St John the Baptist Church and Shedfield Common offer clear starting points for exploring nature and local history. New Place in Shirrell Heath brings architectural history to life; Paintball Southampton offers scenarios in a rural setting. These topics have distinct characters: they range from walks and landscape history to architecture and scenario-based activities.
Parish Church and Churchyard
The Anglican St John the Baptist Church in Shedfield is the parish church for the villages of Shedfield, Shirrell Heath and Waltham Chase in Hampshire. Its parish role therefore covers all three named villages. A well-used public footpath crosses the churchyard. Visitors are welcome to walk there or spend time there. When planning a visit, it is helpful to distinguish between the two: the church is the focal point for parish history, while the churchyard is also explicitly open to walking and lingering.
The churchyard lies within a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC). It is home to many birds, reptiles, small mammals, insects, fungi and lichens, as well as plants that flower throughout the year. The nature theme therefore extends beyond birdwatching. Visitors to the churchyard can also look out for plants, lichens and fungi.
Shedfield Common and Landscape History
Shedfield Common is also a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC) and was once part of the Forest of Bere. This shared nature-conservation designation links the Common thematically with the churchyard, but it is Shedfield Common that was formerly part of the Forest of Bere. This offers two distinct perspectives: the SINC designation and a historical connection to the landscape. The word “once” explicitly refers to the past; it does not describe a present-day association with the Forest of Bere.
Architecture in Shirrell Heath
In Shirrell Heath, New Place is a distinct point of interest for architectural history. At the heart of the New Place Hotel is a Grade I-listed manor house designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. New Place also incorporates the magnificent interior of a 17th-century manor house from Bristol. This architectural story therefore brings together Lutyens’s credited design and an interior originating in Bristol. The 17th-century date refers to the manor house from which the interior came.
Scenarios at Paintball Southampton
Paintball Southampton offers scenarios featuring a village, attack and defence, and a castle. The rural setting provides the backdrop for these game themes. This makes it a different kind of activity from walking in the churchyard or exploring the architectural history of New Place: the focus is on the different scenarios. Nature, local history, architecture and activities can thus be explored according to your interests, without arranging them into a prescribed sequence.
Discover more destinations: Buriton, Romsey, Fordingbridge, Lee-On-The-Solent, Hamble-Le-Rice, Penton Mewsey, Rowlands Castle, Damerham
For the broader travel overview: Hampshire.
