Visit Medstead Places

Welcome to Visit Medstead Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Medstead

  

Medstead Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Medstead

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Medstead history

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Ancient to Roman

Medstead has a history dating back up to 3,000 years. The earliest evidence of settlement in the area comes from two Tumuli burial grounds which are believed to date from 1000 BC. The name has been spelt in many different ways in the Middle Ages, including Maedstede, Maydstede and Midsted.

14th century to Georgian

Medstead Manor can be traced from the 14th century. In 1316, the Bishop of Winchester held the manor of Medstead and all adjacent land until 1346. Seven years later, Martin de Hertham and his wife, Isabel, passed control of lands, rents and taxes in Medstead to William de Overton. In 1749, Edward Rookes sold the. manor to Sir William Jolliffe for £1400 (equivalent to £223,790 in 2019)

Enclosure

Medstead suffered two private parliamentary enclosure acts: 1735 titled Stankham and Soldridge Commons; and 1798, a joint bill, but separate allotment, with the adjoining village at Bentworth. The primary protagonists were the lord of the manor of Old Alresford, Benjamin Hoadly, also bishop of Winchester and patron of the rectory of Medstead, which included Medstead. The second Medstead award of just over 231 acres was made in 1799.

Victorian to present day

Medstead’s railway station was first opened in August 1868. The 1881 census for the Alton Union Workhouse included three paupers born in Medstead. An underground bunker for the Royal Observer Corps was built in the village in 1963 and was continuously used until its closure in 1968. Medstead received broadband internet in 2003.

Medstead landmarks

Medstead contains a total of six Grade II listed buildings. A chapel in the village was first mentioned in the Domesday Survey in 1086. The Norman church of St Andrew was first constructed in 1160 after the previous chapel was demolished. Southdown Old Farmhouse is a small manor which dates from the 18th century and has undergone 20th century restorations.

Medstead geography / climate

Medstead is 4.3 miles (6.9 km) southwest of Alton, its nearest town. The parish covers an area of 1,536 acres (622 ha) and has an average elevation of approximately 600 feet (180 m) above sea level.

Climate

The village gets around 755 millimetres (29.7 in) of rain a year. The average maximum temperature in January is 7.2 °C (45 °F) with the average minimum being 1.6 °C. The village is located in south central England and its proximity to the sea.

You can visit Medstead places with Walkfo Medstead to hear history at Medstead’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Medstead has 18 places to visit in our interactive Medstead map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Medstead, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Medstead places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Medstead & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 18 audio facts unique to Medstead places in an interactive Medstead map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Medstead Places Map
18 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Medstead historic spots	Medstead tourist destinations	Medstead plaques	Medstead geographic features
Walkfo Medstead tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Medstead

  

Best Medstead places to visit

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Medstead has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Medstead’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Medstead’s information audio spots:

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Visit Medstead plaques