Highclere

Highclere
Highclere
Highclere shown within Hampshire
Population 1,606 (2011 Census including Woolton Hill)[1]
OS grid reference SU4384060837
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town NEWBURY
Postcode district RG20
Dialling code 01635
Police Hampshire
Fire Hampshire
Ambulance South Central
EU Parliament South East England
UK Parliament

Highclere (pronounced /ˈhklɪər/) is a village and civil parish situated in the North Wessex Downs (an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. It lies in the northern part of the county, near the Berkshire border. It is most famous for being the location of Highclere Castle, a noted Victorian house of the Earl of Carnarvon. It is the setting for numerous films and TV series, including Downton Abbey.

Parish church of St Michael and All Angels, Highclere

The parish church of St Michael and All Angels sits between Highclere Castle and the main part of the village. This 'new' church (1870s) replaced a much older church sited adjacent to Highclere Castle, and parish records go back to pre-Norman times.

There is a pub, the Red House, a flourishing village hall and a private junior ('Prep') school, Thorngrove. The church parish is part of the North West Hampshire Benefice (with Ashmansworth, Crux Easton, East Woodhay and Woolton Hill). The civil parish of Highclere has two wards, Highclere and Penwood.

"Highclere Holly" (Ilex altaclerensis) was first identified here and still flourishes in local woodlands.

According to local legend there used to be a grampus living in a yew tree in the churchyard of the Highclere Estate Chapel.[2]

References

  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  2. "The Highclere Grampus - Hampshire History". Hampshire History. Retrieved 4 August 2014.

See also

Media related to Highclere at Wikimedia Commons


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