Editing Romsey

{{short description|Town in Hampshire, England}}
{{About|the market town in Hampshire, England|the district called Romsey Town in the city of Cambridge, England|Mill Road, Cambridge|the town in Australia|Romsey, Victoria}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox UK place 
 | official_name            = Romsey
 | type                     = [[Market town]] 
 | country                  = England
 | map_type                 = Southampton
 | region                   = South East England
 | static_image             = File:Corn Exchange, Romsey, Hampshire (geograph 1921119).jpg
 | static_image_caption     = [[Corn Exchange, Romsey|Romsey Corn Exchange]]
 | coordinates              = {{coord|50.989|-1.4966|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
 | population               = 14,768
 | population_ref           = (2011 census, parish)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/southeastengland/admin/test_valley/E04004634__romsey/ | title=Romsey (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location }}</ref>
 | post_town                = ROMSEY
 | postcode_area            = SO
 | postcode_district        = SO51
 | dial_code                = 01794
 | constituency_westminster = [[Romsey and Southampton North (UK Parliament constituency)|Romsey and Southampton North]]
 | shire_district           = [[Test Valley]]
 | shire_county             = [[Hampshire]]
 | website                  = [https://www.romseytc.org.uk Romsey Town Council]
 | static_image_name        = Romsey.jpg
}}

'''Romsey''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|ɒ|m|z|i}} {{respell|ROM|zee}}) is a town in the [[Test Valley]] district of [[Hampshire]], England. The town is situated {{convert|7|mi}} northwest of [[Southampton]], {{convert|11|mi}} southwest of [[Winchester]] and {{convert|17|mi}} southeast of [[Salisbury]]. It sits on the outskirts of the [[New Forest]], just over {{convert|3|mi}} northeast of its eastern edge. The population of Romsey was 14,768 at the 2011 census.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/southeastengland/admin/test_valley/E04004634__romsey/ | title=Romsey (Parish, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location}}</ref>

Romsey is one of the principal towns in the [[Test Valley]] Borough and lies on the [[River Test]], which is known for [[fly fishing]], predominantly [[trout]].<ref>Environment Agency (2006).[http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/acrobat/river_test__627604pdf Fact file on the River Test] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050408095342/http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/acrobat/river_test__627604pdf |date=8 April 2005 }} Retrieved 3 November 2007</ref> In 2019, the town centre underwent substantial remodelling, removing the [[roundabout]] around the statue of Lord Palmerston, and creating a pedestrianised area.<ref name="Romsey Town Centre Improvements">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/marketplaceromsey|title=Town Centre Improvements|website=Hants.gov.uk|access-date=17 March 2019}}</ref>

Romsey was home to the 17th-century philosopher and economist [[William Petty]] and the 19th-century British prime minister, [[Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|Lord Palmerston]], whose statue has stood in the town centre since 1857. The town was also home to the 20th-century naval officer and statesman [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma]], who lived at [[Broadlands]]. [[Romsey Abbey]], the largest parish church in Hampshire, dominates the centre of the town. Other notable buildings include a 13th-century hunting lodge, an 18th-century coaching inn and the 19th-century corn exchange.

==History==
===Middle Ages to the Civil War===
====Toponymy====
Romsey's name is believed to originate from the [[Old English]] ''Rūm's eg'', meaning "Rūm's island". ''Rūm'' is probably an abbreviation of a personal name like ''Rumwald'' (meaning "glorious leader"; compare the twain Saints [[Rumwold]]), and ''eg'' (meaning ''"''island") may have denoted a monastic retreat in the [[Early Middle Ages]], since it is common among religious [[toponymy|placenames]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/edge/Religpns.htm|title=At the Edge: Recovering the lost religious place-names of England|last=Smith|first=Gavin|website=At The Edge|year=1996|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000129172831/http://www.indigogroup.co.uk/edge/religpns.htm|archive-date=29 January 2000|access-date=15 August 2019}} [http://files.afu.se/Downloads/Magazines/United%20Kingdom/At%20The%20Edge%20(Bob%20Trubshaw)/At%20The%20Edge%20-%20No%2003%20-%201996%2009.pdf Alt URL]</ref>

====Beginnings====
The first church in Romsey was founded by [[Edward the Elder]] in 907 AD for his daughter, Ælflæd, a nun who became the first [[abbess]] of Romsey. [[Edgar the Peaceful]] re-founded the abbey under the [[Rule of Benedict]] in 967 AD, appointing as abbess a noblewoman named [[Mærwynn|Merewenna]] in 974 AD. Merewenna was given charge of Edgar's stepdaughter, [[Æthelflæda of Romsey|Æthelflæd]], who later served as abbess herself. Both Merewenna and Æthelflæd are revered as saints.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22880?msg=welcome_stranger#ROMSEY_ABBEY|title=Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey, by Thomas Perkins|last=Perkins|first=Thomas|date=1907|via=Gutenberg.org|publisher=Chiswick Press|location=London|page=17}}</ref>

The surrounding village prospered alongside the religious community. In 1003 the [[Danes]] sacked Romsey and destroyed the Anglo-Saxon church in retaliation for the [[St. Brice's Day massacre|St Brice's Day Massacre]]. While there is no record of the abbey's restoration, it is written that in 1012 [[Emma of Normandy]] gave lands to the abbey and that there were a total of 54 nuns in Romsey during the reign of [[Cnut the Great]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22880/22880-h/22880-h.htm#ROMSEY_ABBEY|title=Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey, by Thomas Perkins|last=Perkins|first=Thomas|date=1907|website=Gutenberg.org|publisher=Chiswick Press|location=London|page=18|access-date=14 August 2019}}</ref>

