Holybourne is a village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 1.3 miles northeast of the centre of Alton, is contiguous with it and shares its A31 bypass. The nearest railway station also being in Alton. The village has a population of around 1,500, and is where Treloar College is located. Holybourne has a pub – The White Hart – and a small store.
History
Holybourne is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Haliborne, and appears in 1418 as Halybourn. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English Haligburna which means sacred stream, referring to the small stream whose spring is near Holybourne Church whence it runs through the village. English author Elizabeth Gaskell bought a house in Holybourne in 1865. She died suddenly when visiting the house on 12 November 1865. Being located close to former RAF Lasham airfield gliders are often spotted in the sky. RAF Odiham is home to the British Chinooks and has a flightpath over village at low level allowing excellent views of the aircraft. Cookhoos corner, near the end of the village has the remains of a Roman road and often finds are found in surrounding fields and cricket pitch. There is one pub in the village, The White Hart along with a small shop cum post office.
Complins Brewery
In the nineteenth century, a brewery was established in Holybourne by Walter Complin, who died in 1890. By the start of the 20th century, it was run by John Fowler Complin. The site is now occupied by a residential area called Complins.
Economy
Holybourne Oil Terminal
In 1984, planning permission was granted for the Holybourne Oil Terminal, rail served by the Alton Line, to be the trans-shipment point for production from the Humbly Grove oil field, Lasham, delivery of the oil to be by pipeline. In 1989, further permission was granted to deliver a limited amount of crude oil by road tanker. The freight trains serving Holybourne arrive at Holybourne Freight railway station.
The Church of the Holy Rood in Holybourne has foundations dating from the 12th century, and the nave, west end and lower part of the tower appear to date from this time. The chancel was added later, completing the building by the 13th century. However, two centuries later the floor of the building was raised, possibly because of nearby springs. The north aisle was replaced in 1879.
New bells
In autumn 2009, eight new bells manufactured at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry were installed in the church by Whites Bellhangers, of Appleton, Oxon, who cleaned up the existing three bells and re-hung them on a new bell-frame installed higher up in the steeple and connected them back to the clock to continue their chiming role. The new eight bells are in the key of B, and the heaviest weighs 6 cwt 3 qtrs 16 lb. They are inscribed and dedicated as follows:
Holybourne Theatre is an amateur dramatic group with over half a century of experience, that puts on a variety of productions each year. The pantomime in January and February plays over three weekends. During spring and summer the Youth theatre presents productions like Alice in Wonderland, Wind in the Willows, Kes, Blood Wedding and even Shakespeare. There is an autumn production by the adult theatre ; these have included The Crucible and My country's good. Holybourne Youth Theatre is open to children from school year 1 to 11, and offers the chance to participate in all aspects of theatre work. Classes run all day Saturday and are split into four different age groups. The Youth Theatre have played an integral part in Holybourne Theatre since 1978, staging their various Youth Theatre productions. providing the chorus for the pantomime as well as putting on "end of term" shows for parents demonstrating Saturday morning activities. All classes are supervised by CRB checked adults. Holybourne Theatre's history goes back to the foundation of the Holybourne Dramatic club in January 1948. The first play on the present site was performed in November 1950 in a Nissen hut left over from the war, the hut lasted as the theatre until the new one was ready for its first production in 1971. The First production in the new theatre at Holybourne was "Cat on the Fiddle" by John Dole and the first night was Thursday 6 May 1971 when Sir Michael Redgrave opened it. Holybourne has many apple trees and has a resident that brews cider made from local apples.
