Fordingbridge

城市概覽

The River Avon that flows through these parts is not the same river that Shakespeare's Stratford is upon, nor is it the one that goes through Bath and Bristol. Avon is in fact a Celtic word meaning "river", but the irony of naming several watercourses in their newly-conquered country "River River" was lost on the Anglo-Saxons. This Avon rises in the Wiltshire downs, flows lazily past Stonehenge and south through Salisbury to Fordingbridge, from where it meanders on to meet the sea near Christchurch. It is a quintessential southern English chalk stream, with water clear as glass and high numbers of fish, particularly brown trout, pike and perch. There has been a crossing over the Avon here in the form of a ford or a bridge for longer than the records go back, but the current seven-arched stone Great Bridge was built in the 13th century, and widened and reinforced in the 19th. The bridge was once an important access point to the New Forest, so much so that the lord of the manor was for many centuries charged with ensuring no poachers smuggled game out of the forest by means of the bridge. People caught poaching were liable to lose a hand or be blinded. The celebrated Welsh portrait artist Augustus John lived in Fordingbridge for over 30 years until his death in 1961. The polyamorous John fathered at least seven children, and it is said that even as an old man he used to affectionately pat the head of every Fordingbridge kid he passed, just in case. Evidently he still inspires a good deal of local pride, as not only have they erected a statue to him, they've also named a pub and even a whole new neighbourhood after him. Fordingbridge is a typical small Hampshire town, with a population of around 6,000. It was a market town in the medieval era, but those days of regional importance are far behind it. The laidback town centre is not especially lovely, but there are some old buildings of note such as the parish church and an Art Deco cinema. Most of the shops are independ

如何抵達

On the northwestern edge of the New Forest and very close to the borders with Dorset and Wiltshire, Fordingbridge is 12 miles (19 km) south of the cathedral city of Salisbury.

By car By far the best means of reaching Fordingbridge, not least because most of the area's attractions are out of the town. The A338 Salisbury to Bournemouth road passes just to the east of the town centre. At Ringwood, 6 miles (9.7 km) further south, the road meets the A31 trunk road, which handles most traffic from Southampton, Dorchester and London. The main 1 car park can be accessed via (and is signposted from) Shaftesbury Street. For satnavs, use the postcode "SP6 1AQ".

By public transport Fordingbridge lost its railway line in the 1960s, and the nearest station is now at Salisbury, which receives trains from towns and cities across southern Britain, including London, Southampton, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. See Salisbury#By train for more details. The Salisbury Reds bus service X3 runs from Salisbury's main square to Bournemouth via Fordingbridge and Ringwood. Adult fares are around £5 for a single and £7.50 for a return; pay by cash or contactless. The bus runs every 30 min for most of M-Sa; an hourly service operates before 9AM and after 7PM on these days, and all day on Su and public holidays. Journey times are: from Salisbury 25 min; from Ringwood 15 min; from Bournemouth 1 hr. Drop-off and pick-up at Fordingbridge is at the 2 Post Office bus stop on Salisbury Street, two minutes' walk from the information centre and museum.

On foot The Avon Valley Path is a 34-mile (55-km) trail linking Salisbury to Christchurch via Fordingbridge, broadly following the River Avon through pretty Hampshire and Wiltshire countryside.

當地交通

Fordingbridge is a small town that any able-bodied person can comfortably navigate on foot. If you're visiting attractions in the surrounding area, you need your own motorised transport as aside from the X3 bus, there's no local public transport to speak of. Even the New Forest's famously dense warren of cycling trails seems to have almost completely bypassed Fordingbridge; the few cycle routes that exist aren't segregated from road traffic .

Express Cars Fordingbridge, ☏ +44 1425 650000. Private hire taxis, the only firm in town. (updated Apr 2021)

必看景點

The town of Fordingbridge will likely only take half a day at most to explore, but the nearby villages of Breamore and Rockbourne each merit their own side trips.

Fordingbridge

1 Great Bridge, Bridge Street, SP6 1AH. One of only two bridges in the UK with seven arches, this is a pretty spot to take in the river. If the constant stream of traffic puts you off, you can get a more peaceful view of the ancient crossing from Riverside Park. (updated Feb 2021) 2 Augustus John Statue, Bridge Street, SP6 1AH (on the right river bank, just north of the bridge). Grade II-listed bronze sculpture of the Fordingbridge artist, by Ivor Roberts-Jones. In contrast to many overidealised memorial statues, John is depicted as rather showing his age, looking unsteady on his feet, albeit still brimming with passion and something akin to defiance. (updated Dec 2020) 3 Fordingbridge Museum, King’s Yard, Salisbury Street, SP6 1AB (next to the tourist office), ☏ +44 1425 655222, [email protected]. Easter-Halloween M-Sa 11AM-4PM. Volunteer-run museum which, over two floors of a former granary, packs in displays on almost every aspect of local life and history you could think of: small businesses, archive photos, Augustus John, town life during the Victorian and wartime eras, the local footie club... Free, donations welcome. (updated Dec 2020) 4 St Mary's Church, Fordingbridge, Church Street, SP6 1BB, ☏ +44 1425 653163, [email protected]. Mentioned in the Domesday Book, Anglo-Saxon St Mary's was rebuilt from circa 1150 until 1230 by the Normans. It's attractive, if fairly typical of rural churches in the region, with the main historical interest being two memorials: one to Charles Chubb, the locksmith and safe manufacturer; the other to James Seton, a young man whose sad claim to fame is for being the last person to be killed in a duel on English soil, in 1845. (updated Dec 2020)

Breamore Breamore (say "Bremmer") is 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Fordingbridge, on

體驗活動

Thanks to its proximity to the New Forest National Park, there is a lot of outdoor space in and around Fordingbridge and a variety of activities to suit most interests.

Fordingbridge 1 Riverside Park (Fordingbridge Park or Recreation Ground), Ringwood Road, SP6 1AN (left bank of the river, off Bridge Street). Daily 8AM-7PM. Despite not knowing what to call itself, this has pretty much everything you'd want from a small town park: a decent-sized playground, sports pitches, a snack kiosk that makes its own ice lollies, and even a shingle beach where you can paddle or swim in the languid waters of the Avon. (updated Dec 2020) Fishing (angling) in the Avon, ☏ +44 7539 797 510 (mobile), nige@rive