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Petersfield: The Old Market Town

Petersfield has been a market town (photograph of the Wednesday market in The Square in 2006) since the early 12th century shortly after it was founded, when the next Earl of Gloucester granted the town\'s people the right to sell on his land. Just like today in Petersfield , there were two markets per week, with the addition of two annual fairs in June and November.

These additional fairs were a good reason to celebrate, attracting merchants and village people from miles around bring external business to the already growing town.

In 1820 a new annual market was introduced on the Heath for cattle and sheep traders. It was called the Taro market, as when all the Welsh cattle merchants drove their livestock through the town to the fair they would shout “tarw”, the welsh word for bull, pronounced as taro. The locals adopted this as the name for the market and it has adapted over the years to become the Taro Fair.

How the \"feld\" became Petersfield

The town of Petersfield grew up on the slightly elevated land between two streams and at the point of intersection of trade and pilgrimage routes passing from Winchester to Chichester and from London to Portsmouth. At the beginning of the 12th century the word feldmeant an open area of land without trees. The building of a church on this land dedicated to St Peter marked the beginning of Petersfield as it is known today.

The feldaround St Peter\'s church became known as St Petersfeld but was then changed and founded as Petersfield by the Earl of Gloucester, who owned the land and much of the surrounding area at the time.

London-Portsmouth link

Petersfield became an important stopping point on the way from London to Portsmouth as it was found that it had access to one of the less steep crossing points of the South Downs Way, and was able to provide inns and horses for travellers, including Henry VIII when he first visited his favourite ship, the Mary Rose.

Under the Tudors, in the 16h century, Petersfield grew in importance, its cattle market supplying the cloth and tanning industries. These trades declined in the 17th century, but the town regained some of its former prosperity during the 18th century with the regular coach service bringing many visitors and new trade, together with the movement of troops and arms, to Portsmouth for the European, North American and Asian wars. The growth of its coaching inns on the London-Portsmouth road and the numerous coaches on the turnpike routes passing through the town reached their peak around 1830.

Railway brings new commerce

The arrival of the railway in 1859 transformed the town, making the coaching trade obsolete, but bringing new commerce, new housing and an increased population. A milk distribution centre was set up beside the new Petersfield station to serve local dairy farmers, who began transporting their milk directly to London; and a corn exchange was built in the Square in 1866. Also in the 19th century new churches were built: the first Wesleyan church was constructed in 1826, but moved to a new chapel in 1871 (now St. Peter’s Hall); the Methodists’ new church came to Station Road in 1902. St. Laurence’s Roman Catholic Church was built in 1890.

With its weekly cattle markets and horse sales, the town retained its central position and importance in the agricultural life of the community until the mid-20th century, the last cattle market taking place in 1962. The extensive 90-acre Petersfield Heath, incorporating a 22-acre pond, was held in trust by the Lords of the Manor, but was acquired by the Urban District Council in 1913 for the use of the inhabitants of the town.

Growth since the Second World War

The population has doubled since the Second World War, the largest housing development taking place on the Herne Farm estate, which has been built over a period of 30 years and houses some 2,500 people. The 1950s saw the closure of the branch railway line to Midhurst. The 1960s brought the demolition, perhaps to the detriment of the town, of several historic buildings in the High Street.

Until the late 1950s there was little pressure to develop Petersfield. This changed in 1959 when planning applications to develop within the town were received “to develop 80 acres of land between Love Lane and Heath Road”. At this time, within the scope of the Hampshire County Development Plan of 1958, the County Planning Officer began preparing a Draft Town Map for Petersfield.

From the 1950s, Durford Road was built. And, in December 1960, the 79-acre tract of land now known as Herne Farm was advertised for sale in a national newspaper as “of interest to developers”. When in 1962, the National Parks Commission proposed to designate the land as part of the future AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), its new owner objected (in vain) to have the area deleted from the proposals. Indeed the status of AONB has afforded the town a degree of protection from ‘unsuitable’ development.

In 1968 the “Petersfield Planning Policy” was prepared by Hampshire County Council as a response to the development pressures on the town. This allocated five principal new areas for residential development:
1. Between Love Lane and Heath Road - Herne Farm estate.
2. South of Cranford Road - Forest View or Kennet Road.
3. Between the railway and the road to Sheet - Ramshill (now only partly developed).
4. West of Tilmore Road – Kimbers.
5 South of Durford Road - Rival Moor.
These areas were developed from the 1970’s onwards.

Recent developments

With the reorganisation of local councils in 1974, Petersfield was able to carry out its previously published plans to separate housing and commercial development, restructure its transport and amenities, and consolidate gains in “infilling” housing in order not to encroach on the countryside. The result has been the development of the Bedford Road industrial estate, an extension of sports facilities in Penns Place, and the recent increase in housing density within the town’s former limits.

The development of the town over the last 40 years has seen its population nearly double from about 8,500 to about 15,000. The resulting balance between the needs of housing, new industry and town centre uses that has made Petersfield an attractive and pleasant place to live, work and visit.

The new A3 bypass in the early 1990s brought great improvement in the town’s residential, social and commercial facilities. A new hospital replaced the old cottage hospital, and the Rams Walk shopping mall was built in a relatively derelict part of the town centre.

Attractions of Petersfield

The attractions of the town are numerous: the proximity of the countryside, the architectural heritage, the wide range of cafes and restaurants, the local culture of music, theatre, clubs and societies of many kinds and its general friendliness, Many newcomers, including London-bound commuters, have moved to live in and around Petersfield in recent years. In town, the Heath and Pond give residents the chance of walking in the country within minutes of the centre of town.

Petersfield retains the “feel” of a historic market town by virtue of its medieval layout, stretching from the Market Square along the High Street with its ancient burgage plots, its traditional twice-weekly market and the monthly Farmers’ markets. The town’s core has the dual central focus of the Market Square and The Spain, and the High Street, Chapel Street and Sheep Street radiating from it