The [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 refers to a population of 127 households in Romsey, along with the earliest records of the [[watermill]]s that would later establish it as an industrial town. Relative to other Domesday settlements, Romsey had a large population and paid a considerable amount of tax.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://opendomesday.org/place/SU3521/romsey/|title=Romsey {{!}} Domesday Book|website=Opendomesday.org|access-date=15 August 2019}}</ref>

Along with [[Wilton Abbey]] nearby, Romsey Abbey became known as a place of learning in the [[High Middle Ages]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Henry I|last=Hollister|first=C. Warren|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2001|isbn=9780300143720|editor-last=Clark Frost|editor-first=Amanda|pages=128}}</ref> In 1086, [[Matilda of Scotland]] was sent there to be educated by her aunt, [[Cristina, daughter of Edward the Exile|Cristina]], who was then the abbess.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Queens Consort: England's Medieval Queens from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Elizabeth of York|last=Hilton|first=Lisa|publisher=Pegasus Books LLC|year=2010|isbn=9781605981055|location=New York|pages=42}}</ref> A number of hopeful suitors visited the princess in Romsey, including the later king [[William II of England|William Rufus]], whose advances were hindered by her aunt.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Matilda of Scotland: A Study in Medieval Queenship|last=Huneycutt|first=Lois L|publisher=Boydell Press|year=2003|isbn=9781846151149|pages=18}}</ref> William was killed in 1100 while hunting in the [[New Forest]], after which his body was carried through Bell Street in Romsey on its way to [[Winchester Cathedral]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Secret Romsey|last=Dickerson|first=Ian|publisher=Amberley Publishing|year=2018|isbn=978-1445678955|pages=34}}</ref>

The existing abbey was built in the [[Norman architecture|Norman style]] between 1120 and 1140 using [[Chilmark stone]].<ref>{{NHLE|num=1092649|desc=ABBEY CHURCH OF ST MARY AND ST ETHELFLAEDA, Romsey |access-date=15 August 2019}}</ref> It was likely designed by [[Henry of Blois]], the brother of [[Stephen, King of England|King Stephen]] and builder of the [[Hospital of St Cross]] in Winchester.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22880/22880-h/22880-h.htm#Footnote_2_2|title=The Project Gutenberg eBook of Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey, by Thomas Perkins|last=Perkins|first=Thomas|date=1907|website=Gutenberg.org|publisher=Chiswick Press|location=London|access-date=15 August 2019}}</ref> The final three arches were added between 1230 and 1240, at which time more than 100 nuns belonged to the foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.romseyabbey.org.uk/about/history/|title=About Romsey Abbey: A brief history|last=Hallett|first=Liz|website=Romsey Abbey|date=25 April 2010 |access-date=15 August 2019}}</ref> The north transept of the original Saxon church is still visible today.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.romseyabbey.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Education-60-Minute-Guide.pdf|title=Education 60 Minute Guide to Outside and Inside Romsey Abbey|website=Romsey Abbey|access-date=15 August 2019}}</ref>

[[Henry I of England|Henry I]] granted Romsey its first charter, allowing it to hold a full market each Sunday and a four-day fair at the Feast of St Æthelflæd the Virgin. This was confirmed by [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] in 1268 and extended to the Feast of St Philip and St James by [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] in 1272.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/hants/vol4/pp452-469|title=Parishes: Romsey Extra and Infra {{!}} British History Online|website=British-history.ac.uk|access-date=15 August 2019}}</ref> Given these charters, it can be assumed that Romsey was flourishing in the 13th century, perhaps supported by a lucrative woollen industry whereby wool was woven and then fulled or pounded before being dyed and exported from nearby Southampton.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.testvalley.gov.uk/assets/attach/7921/34XX%20Romsey%20Heritage%20Trail%20Leaflet%20Web.pdf|title=Romsey Heritage Trail – Test Valley Borough Council|website=Test Valley Borough Council|access-date=15 August 2019|archive-date=24 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924062153/https://testvalley.gov.uk/assets/attach/7921/34XX%20Romsey%20Heritage%20Trail%20Leaflet%20Web.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is suggested that towns like Romsey and [[New Alresford]] prospered as a result of their location, which allowed them to exploit the [[downland]] sheep economy while retaining access to a major port to the south.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jervis|first=Ben|date=2017|title=Decline or Transformation? Archaeology and the Late Medieval 'Urban Decline' in Southern England|url=https://orca.cf.ac.uk/94046/1/12-5-2016_Decline%20or.pdf|journal=The Archaeological Journal|volume=174|pages=231|doi=10.1080/00665983.2017.1229895|s2cid=157800150|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Romsey continued to grow and prosper until the [[Black Death]] struck the town in 1348–9, killing up to half its population of roughly 1,000 individuals. It is recorded that 90 nuns voted in the 1333 [[abbatial election]] but never more than 25 in elections held from 1350 onwards.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ATOlhaEvN3wC&pg=PA88|title=A History of Bubonic Plague in the British Isles|last=Shrewsbury|first=J.F.D.|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2005|isbn=0521022479|location=Cambridge|page=88}}</ref> Plague arrived again in 1526, with [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] abandoning his plans to spend the eve of the [[Assumption of Mary|Assumption]] in Romsey and instead heading to Winchester.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/hants/vol4/pp452-469#fnn25|title=Parishes: Romsey Extra and Infra {{!}} British History Online|last=A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 4|date=1911|website=British-history.ac.uk|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref> Prosperity never returned to the abbey.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.visitromsey.co.uk/html/about_romsey.html|title=About Romsey Hampshire {{!}} Tourist and Visitor Information {{!}} Market Town {{!}} Visit Romsey {{!}} UK|website=Visitromsey.co.uk|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>

