Coordinates: 50°55′N 1°29′W / 50.92°N 1.49°W / 50.92; -1.49

Totton and Eling
Eling Tide Mill at night
Totton and Eling  Totton and Eling shown within Hampshire
Population	~28,000
OS grid reference	SU362131
District	New Forest
Shire county	Hampshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SOUTHAMPTON
Postcode district	SO40
Dialling code	023
Police	Hampshire
Fire	Hampshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	New Forest East
List of places: UK • England • Hampshire

Totton and Eling is a town and civil parish in Hampshire, UK, with a population of around 28,000 people. It is situated on the eastern edge of the New Forest and on the River Test, close to the city of Southampton and part of the city's urban area.

Totton claimed to be the largest village in England until it was made a town in 1974. Until the 1950s, New Forest ponies were free to roam its streets.

Totton's town centre hasn't changed much since the seventies and it only has Commercial Road and the A35 causeway as the main exit routes from the town.

The areas behind Calmore Industrial Estate by the river Test have been regenerated for boating with lakes, but its main use is fishing and as a water supply resource. There is also the Testwood Lakes Centre, with walks along the Test Way running from Totton to Inkpen Beacon in Berkshire, via Romsey in Hampshire.

Eling can be accessed by crossing the railway line which divides the original old village of Totton and the areas of Eling, and Hounsdown. This goes to Brokenford which has some pathways from Totton to the A35 Bypass road at Eling recreation ground, by Bartley Water.

Transport

Totton is served by the railway at Totton railway station. This is on the South Western Main Line to Southampton, London Waterloo, Bournemouth and Poole.

There are lots of bus routes around the town and to Southamption, Lyndhurst, Cadnam and down the 'Waterside' (Hythe, Dibden), run by Solent Blue Line, Wilts & Dorset and First Hampshire & Dorset.

Sport

One of the most successful sporting enterprises of the area has been Totton and Eling Cricket Club. Under its former guise of B.A.T. Sports, it won the Southern Premier league, the highest level of club cricket in the Hampshire area, four times in six seasons between 2001 and 2006.

In September 2007 Totton and Eling CC became North Gear National 2020 Champions beating Ockbrook & Borrowash in the live televised final on Sky Sports.

A.F.C. Totton Football Club are currently making plans to build a new ground worth 2.5 million pounds.

In 2007, AFC Totton made it to the final of the FA Vase and so had the chance to play the first competitive match at the New Wembley Stadium. Unfortunately, despite a good display, they lost 3-1 to Truro City.

Tottonians Rugby Football Club [1], founded in 1961, compete at R.F.U. Level 7 in London 3 South West division. Only three Hampshire rugby clubs play at a higher level. They provide playing and coaching facilities for all ages from six years old. On Saturdays they field four senior sides, including a veterans' team. Women, Colts, Juniors and Mini Sections play on Sundays.

Totton is also said to be the boxing capital of the south.^{[citation needed]}

Schools

Totton now has two secondary schools,^[1] the original Testwood School (built in the 1940s) and Hounsdown (built in 1963) within the boundary of the Totton and Eling Civil Parish.^[2] Hounsdown being a 'science college' and Testwood, a 'sports college'. The Testwood school logo has the river, the wood and the salmon encompassed into it, indicating the River Test and the Salmon leap. Totton also has a sixth form college: Totton College, which started life in 1955 as Totton Grammar School. Ex-pupils of the Grammar School founded what is now Tottonians Rugby Club[2].^[3]

Both schools share a strong rivalry between each other which is often reflected from sporting events to clashes between pupils outside of school. The severity of this led Hounsdown to change the time their school finishes 15 minutes earlier, from half past three to quarter past three. However, many pupils from both schools share a common interest in rugby and through membership of Tottonians Rugby Club school rivalry is forgotten. The Schools are both alike, with very little differences. Hounsdown has better exam results (2008) than Testwood, but apart from this, there are little differences. Recently Testwood School became a specialist Sports College and changed its name to Testwood Sports College. Since getting this status, they have built extensions to their sports facilities, such as building a synthetic turf pitch and an extension to their sports hall.

St Mary the Virgin Church

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is the oldest of the churches in the Totton area. Several years ago during the reordering of the church excavations, part of a Celtic cross that dates back to the 9th (possibly the 6th) century was found. The site of St Mary's has been a place of Christian worship since that date. Today the church stands on the hill looking out over the bay to the container port on the Southampton side of Millbrook. On this side, not far away is the expanse and beauty of the New Forest. St Mary's finds itself at a threshold between the industry of Southampton and the quiet of the Forest. Within the tension of both lies the possibility of both old and new. The church itself reflects this with a modern interior that brings a light, open effect and the traditional stone, including a Saxon arch. St Mary the Virgin Church is a part of the Anglican team ministry that covers the town of Totton and Eling with 38,000 people within its area. Historically the mother church to the area, St Mary's is now one of four churches in the team ministry along with Calmore, Netley Marsh and Testwood. In 2003 two self-styled 'vampires' were imprisoned for harassment of the Vicar of St Mary's and his family. [3]

Local area

History

Early history

The Iron Age Hillfort at Tatchbury Mount is evidence of early settlement in the Totton area [4]. Netley Marsh on the edge of Totton was the site of an early battle between Anglo Saxon invaders under Cerdic and Romano-Celtic peoples under Natanleod.[5]

The area's history is inevitably closely connected with ship and boat building but more with its timber trade. It was the site of much illegal dealing in the timber unlawfully obtained from the New Forest.^[4]

Eling's attractions include its tide mill that is at one end of the Harbour and Eling's Norman parish church, St Mary's, built on Saxon foundations with registers dating back to 1537. Eling Tide Mill is one of the very few working tide mills in the UK but cannot be equated with the mill listed in the Domesday Book.,^[5]

In addition, Eling contains Hampshire's only surviving medieval toll bridge across Bartley Water by the side of the tide mill. This has been in use since at least 1418 and still charges users today. There is a Town council run Heritage Centre, with details of the history of Totton and Eling.

Recent history

Totton and Testwood and the Salmon Leap area are individually named but collectively formed the original village of Totton. Testwood was the only secondary school in Totton village with Hounsdown school being built later, a mile away, outside of the original Totton village boundaries.

The main roads "Ringwood Road" (A336) and "Salisbury Road" (A36) dissect Totton. All the housing between the two roads is considered to be the 'original' Totton village. Everything between the River Test and Salisbury Road is considered to be Testwood and all that falls between the A35 causeway (over the Test) and Testwood is considered Salmon Leap.

More recently large developments on Ringwood Road have been expanding towards Netley Marsh, this area is collectively called West Totton.

External links

• Official Totton & Eling Town Council Website. Accessed 24/11/2007
• New Forest Community Media - A not-for-profit media site serving the National Park
• St Teresa of the Child Jesus (Roman Catholic) church
• Totton and Eling Cricket Club Website

References