New Alresford

New Alresford lies about nine miles northeast of Winchester in the valley of the River Alre. The town is focused on Broad Street and the long Alresford Pond at the centre, which controls the river flow and sits above the old watercress beds. The history of market trade and watercress cultivation is visible in surviving Georgian facades and in the preserved Mid Hants Railway, known locally as the Watercress Line, which stops at Alresford station beside the pond.

Today the town supports independent shops, cafes, antique dealers and small specialist food producers. The annual Watercress Festival and other community events take place on and around the pond and on the broad street. The preserved steam line runs regular services to Alton and operates special event trains that recall the town's industrial past. Footpaths follow the River Alre and rise onto chalk downland, providing direct access to countryside from the town centre. Local features include the 18th-century registry of houses and the parish church, and a mix of surviving mill sites and converted buildings alongside the river.