Awbridge

Awbridge
240px All Saints Church, Awbridge
Awbridge  Awbridge shown within Hampshire
Population	709
District	Test Valley
Shire county	Hampshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SOUTHAMPTON
Postcode district	SP10
Dialling code	01264
Police	Hampshire
Fire	Hampshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	North West Hampshire
List of places UK England Hampshire

Awbridge is a small village and civil parish in the Test Valley district of Hampshire, England, about three miles northwest of Romsey, and near the River Test. According to the 2001 census the parish, which includes the villages of Awbridge, Upper Ratley and Lower Ratley, had a population of 695. Commonly the terms Upper and Lower Ratley are dropped, with locals referring to the entire area as Awbridge. Confusingly, the intersection through the village of its 3 main roads, location of the village school, and previously Post Office, is in Upper Ratley, and is denoted on Maps as such, with the mapped location of Awbridge being further towards Romsey than is generally accepted.

As if this naming ambiguity is not enough, there is often a 'Kent's Oak', listed on maps of the area as if this were also a location in its own right. It is a large oak tree in the corner of the school field, and despite its impressive size and age is no more than a local landmark, and not another village.

Locally, the name of the village is pronounced 'A-bridge', with the letter 'w' silent. This pronunciation can be the subject of some snobbery (and reverse-snobbery).

It is within walking distance of Kimbridge, Dunbridge and Mottisfont, with Dunbridge providing a railway link to both Salisbury (to the north west) and Southampton (to the south).

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Awbridge in the Domesday Book