Alton is a thriving country market town built around a wealthy Saxon settlement. Alton's market is the most valuable market recorded in the Doomsday Book. Today this vibrant market is still held every Tuesday in the High Street. That town centre has evolved from the medieval settlement lay out and now has a pleasant mix of medieval, Tudor and Jacobean buildings interwoven with the Georgian Town Hall and grand Victorian facades together with modern shops and arcades. Since early times Alton's renowned range of Inns and Pubs have provided hospitality to the market traders and shoppers not just from the town, but also from the many surrounding villages. This traditional fare is today complemented by a fine selection of welcoming tea shops, cafes, restaurants and hotels and provides English and international cuisine for visitors from far and wide. In addition the town centre is endowed with delightful public gardens and children's play area as well as car parks all less than 100yds from the High Street.

St Lawrence Church: Built in a commanding position of the original Saxon settlement with the Norman tower dating from 1070. It was doubled in size through expansion in the 13th and 15th centuries and now has two naves separated by a 'noble arcade of seven arches'. The church has many fine features including a Saxon font and Jacobean pulpit where Royalists fought to the death in the Battle of Alton in 1643. The list of incumbents goes back to 1161, the registers to 1615 and the warden's accounts to 1625.

The Curtis Museum 01420 82802: Contains local history from Roman times and includes the famous 'Alton Buckle' crafted in Saxon times and of a quality commensurate with the finds at Sutton Hoo. The museum also contains a toy and doll exhibition.

The Allen Gallery 01420 82802: Contains a wide range of pottery and ceramics and the 'Tichbourne Spoons' collection. The Gallery plays host to a variety of exhibitions and has a charming garden and 'Tea Room'.

Beer and Brewing: Alton's clear springs, which also mark the start of the River Wey and the surrounding hop fields made it an ideal centre for brewing beer from early times. Although much reduced, hop fields are still to be found in the local countryside. Alton became the home for both Courage and Watney's breweries and guided tours of the Manor Park Brewery can be taken by arrangement on 01420 541177.

The tradition of fine ales is also maintained in local 'microbreweries and guided tours can be arranged at the Triple fff Brewing Company - 01420 561422.

The Watercress Line 01962 733810: This famous restored steam railway runs between Alton's Rail Centre and the village of Alresford through some of Hampshire's most beautiful countryside. Also Thomas the Tank Engine Days, War on the Line and Santa Specials.

Sweet Fanny Adams: The tragic and brutal murder of this young girl coincided with the introduction of tinned beef, which the sailors cruelly named 'sweet Fanny Adams', into the Royal Navy in the 19th century. The expression has endured in the English language and Fanny's Memorial Stone can be seen Alton Cemetery.

Guided Walks: These operate from 1st May through to the end of September and take the visitor on an historical journey through the town. Details from the Tourist Information Centre on 01420 88448.

Golf Courses: There are five golf courses within a four-mile radius of the town centre:
Alton Golf Club, Old Odiham Road, Alton. Telephone: 01420 82042/86518
Blacknest Golf Club, Blacknest Road, Binsted. Telephone. Telephone: 01420 22888
Dean Farm Golf Course, Dean Farm, Main Road, Kingsley. Telephone: 01420 489478
Four Marks Golf Course, Headmore Lane, Four Marks. Telephone: 01420 587214
Worldham Park Golf Course, Caker Lane, East Worldham. Telephone: 01420 543151

Alton Sports Centre: This modern building includes three swimming pools, health suite, sauna, steaming room and spa. The centre which has it's own bar and restaurant also provides squash courts, sports halls (for netball, badminton, trampoline, basketball etc) fitness centre, outside floodlit playing area, indoor and outdoor climbing walls. More than 80 sports courses are run each term and the centre caters for a range of events including roller and 'SNAP' discos, fashion events and the like. Call 01420 82706 for more details.

Parks and Open Spaces: In the centre of town just a few yards from the High Street or Market Square are the Public Gardens which provide a pleasant 'English Garden' mix of flower beds, trees, shrubs and lawns together with a bandstand and children's play area. The Butts was originally designated for archery practice, a compulsory activity for young men and boys until the reign of Henry VIII. The Butts would have seen the development of longbow skills in the archers who fought in the mediaeval victories of Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt. Today this large open area is edged with great horse chestnut trees and provides the ambience of a traditional village green hosting local fetes, Victorian cricket matches, travelling fairs, family relaxation and of course in Autumn - 'conkers'.

