Charlton is a small village and civil parish northwest of Andover. Due to the expansion of Andover in recent years the two settlements are now effectively contiguous. Charlton is separated from Andover by way of Charlton Park and Anton Lakes. This provides an effective natural gap. As of 2005, the village has a population of 2,053 people.[2]
Estate map of Foxcotte Manor, near Andover 1614 onwards showing list of Charlton copyholdersEstate map of Foxcotte Manor, near Andover 1614 onwards showing further list of Charlton copyholders
Strips of land held on copyright tenure in Charlton formed part of the manor of Foxcotte, and are documented its estate maps from 1614 onwards. In 1892 Charlton was a moderately sized rural settlement,[3] with a school, smithy, two farms, a Methodist chapel, and two pubs.[4]
By 1969 the Village had undergone some expansion, St Thomas' Church was built and in-fill houses had been added. Andover had expanded past the railway line and the gap between Charlton and it was now almost non-existent.
For Charlton itself, the greatest growth in its history came in the late 1970s and 80s, with very large development primarily to the west of Hatherden Road. The new houses were in a suburban style, extinguishing most of the remaining rural character.
More development took place after 2017, to the east of the historic centre.
Charlton Underpass (2008)
Today there are some reminders of Charlton's rural past; there are at-least eight thatched buildings (including part of the Royal Oak) and several other historic buildings.
Like any traditional English village, the Royal Oak is Charlton's local pub, providing a valuable service to many of the locals. The pub also has various pool, dart and football teams as well as a very popular weekly quiz night.
There is a Tesco mini-market which took over from the One Stop chain in 2007. This unit was historically an independent newsagent and convenience store known as Charlton News, owned by the Patel family during the 1970s and 80s.
The other shop in the village is Charlton Premier Shop - a local produce and mini-market. Previously Behind The Bikeshed[8] - and originally the village Post Office and Spar Shop.
