Selborne
| Selborne | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Gilbert White's House |
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 Selborne
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| Selborne shown within Hampshire | |
| Population | 1,288 (2011 Census including Oakhanger) |
| OS grid reference | SU741366 |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Alton |
| Postcode district | GU34 3xx |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Selborne is a village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 3.9 miles (6.3 km) south of Alton. It is just within the extreme northern boundary of the South Downs National Park, which opened on 1 April 2011. The village receives visitors on almost every day of the year because of its links with the world-famous naturalist, Revd. Gilbert White, who was a pioneer of birdwatching.
St Mary the Virgin is a Grade I listed church that dates back to the late 12th century. There are the Selborne Village Stores/Post Office and a primary school. Furthermore, there is one public house the "Selborne Arms". A bus service that runs through the village links it to Alton and Petersfield.
At the back of the village, behind the Selborne Arms and Gilbert White's Field Studies Centre, there is the Zig-Zag Path, which was cut into the hillside in the 1760s by Gilbert White and his brother John, to provide easier access to the Hanger and Selborne Common on the summit of Selborne Hill.
A complete history of Selborne, from its geology through its establishment as a settlement in the Dark Ages to the present day, including a study of local architecture, was locally published in March 2009: Knights, Priests & Peasants was written by Dr. Edward Yates, a retired academic polymath and long-time resident of the village. Its 400 pages include oral histories from the turn of the 19th/20th centuries.
Selborne is famous for its association with the 18th-century naturalist Gilbert White (1720–1793), who wrote The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne. Tourism helps to support the local pub and a thriving village shop, which the resident population alone would make unviable. Many people combine their visit with one to Jane Austen’s house in nearby Chawton.
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Wikipedia