Old Alresford

Old Alresford (/ˈɒlzfərd/ OLZ-fərd or /ˈɔːlzfərd/ AWLZ-fərd) is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It is 1 km (0.6 miles) north of the town of New Alresford, 12 km (7 miles) northeast of the city of Winchester, and 14 km (9 miles) south-west of the town of Alton.

Alresford Pond south of the village

Old Alresford
Village
Stream on the village green at Old Alresford, Hampshire
Old Alresford Location within Hampshire
Population	599 [1]
OS grid reference	SU5832
District	City of Winchester
Shire county	Hampshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ALRESFORD
Postcode district	SO24
Dialling code	01962
Police	Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Fire	Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Ambulance	South Central
UK Parliament	Winchester
List of places UK England Hampshire 51°06′07″N 1°09′50″W

Alresford Pond is a large water feature south of Old Alresford and north of New Alresford.

Etymology

Old Alresford is first mentioned in an Anglo-Saxon Charter of 701 as Alresforda. Its name derives from the Old English Alor and Ford and means the ford at the alder tree. ^[2]

History

St Mary the Virgin parish church is a brick building dating from the 1750s. The naval hero George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, is buried in the church.^[3] His family seat, Old Alresford House, is next to the church. Also in the churchyard is the mausoleum of C. F. G. R. Schwerdt, an art collector, who died in 1939.^[4]

In 1851, George Sumner, son of Charles Richard Sumner (Bishop of Winchester), became rector of the parish. There his wife, Mary Sumner, started the Mothers' Union, now a global organisation of Anglican women.^[3] The first meetings were held in the rectory, now a conference centre known as Old Alresford Place.

In 1986, following the closure of the village school and post office, The Old Alresford Dramatic Society (T.O.A.D.S.) was founded^[5] as a way of bringing the village together. They perform a pantomime in December each year and a Spring Show, usually in May.