle of training people to fly and even today their instructors are teaching some of the local military the delights of flying light aircraft. For some years it was also the home of Thruxton Gliding Club.
The airfield is the base of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance
, since its founding in 2007.
dating from the seventeenth century near the centre of the village.
A303 road
The A303 is a 92-mile long trunk road in England. It is the main road between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon. The M3, the A303 and the A30 together make up one of the main routes from London to South West England, running from London to Land's End in Cornwall...
five miles (8 km) west of Andover
Andover, Hampshire
Andover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
. It is a village with a Manor House, thatched cottages and village green. Pillhill Brook runs from Thruxton Down through the grounds of the Manor House and along the village street to Mullen's Pond, a natural habitat for many species of migratory birds and wild plants.
History
Thruxton was almost certainly one of four ‘Annes’ named in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
under the Andover Hundred. In the 12th century the name was Turkilleston (Turkil being a Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
name and ‘tun’ being the Saxon word for farmstead and later hamlet, or village - so Turkils or Thurcols Homestead ) which, over the centuries, changed via Turcleston, Thorcleston (13th century), Throkeleston, Thurkcleston (14th century), Throkeston (15th century), Thruckleston (16th century), Throxton (18th century) to the present form.
A Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
building considered to be a temple or a basilican villa was unearthed in 1823, which contained a mosaic depicting Bacchus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
seated on a tiger. The tessellated pavement was acquired for the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
in 1899.
The manor was held in 1086 by Gozelin de Cormeilles; in 1304, his descendant, John de Cormeilles, was granted the right to hold a market every Monday and a fair on the eve of the feast of St Peter and St Paul (the saints the village church is dedicated to).
Parts of the parish church of St Peter and St Paul's date from the thirteenth century and contain the tombs of three knights.
Two coffin slabs for two of the knights stand upright at the entrance in the bell tower. Made of purbeck marble, they are heavily weathered, although the great helm and shield of one is still discernable. His spear lies beside him on his right side.
Just when the de Cormeilles family parted with the manor of Thruxton and how the Lisles acquired it is unknown. Sir John Lisle and his wife are buried in the church, with Sir John commemorated with an outstanding example of an early 15th century monumental brass.
Further generations of Lisle family were buried in the church, although by the time of Sir John Lisle in the early 1520s, space was becoming restricted. He decided to build a chapel to provide further room for future burials, including his own.
Sir John died in 1524, followed shortly by his wife, Mary. Their tomb is considered a classic of the early English Renaissance style and can be seen to the left of the altar. The effigies are made from Purbeck marble. Sir John lies with his bare head on his shield, wearing full plate armour and chain collar of linked Ss. The work was possibly by Thomas Bertie, a master mason whose work is evident in Winchester Cathedral.
The bulk of the Lisle chapel is, sadly, gone. Most of it was used to provide building material when the church tower collapsed in 1796 and had to be rebuilt.
The Lisle line of direct male heirs died out soon after Sir John and Mary, with the manorial rights passing to Agnes, married to John Philpot. Behind the choir pews on the left of the altar is a weathered wooden effigy from the early 17th century, believed to be of Elizabeth Philpot.
The toll house for Andover to Amesbury turnpike road
Turnpike trust
Turnpike trusts in the United Kingdom were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal highways in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries...
at Mullen's Pond was demolished in 1965.
Race track
Thruxton CircuitThruxton Circuit
Thruxton Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near the village of Thruxton in Hampshire, England which is used to host a number of motorsport events including British Touring Cars and Formula 3 racing....
is a major draw for visitors to the area and can claim to be Britain's fastest motor racing circuit. Currently the track plays host to a variety of high profile car and motorbike championships, including the British Superbikes, as well as truck racing. The circuit is located on the site of the former aircraft base.
Airfield
RAF Thruxton was first used on 22/6/1942 by Blenheims of no.2 spc. During 1942/43 the airfield was used by many different RAF squadrons. In January 1942, 12 Whitley bombers landed in preparation for the now famous Bruneval raid which took place on 27/28 February 1942. The Americans arrived in 1944 with their P-47 Thunderbolts under the command of Col. Dyke F Meyer.Civilian flight training started at Thruxton Aerodrome in 1947 when the airfield was taken over by The Wiltshire School of Flying until 1967. Western Air then took on the mantle of training people to fly and even today their instructors are teaching some of the local military the delights of flying light aircraft. For some years it was also the home of Thruxton Gliding Club.
The airfield is the base of the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance is an air ambulance service serving the counties of Hampshire and Isle of Wight in Southern England, United Kingdom. It is one of twenty-five air ambulance services in the United Kingdom....
, since its founding in 2007.
Public houses
There are two village pubs; the White Horse, a fifteenth century thatched pub at Mullens Pond south of the A303, and the George Inn, a coaching innCoaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
dating from the seventeenth century near the centre of the village.
External links
- Thruxton Village (Official website for Thruxton)
- Pictures, Facts (www.southernlife.org.uk)
- Old maps of Thruxton (Old Hampshire Gazetteer, University of Portsmouth)
- Thruxton treasures (Hampshire Treasures Online, Hampshire County Council)
- Thruxton Circuit (British Automobile Racing Club)
- Flying School and Airfield home page - ICAO designation EGHO
- Race track homepage
- airfield control tower (control.towers.co.uk)
- new/old aerial photos + history of airfield (Aviation in Hampshire)