Romsey Abbey was finally suppressed by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] upon the [[Dissolution of the Monasteries]] in 1539, during which time many religious buildings were destroyed. The abbey itself was saved from demolition, ostensibly due to a section dedicated to [[St Lawrence]] that was used as the parish church. In 1544, the townspeople were allowed to purchase the abbey from [[the Crown]] for a sum of £100. The section that saved it was subsequently demolished, however, with the remainder being used as the parish church that exists today.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.romseyabbey.org.uk/about/history/|title=A brief history|date=25 April 2010|website=Romseyabbey.org.uk|language=en-US|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref>

By the mid-16th century Romsey's population was about 1,500, its woollen and tanning industries having fuelled growth. After his visit to Broadlands in 1607, [[James VI and I|James I]] granted the town a charter and made it a [[borough]]. This gave official status to an informal local government that had been running the town's affairs since the Dissolution in 1539. Romsey could now have a corporation comprising a mayor, six aldermen, twelve chief burgesses and a town clerk.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/hants/vol4/pp452-469#anchorn26|title=Parishes: Romsey Extra and Infra {{!}} British History Online|website=British-history.ac.uk|access-date=16 August 2019}}</ref> There was also to be a local law court under a Court Recorder assisted by two sergeants-at-mace and, over all, a [[High steward (civic)|High Steward]], the first of whom was the [[Earl of Southampton]].<ref name="auto"/>

Romsey changed hands several times during the [[English Civil War]], with both [[Cavalier|Royalist]] and [[Parliamentary]] troops occupying and plundering the town. Most significant were the events of 1643 in which [[William Waller]], having captured Winchester, marched southwest to Romsey where his soldiers defaced the abbey and destroyed its organ.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/civilwarinhampsh00godwrich/page/74|title=The Civil War in Hampshire (1642–45) and the Story of Basing House|last=Godwin|first=George Nelson|publisher=H.M. Gilbert and Son|year=1904|isbn=1169342469|location=Southampton|pages=74}}</ref> A skirmish on Middle Bridge, downstream of [[Sadler's Mill]], may have preceded these events.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mason|first=Anne W.|date=1976|title=The History of Middle Bridge, Romsey|url=http://www.hantsfieldclub.org.uk/publications/hampshirestudies/digital/1970s/vol32/Mason.pdf|journal=Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society|volume=30|pages=51}}</ref>

===18th to 20th centuries===
The town's woollen industry struggled through the 18th century, with competition from [[Northern England|the North]] effectively halving the wages of woollen workers in the southern and eastern parts of the country by the 1770s.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Albion's People: English Society 1714–1815|last=Rule|first=John|publisher=Routledge|year=2014|isbn=978-1317895947|location=London|pages=171–2}}</ref> As the townspeople looked for more stable work in burgeoning industries like [[brewing]], [[papermaking]] and [[Paper sack|sackmaking]], Romsey continued to grow as a modern market town. In 1794 a canal was dug from [[Redbridge, Southampton|Redbridge]] to [[Andover, Hampshire|Andover]], passing through Romsey and thus improving its access to nearby trade centres.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.localhistories.org/romsey.html|title=A History of Romsey|website=Localhistories.org|access-date=19 August 2019}}</ref> The town's population was 4,274 in the first [[census]] of 1801.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol4/pp315-361#h3-0073|title=Table of population, 1801–1951 {{!}} British History Online|website=British-history.ac.uk|access-date=19 August 2019}}</ref>

Lord Palmerston, the 19th-century British prime minister, lived at Broadlands in his autumn years. In the 1850s he delivered a number of political and religious lectures about the town, including one to the Labourers' Encouragement Society in 1859.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eFp4l0zpUqcC&q=romsey|title=Palmerston: A Biography|last=Brown|first=David|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2011|isbn=978-0300168440}}</ref> Though he had hoped to be buried at Romsey Abbey, he was in 1865 given a [[state funeral]] and subsequently buried at [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1525930/Prime-ministers-who-were-given-a-state-funeral.html|title=Prime ministers who were given a state funeral|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=8 August 2006|access-date=19 August 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> His statue, sculpted by [[Matthew Noble]], has stood in Market Place since 1868.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1232293 |desc=Statue of Lord Palmerston, Market Place |access-date=19 September 2022}}</ref>   

Despite the [[History of rail transport in Great Britain 1830–1922|arrival of the railway in 1847]], the town's expansion slowed in the mid-19th century. Whilst its population had grown to 5,654 in 1851, it stagnated in subsequent decades and—by the time of the 1901 census—the population was just 5,597. The town also enjoyed a significant trade in corn: the [[Corn Exchange, Romsey|Corn Exchange]], which is a Grade II* listed building, was completed in 1864.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1231877|desc=Former Corn Exchange, Romsey, Hampshire|access-date=12 June 2023}}</ref>

