The new Buildings Trail will be a companion for our Tree Trail
Petersfield Society is to publish a guided walk booklet featuring buildings in the town centre with significant historic and architectural interest. Supported by £500 from Cllr Robert Mocatta under the Hampshire County Councillors Grant Funding Scheme, the aim of the booklet is to enhance understanding and appreciation of Petersfield’s built environment and encourage visits to the town.
Volunteers from Petersfield Society are researching and writing the booklet. The grant from Cllr Mocatta will go towards design and print costs, helping to keep the price of the booklet accessible and affordable to encourage uptake.
Anthony Allen, a Trustee of Petersfield Society and Convenor of the Society’s Built Environment Group, commented: “The architecture of Petersfield is very special and yet we don’t necessarily appreciate this as we go about our daily lives. In the Buildings Trail, we explore some of the fascinating buildings in the town centre, explaining their history, architecture and construction.” He continued “Over the 80 years of Petersfield Society, townspeople of all walks of life have volunteered together to enhance the special character of Petersfield as a historic market town and to try to ensure that it remains an attractive, distinctive and enjoyable place to live and work. We’re grateful to Cllr Mocatta for his support for our latest project, the Buildings Trail, which we believe will help support those aims.”
Designed to attract residents and visitors to enjoy the town on foot and with wheeled access, the full-colour booklet, with map, photographs and written descriptions, will help bring to life Petersfield’s social and economic history and reflect key architectural and construction trends over the centuries.
Cllr Robert Mocatta, Hampshire County councillor for Petersfield Butser, commented: “Petersfield is a fascinating town to walk around, admiring both the architecture and the street scenes. The square, with our wonderful statue of William IV is an excellent starting point, and the number of blue plaques confirm how much the buildings have shaped the history of the town. The town is a gateway to the South Downs through its road and rail links, and tourists are encouraged to visit such gems as the Physic garden and the heath with its pond and ancient bronze age barrows.”
Through today’s built environment, Petersfield’s story is revealed, from its origins in the 12th century as a Norman market town, to a Medieval leather and textiles hub, and in the 18th century being an overnight stop and a sanctuary from highwaymen for travellers taking horse-drawn coaches from London to Portsmouth. The High Street was ‘modernised’ by the Georgians with new contemporary frontages added to much older buildings, demonstrating the relative wealth of the age. Petersfield Museum, formerly the Police Station, exemplifies the flintwork and skilled craftsmanship of the Victoria Era.
To be published later this Spring, the Buildings Trail will be on sale at the Society’s stalls at town festivals, through local bookshops and online. At an anticipated page count of 44, and 210mm square, the Buildings Trail booklet will be convenient to hold whilst walking and to put in a back pack, and yet be substantial enough to serve as an attractive coffee-table book for waiting rooms in local businesses, and to serve as a long-term reference.
The Buildings Trail is a companion-publication to the Petersfield Society Tree Trail, a guided tour of significant trees in the town, now in its second print run, and available from Petersfield Society’s website.