The Tourist Information Centre: Housed at 'Bawpyns' in Cross and Pillory Lane in the town centre. In the 17th century Moses Neave, a Quaker and Brewer, who was worth £1284 when he died in 1689, owned Bawpins. The Tourist Information Centre is open Monday to Saturday and can be contacted on 01420 58570.

By the time of the reign of Edward the Confessor, 1042-1066, Edith, sister of Godwin, Earl of the West Saxons,' held Alton. Godwin had induced Edward to marry Edith and it was Goldwin's son, Harold, Earl of Wessex, who, on the death of Edward seized the Crown to become King Harold. William the Conqueror defeated him at the Battle of Hastings to become King William I. After the conquest Alton reverted to the crown, William kept "Westbrook" for himself and granted "Eastbrook" to the Monks of Hyde Abbey.

There is a possibility that Normandy Street derived its name from the scene of the royal settlement, in 1101, between Henry I, youngest son of the Conqueror, and his elder brother Robert, Duke of Normandy. Robert had returned from crusading with an army to re-claim the crown and may have confronted his usurping younger brother in the vicinity of Alton. However, faced by a larger army and shrewd negotiators Robert renounced his right to the crown for a pension of 3,000 marks a year. Robert returned to Normandy and civil war was avoided.

Alton's market, held in "Westbrook" is the most valuable market recorded in The Doomsday Book and probably covered most of what is now Market Street and a much larger Market area. The market continued to flourish and in 1307 King Edward II granted the privilege of the holding of a fair in Alton to Edmund of Woodstock who then held the Manor. The market and the fair brought trade and prosperity to the town, which for a while was represented in Parliament by two Burgesses.

In the 17th Century there was a strong non-conformist presence in the town (also the later Congregationalists were here) and when Civil War broke out Alton did not respond enthusiastically to the Royalist cause. Heavy fighting took place in the locality and after the Battle of Alton it remained firmly on the parliamentary side.

Since that time Alton has continued to develop and prosper. It has grown from a population of about 1,000 at the time of the Civil War, to more than 16,000 today. It has however maintained the street pattern established in medieval times and many buildings that were here in Alton at the time of the civil war are still in use today.

An initial raid by a unit of parliamentary cavalry caused Crawford to prepare defences and deploy scouts assuming an attack along the Alton to Farnham road. However, during the night Waller led his 5,000 strong army towards Basing before turning south and then descending upon the town from the west. This enabled him to successfully outflank Crawford's defences to launch a surprise attack early in the morning.

The first approach, supported by artillery, began with an assault on Amery Hill Farm, from what are now Greenfields Estate and Flood Meadows. This attack was initially held off but the Parliamentary artillery slowly took its toll on the defenders.

A second assault was initiated along the other side of Flood Meadows down Lenten Street into Market Square. Crawford, who probably had about 1500 troops in town, decided that his cavalry would be vulnerable in the enclosed streets and despatched it to Winchester, leaving Colonel Bole to defend the town until reinforcements could be deployed.

The Parliamentary troops forced their way from Lenten Street, down Market Street, Amery Street and the High Street with their colours flying. Colonel Bole organised a fighting withdrawal into the prepared defences of St Lawrence churchyard. The churchyard was fiercely defended for more than two hours and it was soon filled with dead and dying. Eventually under heavy musket fire the Southeast gate (off Church Street) was breached.

Whilst many Royalists were captured, Colonel Bole and about eighty of his cavaliers fell back into the church itself, refusing to surrender. The carnage in such close quarters was terrible and at one stage the Royalists were driven back onto their own Pikemen. Fighting stubbornly Colonel Bole killed or wounded many of his assailants but he was eventually slain and the remaining Royalists asked for quarter.

The King acknowledged that with the death of Colonel Bole he had lost one of his most experienced field commanders. In addition some 800 Royalists, including 50 officers, were captured. There would have been many of these prisoners who changed sides, as is the nature of civil war, making the battle an even bigger loss to the Kings cause. The battle marked the end of fighting for that year and left Parliament in control of the Southeast of England and in a much stronger position to recommence their campaign in 1644.