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Romsey became known for making [[Berthon Boat]]s, a type of collapsible lifeboat invented by [[Edward Lyon Berthon]] in 1851. In 1873, having been the vicar of Romsey Abbey since 1860, Berthon erected a shed outside the nearby vicarage to meet the increasing demand for collapsible boats in the 1870s. In 1877 he appointed his son as manager and moved the enterprise to Lortemore Place. The boatyard continued to make boats until 1917, when it became Berthon Boat Co. and relocated to [[Lymington]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.berthon.co.uk/about-berthon/berthon-history/|title=A Berthon History and Timeline from 1272 to the Present Day.|website=Berthon|language=en|access-date=19 August 2019}}</ref> The abbey installed a window commemorating Berthon in 1902.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.victorianweb.org/art/stainedglass/jamespowell/23.html|title=Berthon Memorial Window, Romsey Abbey, Hampshire|website=Victorianweb.org|access-date=19 August 2019}}</ref>

With Romsey's expansion as a brewing town in the mid-19th century, it became known for its extraordinary number of pubs and, more generally, its fashionable drinking culture. By 1911 it boasted more than 80 public houses, twice the national average and effectively one pub for every 151.5 residents.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Secret Romsey|last=Dickerson|first=Ian|publisher=Amberley Publishing|year=2018|isbn=978-1445678955|pages=27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/heritage/2010022.so-drunk-he-must-have-been-to-romsey/|title=So drunk he must have been to Romsey!|website=Daily Echo|date=February 2008 |language=en|access-date=5 September 2019}}</ref> Based on the old Hampshire saying ''so drunk he must have been to Romsey'', a book of the same name was published in 1974 as a comprehensive guide to the town's drinking establishments.<ref>{{Cite book|title=So Drunk He Must Have Been to Romsey: A History of Romsey's Pubs & Inns|last=Anonymous|publisher=The History Section of the Lower Test Valley Archaeological Study Group|year=1974|asin=B0016OI17I}}</ref> [[File:Statue of Lord Palmerston, Romsey - geograph.org.uk - 1720490.jpg|thumb|upright|Statue of [[Lord Palmerston]]]]
The Willis Fleming family of [[North Stoneham Park]] were major landowners at Romsey from the 17th until early 20th centuries, and were lords of the manors of Romsey Infra and Romsey Extra.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.willisfleming.org.uk/estates/hants_and_iow/Romsey_Estates|title=Romsey Estates|website=Willisfleming.org.uk}}</ref>

Broadlands later became the home of [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma]], known locally as 'Lord Louis'. In 1947 he was given his earldom and the lesser title of Baron Romsey, of Romsey in the County of Southampton.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Louis-Mountbatten-1st-Earl-Mountbatten|title=Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten {{!}} British statesman|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|access-date=20 August 2019}}</ref> Mountbatten was buried in Romsey Abbey after being killed in an [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|IRA]] bomb explosion in Ireland on 27 August 1979. After his death his titles passed to his elder daughter, [[Patricia Mountbatten, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma|Lady Brabourne]], who thus became Countess Mountbatten of Burma. Her eldest son was styled by the [[Courtesy titles in the United Kingdom|courtesy title]] 'Lord Romsey' until he inherited the title of Lord Brabourne in 2005, and then the [[Earl Mountbatten of Burma|earldom]] in 2017.<ref>BBC News (2005).[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4275336.stm Death on the Nile producer dies] Retrieved 1 November 2007</ref>

[[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]] was Mountbatten's nephew and, when he married [[Elizabeth II]] on 20 November 1947, the pair departed London by train and spent their honeymoon at Broadlands. They attended the service at Romsey Abbey the following Sunday.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXERDgAAQBAJ|title=My Husband and I: The Inside Story of 70 Years of the Royal Marriage|last=Seward|first=Ingrid|publisher=Simon and Schuster|year=2017|isbn=978-1471159589|location=London}}</ref> Like his parents, [[Charles, Prince of Wales]] and his first wife [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] spent the first part of their own honeymoon at Broadlands in 1981. In 2011, [[Prince William, Duke of Cambridge|William, Duke of Cambridge]] and [[Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge]] broke tradition by spending their first night as a married couple at [[Buckingham Palace]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/a22583968/prince-william-kate-middleton-wedding-night/|title=Will and Kate Broke Royal Tradition With Where They Decided to Spend Their Wedding Night|last=Roberts|first=Kayleigh|date=29 July 2018|website=ELLE|language=en-US|access-date=20 August 2019}}</ref>

In 2007 Romsey celebrated the 400th anniversary of James I's charter with a programme of events hosted from March through to September, including a visit on 8 June from Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.<ref>BBC News (2007).[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/6734411.stm Queen marks charter anniversary] Retrieved 1 November 2007</ref> The cost of the visit created some local controversy, with particular attention being paid to the £5,000 spent on a new toilet for Her Majesty's use, though in the event she did not make use of it.<ref>BBC News (2007).[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7049255.stm Town left with royal toilet bill] Retrieved 3 November 2007</ref>

===Present===
The town centre has had a large Waitrose supermarket since 1969,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://waitrosememorystore.org.uk/content/branches-3/branches-o-r/romsey-671/waitrose_romsey|title=Waitrose Romsey|date=22 February 2013|website=Waitrosememorystore.org.uk|language=en|access-date=20 August 2019}}</ref> along with an independent department store named [[Bradbeers]] and a range of other independent shops and high street chains. Romsey was described by ''[[The Guardian]]'' as 'resoundingly, timelessly English' in 2014, with the newspaper remarking on the town's representation of [[Bourgeoisie|bourgeois]] provincial life.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/nov/28/lets-move-to-romsey-hampshire|title=Let's move to Romsey, Hampshire|last=Dyckhoff|first=Tom|date=28 November 2014|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=20 August 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> It is popular among retirees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hampshire-life.co.uk/out-about/places/what-it-s-like-to-live-in-romsey-1-4868993|title=We find out what it's like to live in Romsey|last=Caulton|first=Emma|website=Hampshire-life.co.uk|date=11 March 2019|language=en|access-date=20 August 2019}}</ref>

Three [[industrial estate|industrial and trading estates]] focus mainly on [[service industry|service industries]] and small-scale manufacturing. Three scientific and high technology employers—[[Roke Manor Research]], [[Southampton Science Park]] and [[IBM]]—have establishments nearby.

