Hampshire Life: February 2019 (^) 45
T
here are many faces
to Basingstoke. It has
long offered a serious
retail experience
(this was the birthplace of
Burberry), while it is the only
out of London warehouse shop
of wine merchants Berry Bros
& Rudd. It is also leisure central
from skiing to sky diving, while
the acoustically excellent Anvil
concert hall is 25 years old this
year. Often overlooked though
is Basingstoke’s rich history.
This was a Tudor hot spot,
with The Vyne to the north,
visited by Henry VIII and Anne
Boleyn, and Basing House to
the east, which once rivalled
Hampton Court Palace, but was
stormed and ruined in the Civil
War. And while the familiar
image of Basingstoke is a busy
town centre, it is surrounded
by the loveliest countryside
with hidden villages. But it’s
the locals that know this town
best, here they share their top
tips and favourite places.
STEVE VANHINSBERGH,
STONECIRCLE,
WOOTTON ST
LAWRENCE
Last year StoneCIRCLE (stone-
circle.com) celebrated 50 years
in business having been founded
in 1968 by Steve’s father, Bernie.
The company is now run by
Steve and his brother, Jeff.
Manufacturing natural stone
products for both residential
and commercial customers,
it is the largest stonemasonry
factory in the south of England.
Steve recalls: “The land on
which the showroom and factory
are built was owned by Queen’s
College, Oxford, as is all the
land around there, having been
part of Pamber Priory which the
College owned from 1462. My
father would drive past the barn
every day and finally bought it
from the College in 1984 when he
needed to expand the business.
Steve’s local life:
Favourite pub: “The Bel and
Dragon in Kingsclere where I grew
up. I have fond memories of teenage
nights spent in there (when it was
the Swan), but it is a lovely traditional
coaching inn with a roaring log
fire in winter and good food.”
Favourite walk: “When I’m not
terrorising the local ramblers on
my Enduro motorbike, my family
and I enjoy going for a walk and
calling into a pub for lunch. One I
can recommend is a circular walk
of six miles from Hook through
woodlands to Greywell and then
along the Basingstoke Canal to
North Warnborough and back
across Bartley Heath. All three
villages have pubs so you can choose
where to stop and eat en route.”
Where to stay overnight: “You
can’t beat the Fernbank Hotel,
which is in a quiet residential area
but within walking distance of the
town centre. It’s a small family-run
hotel with a great welcome.”
MITCH LLOYD, PETRA
JEWELLERY, VIABLES
CRAFT CENTRE
Petra Jewellery (petrajewellery.
com) has been voted Most
Loved Jewellers in the UK
for the past three years and
this year celebrates 40 years
in business. Petra started the
business in 1979 with just her
apprenticeship pieces and her
own work bench in the corner of
a converted bull pen. Daughter
Mitch is now running the show
from a stunning contemporary
showroom and workshop in a
converted old farm cottage.
Mitch says: “We love what
we do, designing and making
beautiful pieces of jewellery that
capture special memories. We
especially enjoy understanding
the story behind every piece
we’re making and have our
on-site goldsmith available
to give expert advice.
Mitch’s local life:
Favourite pub: The Fur &
Feathers (theherriardinn.co.uk) on
the A339 is a lovely local family
business. Free range chickens
roam the large cottage garden
and Fran is so proud of her steaks,
they taste delicious too.”
Spare time: “I love trail running
round the countryside with my
running buddies from Basingstoke
& Mid Hants Athletic Club and my
springer spaniel Banjo. Working
Saturdays means I often get up
early on a Sunday and do a 10 mile
off-road loop through Hackwood
Park to Ellisfield and back through
Cliddesden, where there’s another
great country pub, The Jolly
Farmer, near the duck pond.
“We have a fabulous sports
complex called Down Grange. I’ve
been training hard on the track for
Masters Athletics events (I shocked
myself winning the British 1500m
Champs last summer), my daughter
ABOVE: Festival
Place makes
shopping
a lifestyle
experience
with cinema,
eateries, Flip-Out
adventure
park, big name
shopping and
pop-up art gallery
BELOW: Originally
Basingstoke’s
corn exchange
back in 1865; it
reopened in 2007
as The Haymarket
theatre, following
extensive
refubishment, and
is run by Anvil Arts
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