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Area twelve
(1 & 2)
Visitors
Romsey
and
District
Society
contact
Phoebe Merrick
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Look at Romsey
Town Design Statement for Romsey
Crampmoor and Highwood
Prepared by a team of volunteers in the area under the auspices of the
Romsey and District Society.
Area Setting and Landscape
St Swithuns Church, Crampmoor
| Crampmoor and Highwood are small settlements on the eastern extremity of Romsey. Most of the settlement is on the slopes of the valley created by the small stream that has kept its Saxon name of Tadburn Lake. It rises in nearby woods and marshy land and is a tributary of the River Test. In addition a few houses have been built on the plateaux on either side of the valley. |
Ford of Tadburn Lake in Crampmoor Lane
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Level crossing in Halterworth Lane
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A railway line cuts through the area from west to east and runs close to the Tadburn Lake. The area to the north consists of Crampmoor, Straight Mile and New Pond. South of the railway line is the sparsely populated area known as Highwood. |
| Crampmoor and Highwood are predominantly wooded, although there are open fields in Highwood, both within the area and adjacent to it. The woods are much appreciated both to walk through and as scenery. There are some pleasant views across the valley, especially from Highwood and views southward to Toothill and other hills of the Test valley. The little church of St Swithun’s at the junction of Halterworth Lane and Winchester Road is a notable landmark in this area. |
View across Tadburn Valley
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Design Recommendations
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St Swithun’s church building is an important landscape feature and should be maintained as such. |
Settlement Pattern
Mandarin Chef at the junction of Winchester Road and Halterworth Lane
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The houses are scattered along three primary roads which are joined on the west by part of Halterworth Lane.
The A3090 passes along the north of this area. There are a few houses and a restaurant at the western end, where the road rises up to the Woodley area of Romsey. St Swithun’s Church is east of the junction with Halterworth Lane beyond which is the area known as New Pond, containing bungalows on the southern side. They are separated from the main carriageway by a service road and grass verge that once formed the main road. This stretch of the A3090 is called Winchester Road.
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The eastern stretch of the A3090 passes through woodland and is known as Straight Mile. Its trees make a very attractive approach to Romsey. The houses here are substantial detached buildings in large grounds set well back from the main road. Their access is via service roads, which were created in the 1950s.
Crampmoor Lane opens off the A3090 and runs due east with a southern spur that takes it across Tadburn Lake and the railway. The houses and bungalows here are almost all detached and those on the north side of the lane have long gardens. A close, Groveley Way, was constructed in land on the north and contains six detached houses between Crampmoor Lane and Straight Mile.
| Opposite Groveley Way as far as the eastern corner of Crampmoor Lane, there are small fields, one of which has been converted into a large park-like garden. There are a few houses at the eastern end of Crampmoor Lane and on the southward section, near the Tadburn. Small streams drain this area. |
Garden in Crampmoor Lane
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Crampmoor Lane continues across the railway and Tadburn Lake to intersect with Green Lane, but there are no buildings in this stretch or in the section of Green Lane that is in Romsey Extra. Green Lane joins Crampmoor Lane to Highwood Lane through a steep-sided cutting.
Stroud School from Highwood Lane
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Like Crampmoor Lane, Highwood Lane contains a right-angle bend. There are a few houses about halfway along the north-south section, and a scattering of houses and bungalows on the east-west section. Stroud School occupies the angle between Green Lane and Highwood Lane in Highwood House and its grounds. There is a complex of buildings associated with the school, few of which can be seen from the road. |
The only buildings in Halterworth Lane that are in Highwood and Crampmoor lie to the north of the railway level crossing. Some of them are in a little close called St Swithun’s Close that is behind the church.
| Crampmoor contains two commercial undertakings adjacent to Halterworth Lane. There is a garage that undertakes the full range of activities associated with the motor trade. Slightly uphill and on the slope of Winchester Road is the Mandarin Chef restaurant. |
Halterworth Lane
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Bungalows in Winchester Road
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As might be expected in an area of low density housing, there are few recognisable building lines, although where houses or bungalows were built as groups, some short lines exist. |
Open and Other Spaces
| Public open spaces include the verges beside the A3090 in the New Pond area, and the service roads alongside Straight Mile. The southern service road leads to a footpath in the neighbouring parish of Ampfield forming a popular walk. The stretch of Crampmoor Lane south of the railway line is now closed to traffic and is maintained by Romsey Extra Parish Council as a public footpath. |
Tadburn Lake, Crampmoor Lane
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The other open spaces in this area are all in private ownership and not open to the public. They include the grounds of Stroud School, fields south of Crampmoor Lane and those adjacent to the Tadburn. Residents of Highwood Lane all overlook extensive fields as do those on the western slope of the A3090.
Design Recommendations
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Pedestrian access through the area should be maintained and extended where practical |
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