==Governance==
[[File:Romsey, the Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 2208594.jpg|thumb|[[Romsey Town Hall]]]]
Romsey is part of the [[Romsey and Southampton North (UK Parliament constituency)|Romsey and Southampton North]] parliamentary constituency. Its current MP is [[Caroline Nokes]] of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]. Elected in the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|general election on 6 May 2010]], after boundary changes, she defeated the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] MP [[Sandra Gidley]] with a 4.5% swing to Conservative from Liberal Democrat and a majority of 4,156 votes. Gidley had held the seat since a [[2000 Romsey by-election|by-election in 2000]] in the former [[Romsey (UK Parliament constituency)|Romsey]] seat.<ref>[http://www.romseyadvertiser.co.uk/news/news/8152917.Gidley_ousted_by_the_Tories/ Caroline Nokes is MP for Romsey and Southampton North], ''Romsey Advertiser'', 7 May 2010</ref>

The town is part of the [[Test Valley]] district council which is controlled by the Conservative Party. [[Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma]], grandson of [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma]], is the current [[High steward (civic)|High Steward]], a position which dates from the 17th century (see above).

Romsey Town Council holds its meetings and has its offices at [[Romsey Town Hall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.romseytc.org.uk/uploads/1/1/8/0/118042421/210120.pdf  |title=Full Council Meeting|date=21 January 2020|publisher=Romsey Town Council|access-date=6 July 2021}}</ref>

==Places of interest==
[[File:Romsey war memorial and abbey.JPG|thumb|[[Romsey Abbey]] and [[Celtic cross]]]]

===Romsey Abbey===
{{main|Romsey Abbey}}
Romsey Abbey is a 12th-century abbey built in the [[Norman architecture|Norman]] style, probably by [[Henry of Blois]], upon an earlier Saxon church dating back to the 10th century. Elements of the old Saxon church remain, including an exposed north transept and a 10th-century [[rood]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22880/22880-h/22880-h.htm#img10|title=The Project Gutenberg eBook of Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey, by Thomas Perkins|website=Gutenberg.org|access-date=21 August 2019}}</ref> The current abbey is the largest parish church in [[Hampshire]] and is generally regarded as cathedral-like by architects and observers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36094897|title=The mystery of the hair in the coffin|last=Manel|first=Jon|date=24 April 2016|access-date=21 August 2019|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://greatenglishchurches.co.uk/html/romsey_abbey.html|title=Romsey Abbey|website=Greatenglishchurches.co.uk|access-date=21 August 2019}}</ref> It is open daily to visitors.

=== Broadlands ===
{{Main|Broadlands}}
Broadlands is an 18th-century [[English country house|country house]] located just outside the town centre. It was designed in the [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]] style by the famous architect [[Capability Brown]] before being completed by [[Henry Holland (architect)|Henry Holland]] in 1788. It has had a number of illustrious occupants, including [[Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|Lord Palmerston]] and [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Louis Mountbatten]]. Broadlands has been the setting of two royal honeymoons, namely those of [[Elizabeth II]] and [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|Prince Philip]] in 1947 and then [[Charles, Prince of Wales|Prince Charles]] and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess Diana]] in 1981.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-charles/11927292/Estate-where-Prince-Charles-and-Diana-spent-honeymoon-to-become-huge-solar-farm.html|title=Estate where Prince Charles and Diana spent honeymoon to become huge solar farm|last=Agency|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=12 October 2015|access-date=21 August 2019|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}</ref> The house itself is a Grade I listed building and the surrounding gardens are Grade II listed on the [[Register of Historic Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England|Register of Historic Parks and Gardens]]. Both are open to visitors on weekday afternoons in summer.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1000166|desc=BROADLANDS, Romsey Extra |access-date=21 August 2019}}</ref>

===King John's House===
[[File:King John's House, Romsey.jpg|thumb|King John's House, Romsey]]
King John's House is a 13th-century building that allegedly served as a hunting lodge for [[John, King of England|King John]] when he hunted in the nearby [[New Forest]]. This is unlikely, however, since it was built in 1256 and therefore 40 years after the king's death, though there is evidence that the beams were reused from an earlier structure.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hampshire-history.com/king-johns-house-romsey/|title=Hampshire History - King John's House Romsey|date=15 June 2014}}</ref> The original building and adjoining Tudor cottage have a number of unusual historical features, including 14th-century wall decorations and graffiti, a floor made from cattle [[metapodial]]s, and a traditional [[monastic garden]]. Locals claim the house is haunted, with the Hampshire Ghost Society encountering a shrouded figure during their investigations between 2002 and 2008.<ref name="Scanlan">{{cite book| first1=David | last1=Scanlan | year=2009 |title=Paranormal Hampshire |publisher=Amberley Publishing |isbn=978-1848682573}}</ref> The house is a Grade I [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE|desc=KING JOHN'S HOUSE|num= 1231745|access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref>

