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Charlton is a small village and civil parish north-west of Andover. Due to the expansion of Andover in recent years the two settlements are now effectively contiguous. Charlton is separated from Andover by way of Charlton Park and Anton Lakes. This provides an effective natural gap. As of 2005, the village has a population of 2,053 people.[2]

Charlton
Charlton Location within Hampshire
Population	1,947 (2011 Census including Foxcotte)[1]
District	Test Valley
Shire county	Hampshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Andover
Postcode district	SP10
Dialling code	01264
Police	Hampshire
Fire	Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Ambulance	South Central
UK Parliament	North West Hampshire
List of places UK England Hampshire 51.220525°N 1.49834°W / 51.220525; -1.49834

History

In 1892 Charlton was a moderately sized rural settlement,[3] with a school, smithy, two farms, a Methodist chapel, and two pubs.[4]

By 1969 the Village had undergone some expansion, St Thomas' Church was built and in-fill houses had been added. Andover had expanded past the railway line and the gap between Charlton and it was now almost non-existent.

For Charlton itself, the greatest growth in its history came in the late 1970s and 80s, with very large development primarily to the west of Hatherden Road. The new houses were in a suburban style, extinguishing most of the remaining rural character.

More development took place after 2017, to the east of the historic centre.

Today there are some reminders of Charlton's rural past; there are at-least eight thatched buildings (including part of the Royal Oak) and several other historic buildings.

Charlton Lakeside

There are also a number of other sporting venues to suit everyone of all ages provided by Charlton Leisure centre. These include:

• 6 Football pitches (1 floodlit)
• 2 Cricket pitches
• 6 Lane all weather floodlit running track
• 1 Artificial turf pitch (floodlit)
• 18 hole pitch and putt course
• 18 hole adventure golf course
• Children's playground
• Boating lake
• Fishing lake
• BMX Track

Sporting events

• Test Valley Cycle Tour[5]
• The RPM Challenge Bike Ride Of The Day
• Andover RFC[6]
• Andover Parkrun - a weekly, free 5k run around Charlton Playing Fields[7]

St. Thomas' Community Hall

Along with all the sporting facilities in the village, the local church also provides many services to the community.

The Royal Oak

Like any traditional English village, the Royal Oak is Charlton's local pub, providing a valuable service to many of the locals. The pub also has various pool, dart and football teams as well as a very popular weekly quiz night.

Shops in Charlton

There is a Tesco mini-market which took over from the One Stop chain in 2007. This unit was historically an independent newsagent and convenience store known as Charlton News, owned by the Patel family during the 1970s and 80s.

The other shop in the village is Charlton Premier Shop - a local produce and mini-market. Previously Behind The Bikeshed[8] - and originally the village Post Office and Spar Shop.

References

External links

Media related to Charlton, Hampshire at Wikimedia Commons

• Sports
• Lakeside

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