The town developed as a centre for grain milling and wool processing, and in the 20th century it took on a significant Armed Forces presence.

Andover's name is recorded in Old English in 955 as Andeferas, and is thought to be of Celtic origin: compare Welsh onn dwfr = "ash (tree) water".

In 962 King Edgar called a meeting of the Saxon 'parliament' (the Witenagemot) at his hunting lodge near Andover.

The baptism was part of a deal with the English king, Æthelred the Unready, whereby the Viking stopped ravaging England and returned home.

In 1201 King John gave the merchants the right to collect royal taxes in Andover themselves.

In 1256 Henry III gave the townspeople the right to hold a court and try criminals for offences committed in Andover.

Processing wool appears to have been the main industry and street names in the area of the town known as "Sheep Fair" commemorate this.

In 1571 a free school for the boys of Andover was established in the grounds of St Mary's Church.

During the 18th century, being on the main Exeter – Salisbury – London road, the place became a refuelling or overnight stop for stagecoaches and other passing trade.

The land, together with the adjacent gasworks and P.M. Coombes woodyards, was then sold to the TSB Trust Company who later built their headquarters there.

Despite this burgeoning of the amenities of the town, in 1845–1846 a notorious scandal brought to light evidence of beatings, sexual abuse and general mistreatment of workhouse inmates by the overseers.

The enquiry and public reaction led indirectly to the Poor Law Act, principally involving segregation of a now-obligatory infirmary for local people from the workhouse for the able-bodied, but also better governance.

The airfield is no longer in use although the RAF retains a link to the area through the presence of 1213 (Andover) Squadron, Air Training Corps.

[citation needed] In 2001, the Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) was formed and Andover became one of its major sites.

Major industries include Twinings the tea and coffee firm, Ducal Pine Furniture (until they closed in 2003), Thomson International Publishers, who produce the Pitkin Guides to be found in many churches and other notable buildings, financial institutions such as Simplyhealth and Lloyds Banking Group, and the Stannah Group, whose HQ is also in the town.

[citation needed] In the 1950s the Borough Council was approached to become an overspill town for London, to build houses and take people and industry relocated from the overcrowded capital.

[citation needed] Andover has a purpose-built arts and entertainment venue owned & managed by Test Valley Borough Council called The Lights.

Currently, Andover is in the constituency of North West Hampshire, which since 2015 has been represented in the House of Commons by Kit Malthouse for the Conservatives.

The majority of the buses in the town are operated by Stagecoach South, including inter-urban services to Basingstoke and Salisbury.

In April 2017, the Department for Transport predicted that train journey times between Andover and London Waterloo would be reduced by nearly 20 per cent after awarding the South Western franchise to South Western Railway; journey times to/from Waterloo to be cut by about 11 to 13 minutes from late 2018.

[citation needed] Local TV coverage is provided by BBC South and ITV Meridian.

[21] The weekly newspaper for the town and the surrounding area is the Andover Advertiser, founded in 1858 and now owned by Newsquest.

The ambitions will influence how Andover manages the changing environment for the benefit of the whole community as well as providing a way in which local people can play an active role in the future of their town.

The document will also be used as a basis to attract new funding and new opportunities to the town and a guide for partners for their future policies and strategies relating to Andover.

Test Valley Borough Council sold the building in 2002, shortly after it had been devastated following an arson attack.

The new owners, Anthony and Sarah de Sigley, restored the building in 2003, rebuilding much of the original structure.

Andover, in common with much of the UK, experiences a maritime climate type, reflected in its limited temperature range and lack of rainy/dry seasons, although rainfall does tend to peak in winter and reach a minimum in summer.

The nearest met office weather station to Andover is Leckford, about 5 miles (8 km) south of the town centre.