In February 2025 the building was damaged by fire.<ref name="k844">{{cite news| last=Elliman | first=Charles | title='It's a crying shame': Civic leaders react to 'devastating' King John's House fire | work=Daily Echo | date=25 February 2025 | url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/24960267.its-crying-shame-civic-leaders-react-king-johns-house-fire/ | access-date=25 February 2025}}</ref>

=== Embley Park ===
{{Main|Embley Park}}
Embley Park, a country estate located on the outskirts of Romsey, was the home of [[Florence Nightingale]] from 1825 to her death in 1910. Known as the founder of [[Nursing|modern nursing]] and for her work in [[Sanitation|sanitary reform]], Nightingale is said to have received her calling from God in 1837 whilst sitting beneath a large cedar tree on the grounds.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/hampshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8659000/8659882.stm|title=Florence Nightingale's Embley|date=5 May 2010|access-date=20 August 2019|language=en-GB}}</ref> While a manor in Embley belonged to Romsey Abbey as early as the 10th century, the current building is of 18th- and 19th-century origin.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1000215|desc=EMBLEY PARK, Wellow |access-date=20 August 2019}}</ref> The site is now home to [[Embley (school)|Embley]], an independent school. It is a Grade II listed building.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1000215|desc=EMBLEY PARK, Wellow |access-date=21 August 2019}}</ref>

===The White Horse Hotel===
The White Horse Hotel is a Grade II listed,<ref>{{NHLE|num=1232184|desc=THE WHITE HORSE HOTEL, Romsey |access-date=21 August 2019}}</ref> 18th-century coaching inn whose timber frames date back to the 1450s. Its medieval stone cellars indicate that the site may have hosted guests to Romsey Abbey as early as the 12th century.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewhitehorseromsey.co.uk/history/|title=History|website=Thewhitehorseromsey.co.uk|access-date=6 April 2022}}</ref> The existing assembly rooms are said to be where Lord Palmerston first engaged in political debate in the early 1800s. The building housed a hotel and brasserie, which until 2019, was owned and operated by Silks Hotels.

===Sadler's Mill===
{{main|Sadler's Mill}}
[[File:Sadler's Mill 2005.jpg|thumb|[[Sadler's Mill]]]]
The existence of [[Sadler's Mill]], the only mill to be developed on the main course of the [[River Test]], is first recorded in the 16th century, when it functioned as a corn and grist mill. It was at one time owned by [[Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|Lord Palmerston]] and later the [[Broadlands]] estate before passing to various private owners. Milling ceased in 1932 and the building was left derelict for many years until its restoration in 2005. [[Radiocarbon dating|Carbon dating]] during this restoration placed the earlier structure in the mid-17th century. It is a Grade II listed building.<ref>{{NHLE|num=1231606|desc=Sadler's Mill, Romsey Extra |access-date=21 August 2019}}</ref>

===The Plaza===
The Plaza, in Winchester Road, is a fully equipped 230-seat art deco style theatre, originally built as a cinema in the 1930s. It became a bingo hall until the 1980s. It was converted in 1984 and is now home to local amateur dramatics group, Romsey Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (RAODS), who stage between ten and fourteen productions each year and hire the venue out for other local productions, concerts, and functions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.plazatheatre.com/index.php|title=Plaza Theatre|website=Plaza Theatre|access-date=10 September 2018}}</ref>

===Memorial Park===
The town's memorial park, which plays host to the annual Mayor's Picnic, contains a Japanese [[Type 96 15 cm howitzer]], one of two captured by the British and brought back to Romsey by [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma|Louis Mountbatten]]. One was donated to the town and the other retained on the grounds of his country estate, [[Broadlands]].

===Romsey signal box===
Built in 1865, the signal box controlled the freight and passenger trains running on the railway lines passing through Romsey until 1982. Rescued from demolition by Romsey and District Buildings Preservation Trust, it is now a working museum.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.romseysignalbox.org.uk/ |title=Romsey Signal Box |publisher=Friends of Romsey Signal Box}}</ref>

===Other places of interest===
<!-- Note to editors: this is an alphabetical list. -->
*[[Sir Harold Hillier Gardens]] – Gardens and arboretum
*[[Mottisfont Abbey]] – National Trust property with nationally renowned rose collection
*[[Paultons Park]] – Children's theme park

==Events==
[[File:War memorial park, Romsey - geograph.org.uk - 24683.jpg|thumb|War Memorial Park]]
The Mayor's Picnic takes place in early-mid summer and is held in Romsey's Memorial Park. There is music performed by local schools, a variety of stalls, and the popular Duck Race, in which numbered plastic ducks 'race' each other along the river Test, to be scrupulously retrieved before awarding a prize to whoever chose the winning duck.

The [[Beggars Fair]] is held in the streets and pubs of Romsey on the second Saturday in July. It is a free festival featuring all types of music, together with dance and other street entertainment.

Romsey Carnival takes place during a week in July with the highlight being the procession through the streets of Romsey on the final Sunday afternoon.

The Romsey Agricultural & Horse Show is a large agricultural show that takes place on the second Saturday of September every year at Broadlands. The show is one of the oldest in England, held annually since 1842. In addition, Broadlands has twice hosted the CLA Game Fair, the largest countryside show in the world, most recently in July 2006.

The Winter Carnival takes places each year when Romsey's Christmas lights are switched on.

The Romsey Arts Festival occurs every 3 years, showcasing talent from in and around the local area.

Romsey Beer Festival is organised by the local Round Table, and takes place in October or November each year, at Crosfield Hall.

