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Alton

The thriving market town of Alton offers a delightful mix of historic buildings and modern shops and arcades. It is well known for its regular Tuesday market day as well as other markets and fairs.

The Curtis Museum has one of the finest local history collections in Hampshire. It houses a wonderful array of objects including the celebrated Roman cup found near Selborne and an impressive Anglo Saxon buckle. Its gallery of childhood is packed with toys, children's books and dolls dating back to the 18th century.

The 11th Century St Lawrence Church was part of the Battle of Alton, a skirmish in the civil war. Royalists were surprised by a Parliamentary force and were beaten back to the church where they set up defences. They were eventually defeated and the commanding officer and some of his men were shot in the church and pulpit. Look carefully and you can still see some bullet holes in the west doors.

Guided walks explore the town's history.

The village of Chawton, famously the home of Jane Austen, is nearby and you can follow a walking route from Alton High Street to Chawton House past places of interest that Jane Austen knew. The Watercress Line steam railway goes from Alton, trundling through pleasant countyside through the village of Ropley and on to Alresford.

A range of bed and breakfast and self-catering accommodation is available in Alton, all listed on this site is quality assessed.