Fordingbridge

Fordingbridge is a town and broader civil parish with a population of 6,200[2] on the River Avon in the New Forest District of Hampshire, England.

The Fordingbridge Museum, which houses many local and New Forest history exhibits, and the Visitor Information Centre are located within King's Yard, Salisbury Street.

A bronze statue of the painter and former resident Augustus John stands on the banks of the Avon near the Great Bridge.

The church has a memorial to James Alexander Seton, last British person killed in a duel in England.

[4] The town also has a Catholic church in the form of Our Lady of Sorrows and St Philip Benizi.

The Turks name is believed to derive from wishing to emulate the determination shown by Ottoman forces at Siege of Plevna.

The parish of Fordingbridge contains the hamlets of Burgate to the north, Criddlestyle to the east, Bickton to the south, and Ashford to the west.

The villages of Sandleheath, Damerham, Rockbourne, Whitsbury, Breamore, Woodgreen, Godshill and Hyde all sit within a 5 mile radius of Fordingbridge and are all within the county of Hampshire.

Fordingbridge is north of Ringwood and Bournemouth, south of Downton and Salisbury which are all linked by the A338 road.

[10] The lord of the manor had a market before 1273: it was held weekly first on Saturday and then on Friday until the middle of the 19th century, when it was discontinued.

[8] By 1900 the chief industries of the town were the manufacture of sailcloth and canvas and the making of bricks and tiles, and there were various flour mills, an iron foundry, and the Neave's food works.

The first bridge at Fordingbridge was built before 1252, when the bailiff and men of the town received a grant of pontage for one year towards its repairs.

[8] At the east end of the bridge was a Saint John the Baptist Hospital (hospitalry) for poor travellers.

[8] Significant alterations were made in 1841 when both sides were widened, adding 45 cm to the width of the bridge.

Statue of Augustus John
Fordingbridge Railway Station
The Great Bridge, viewed from the southwest
The seven-arched bridge over the River Avon