Freefolk is a village in Hampshire, England. It lies to the west and almost directly alongside the village of Laverstoke; the two villages are separated by the River Test.

Freefolk
Freefolk is located in Hampshire
Freefolk
Freefolk
Location within Hampshire
OS grid referenceSU4853848772
Civil parish
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWHITCHURCH
Postcode districtRG28
Dialling code01256
PoliceHampshire and Isle of Wight
FireHampshire and Isle of Wight
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Hampshire
51°14′10″N 1°18′22″W / 51.2361°N 1.3061°W / 51.2361; -1.3061
Manor Cottages, Freefolk, Hampshire (2015) by Oswald Bertram

It is about 1.5 miles (2 km) east of Whitchurch and 1 mile (2 km) west of Overton on the B3400 road between Basingstoke and Andover.

In the village is an inn named the "Watership Down", known locally as "the jerry". Built in 1840, it was called the Freefolk Arms but was renamed in honour of local author Richard Adams and his book Watership Down, which took its name from the down about 5 miles (8 km) to the north of the village.

The village name was brought to many people's attention by the "Forever Freefolk" garden at the 2016 Chelsea Flower Show, sponsored by Brewin Dolphin and designed by Rosy Hardy of local nursery Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants. The garden highlighted the fragility of England's chalk streams, and won a silver medal.[1][2]

Governance

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The village is part of the civil parish of Laverstoke and is part of the Overton, Laverstoke and Steventon ward of Basingstoke and Deane borough council.[3] The borough council is a Non-metropolitan district of Hampshire County Council.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Welcome to Hardy's Cottage Garden Plants". Hardy's. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  2. ^ "The Brewin Dolphin Garden – Forever Freefolk". RHS CHelse Flower Show. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Basingstoke and Deane Wards info". 2010. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
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  Media related to Freefolk at Wikimedia Commons