Romsey has two Rotary Clubs which are active, working with local business partners and schools to raise charitable funds for the community. The Rotary Clubs organise the annual Walk The Test Way which has become popular with several hundred walkers raising money for charities.

==Notable people==<!-- PLEASE RESPECT ALPHABETICAL ORDER -->
*[[W.V. Awdry|Reverend W. Awdry]] – clergyman, railway enthusiast and author of ''[[The Railway Series]]'' from which the character [[Thomas the Tank Engine]] originated
*[[Edward Lyon Berthon]] – inventor and clergyman
*[[Charles Butler (author)|Charles Butler]] – author of children's books<ref>{{cite web |author=Charles Butler |url=http://www.charlesbutler.co.uk/romsey.html |title=Romsey |website=Charlesbutler.co.uk |access-date=10 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121193420/http://www.charlesbutler.co.uk/romsey.html |archive-date=21 November 2008 }}</ref>
*[[Martin Butler (composer)|Martin Butler]] – composer
*[[Laura Carmichael]] – actress in ''[[Downton Abbey]]''
*[[Andy Cook (footballer born 1969)|Andy Cook]] – footballer
*[[Harry Dennis (footballer)|Harry Dennis]] – footballer
*[[Charlie Dimmock]] – TV gardening expert and presenter<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/charliedimmock/ |title=Charlie Dimmock profile: news, photos, style, videos and more |website=Hellomagazine.com |date=8 October 2009 |access-date=10 January 2014}}</ref>
*[[David Gower]] – retired cricketer and television personality
*[[Anthony Hayward]] – journalist and author
*[[Giles Jacob]] – legal writer and lexicographer
*[[John Latham (ornithologist)|John Latham]] – ornithologist and author
*[[Ollie Locke]] – featured in ''[[Made in Chelsea]]'' and ''[[Celebrity Big Brother 13|Celebrity Big Brother 2014]]''
*[[Ben Mansfield]] – actor
*[[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma]] lived at Broadlands
*[[Florence Nightingale]] – founder of modern nursing
*[[Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston|Lord Palmerston]] – statesman and Prime Minister
*[[William Petty]] – economist, philosopher and co-founder of the Royal Society<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.testvalley.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=343 |title=Test Valley Borough Council |website=Testvalley.gov.uk |access-date=10 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110173138/http://www.testvalley.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=343 |archive-date=10 January 2014 }}</ref>
*[[James Robertson-Justice]] - actor
*[[John Russell Reynolds]] – neurologist and physician to [[Queen Victoria]]
*[[Richard Sharp (politician)|Richard Sharp]] – banker and Member of Parliament
*[[Tim Sills]] – footballer
*[[Nigel Spackman]] – footballer
*[[Kerrie Taylor]] – actress

== Education ==
===Former schools===
{{anchor|osbornehouse}}In around 1850,<ref name=ladell/> Osborne House School, located in Church Street,<ref>{{cite book |last=Bevan |first=G.P. |title=The Teachers' list: containing a calendar of all executive and examining bodies [&c.]. Ed. by P.Bevan |year=1872 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yiUOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA150 |access-date=11 November 2024 |page=150}}</ref> was established by John Frederick Osborne, who was a councillor as well as headmaster. In 1877, he was mayor of Romsey. It closed for a few years after his death, reopening in 1904 under the same name,<ref name=ladell/> owned by William Summers, who was the headmaster. It was a [[boarding school]]<ref name=patons>{{cite book|title= Paton's List of Schools and Tutors|date= 1929|page= 452 |chapter=Osborne House School, Romsey, Hampshire |via=Flickr |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/alwyn_ladell/7036315537 |access-date=11 November 2024}}</ref> and offered "Special attention... to backward pupils and to those requiring preparation for business or professional life", including preparation for entrance to [[London University]] (Summers' alma mater), Oxford, and Cambridge", as well as other examinations. Summers died during [[World War II]], and it started to be used by the council as an overflow for council schools and as a centre for school dinners at some point. It was demolished in the 1960s and new buildings erected on the site. Osborne House School stood on the site of present-day Abbey Walk.<ref name=ladell>{{cite web |last=Ladell |first=Alwyn |title=Osborne House School, Romsey, Hampshire |website=Flickr  |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/alwyn_ladell/albums/72157629353907584/ |access-date=11 November 2024}}</ref> During the 1920s, secondary school boys continued to wear shorts.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Merrick |first1=Phoebe |last2=Society |first2=Romsey Local History |title=Musings on when schoolboys used to wear short trousers |website=Hampshire Chronicle |date=11 October 2024 |url=https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24619391.romsey-heritage-musings-schoolboys-used-wear-short-trousers/ |access-date=11 November 2024}}</ref>

[[Gilbert Percy Whitley]], later an [[ichthyologist]] and curator of fishes at the [[Australian Museum]] in [[Sydney]] for about 40 years, attended Osborne House School.<ref name=adb>{{Citation |last1=Murray |first1=Maree |title=Whitley, Gilbert Percy (1903–1975) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/whitley-gilbert-percy-12022 |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography |access-date=2023-04-25 |place=Canberra |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |language=en |last2=Roach |first2=John}}</ref>

===Present-day===
Present-day schools include:{{cn|date=November 2024}}
[[File:Romsey Abbey Primary School - geograph.org.uk - 1170129.jpg|thumb|Romsey Abbey Primary School]]
State primary:
* Braishfield School
* Cupernham Infant School
* Cupernham Junior School
* Halterworth Primary School
* Romsey Primary School
* Romsey Abbey C of E Primary School

