Preston Candover
| Preston Candover | |
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 The village pump at Preston Candover |
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 Preston Candover
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| Preston Candover shown within Hampshire | |
| Population | 357 510 (2011 Census including Bradley and Moundsmere) |
| OS grid reference | SU6069341721 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BASINGSTOKE |
| Postcode district | RG25 |
| Dialling code | 01962 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Website | Preston Candover and Nutley Parish Council |
Preston Candover is a village and large civil parish in Hampshire, England. It has two churches, only one of which is still in use. Its nearest town is Basingstoke, approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) away. It has an acreage of 3,457 acres (13.99 km2), which lies on comparatively low ground, south of the high country round the surrounding villages of Farleigh Wallop and Nutley, and north-west of that which rises to Wield and beyond Wield to Bentworth. The village itself lies on the lowest ground towards the west of the parish on the road which comes northeast from Northington and the two other Candovers, and runs across the parish to enter Nutley at Axford and continues uphill to Farleigh Wallop and thence to Basingstoke.
The village is home to Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover and his wife Anya Linden, of the supermarket Sainsbury family.
The village of Preston Candover is probably of Saxon origin. It was originally called 'Prestecandavere' - the Candover belonging to the Priests. The name derives in part from the Candover Brook which rises from springs just to the south of the village, and from a religious community which flourished here before the Norman Conquest.
By the eleventh century Preston parish had been carved up into six Manors. The land from which they drew their revenues became organised into the common field system. This was based initially on three large fields worked in common by the villagers, although new fields were added as the population grew. The fields were divided into furlongs, each furlongs being divided in turn into strips of about 1-acre (4,000 m2) in size. A family’s holding consisted of a number of strips dotted about each of the common fields. Much of the higher ground in the valley was devoted to rough grazing and also held in common, this land comprising Preston and Nutley Down, Southwood Green, and Oakhills Common. At one time Preston Down was joined to those of Brown and Chilton Candover, and this made it an ideal route for the drovers and their herds. The trackway across the down today is known as the B3046 route.
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Wikipedia