Romsey is a market town situated in Hampshire about 8 miles northwest of Southampton and approximately 11 miles southwest of Winchester. Sadly modern travel means that most people rush by in their car on one of the adjacent main roads or on the M27 without realising what they are missing as Romsey is a very attractive and interesting place to visit.
The town has grown up around the medieval Abbey which is still there and is well worth a visit. Over the years Romsey has had some interesting visitors with the Vikings arriving in 993, sacking the town and burning down the church. Luckily these days our visitors are somewhat better behaved!
During the English Civil War the town changed hands a number of times with the Royalist and then the Parliamentarian troops occupying and plundering the town.
Water has always been an important part of trade in Romsey as the town is situated on the River Test and originally had many other streams and offshoots of the river some of which can still be seen if you walk around the town..
Water fuelled the growth of the woollen trade in medieval times which helped in its prosperity until competition from the north caused it to decline. Other industries such as tanning and milling were also very important to the area and depended on the availability of water.
Last but not least Romsey was for a long time a centre for the brewing industry and has had some important breweries over the years such as Strongs and The Hampshire Brewery. The big breweries are now gone but we do now have a new brewery – The Flack Manor Brewery which opened in 2009 and is ably supported by us and our local real ale drinkers!
Romsey is also well known for its fishing with the River Test famous for its trout. Needless to say these regularly find their way onto our specials menu and we also get many visits from fisherman who have come to Romsey to practice their sport.
Walking is also another very popular pastime with the famous Test Way on our doorstep. You can walk this for up to 44 miles from its dramatic start on the chalk downs all the way to where the Test’s waters flow into the sea. Of course if you decide to do this then please allow The Dukes Head to refresh you along the way!