Independent primary:
* [[Stroud School]]
* [[Embley (school)|Embley]]

State secondary:
* [[The Mountbatten School]]
* [[The Romsey School]]

Independent secondary:
* [[Embley (school)|Embley]]

==Transport==
[[File:Wilts & Dorset 713 at Romsey.jpg|thumb|Two [[Wilts & Dorset]] buses at Romsey]]
Romsey is within {{convert|10|mi|km}} of both the [[M27 motorway|M27]] and [[M3 motorway (Great Britain)|M3]] motorways, providing fast links along the south coast and to London, and to the [[English Midlands|Midlands]] and the [[North of England|North]] via the [[A34 road (England)|A34]]. The [[A36 road|A36]] runs a few miles west of the town, providing a direct but not particularly quick route to the [[West of England]] and [[South Wales]]. There are cycle links to [[Southampton]] and [[Salisbury]] via route 24 of the [[National Cycle Network]].

Romsey has a [[Romsey railway station|railway station]], managed by [[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]],<ref>{{cite web |title= Romsey railway station information |url=https://www.southwesternrailway.com/travelling-with-us/at-the-station/romsey |website=South Western Railway}}</ref> which provides services between [[Salisbury]] and Romsey, via Southampton and [[Eastleigh]].<ref>{{cite web |title=South Western Railway timetable |url=https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/-/media/3a07927a239a435091cf91445e0cda64.ashx |website=South Western Railway}}</ref> The station is also served by services on [[Great Western Railway (train operating company)|Great Western Railway]], operating services between [[Cardiff]] and [[Portsmouth]], via Salisbury, [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], [[Bristol]], Southampton and [[Fareham]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Great Western Railway timetable |url=https://www.gwr.com/-/media/gwr-sc-website/files/plan-journey/timetables/2023/Train-times-21-May-to-9-December-v3/B1-train-times-21-May-to-9-December-2023-v3.pdf |website=Great Western Railway}}</ref>
[[File:158866 departing Romsey.jpg|thumb|A [[South Western Railway]] [[British Rail Class 158|Class 158]] departing Romsey station for [[Salisbury]]]]
A dedicated shuttle bus linking Romsey with fast London trains at [[Winchester railway station|Winchester]] was discontinued in 2009 despite a campaign to save the service.<ref>[http://www.romseyadvertiser.co.uk/display.var.1819826.0.campaign_to_save_bus_defeated.php Campaign to save bus defeated] ''Romsey Advertiser'', 9 November 2007</ref>

Current bus services are provided by [[Bluestar (bus company)|Bluestar]] within the town,<ref>{{cite web |title=Bluestar 35 timetable |url=https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/bluestar/BLUS/35-timetable-20230403-b8994c9a.pdf |website=Bluestar}}</ref> as well as to Southampton and [[Eastleigh]], [[Wilts & Dorset|Salisbury Reds]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Salisbury Reds X7R Timetable |url=https://passenger-line-assets.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/salisburyreds/SWWD/X7R-timetable-20230211-298f3fc8.pdf |website=Salisbury Reds}}</ref> to Salisbury and Southampton, as well as [[Stagecoach South|Stagecoach]] to [[Winchester]].


==Sport and leisure==
[[File:Romsey Rapids swimming pool - geograph.org.uk - 626934.jpg|thumb|Romsey Rapids swimming pool]]
One of the cricket clubs is Old Tauntonians and Romsey Cricket Club.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.otrcricket.co.uk/about-us/|title = About us|website=Otrcricket.co.uk}}</ref>

The [[Wessex League]] football club [[Romsey Town F.C.|Romsey Town FC]] play at The Bypass Ground, South Front.

Romsey Rugby Football Club is based at Ganger Farm. It fields teams of all ages each weekend of the playing season.

The town has a swimming pool, the Romsey Rapids.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.placesforpeopleleisure.org/centres/romsey-rapids-sports-complex/ |title=Romsey Rapids Sports Complex &#124; Romsey – Places for People Leisure |access-date=6 March 2018 |archive-date=7 March 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307153849/https://www.placesforpeopleleisure.org/centres/romsey-rapids-sports-complex/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Media ==
Published every Friday, The ''[[Romsey Advertiser]]'' is the town's newspaper printed at Redbridge, Southampton.

== Media appearances ==
In [[Thomas Hardy's Wessex]], the town of Deansleigh is based on Romsey; and Deansleigh Park, the residence of Lady Mottisfont in ''[[A Group of Noble Dames]]'', is thought to be based on Broadlands.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T5qoDQAAQBAJ&q=thomas+hardy+romsey+deansleigh&pg=PT166|title=Thomas Hardy: A Textual Study of the Short Stories|last=Ray|first=Martin|publisher=Routledge|year=2016|isbn=978-1351879378|location=London|pages=105}}</ref>

In the 1980 and 1990s, Romsey was used as the location of fictional Sussex town [[Kingsmarkham]] in the television series ''[[The Ruth Rendell Mysteries]]''.<ref name="British Film Insitute - 27 October 2015 - Ruth Rendell Mysteries, The (1987-2000)">{{cite web |last1=Angelini |first1=Sergio |title=Ruth Rendell Mysteries, The (1987–2000) |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/976224/index.html |website=[[Screenonline]] |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=7 November 2018}}</ref> Romsey locations appear throughout the series concerning Inspector Wexford played by [[George Baker (British actor)|George Baker]]. The location used for the fictional police station was the former Romsey Magistrates' Court in Church Street.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://inspectorwexford.info/filming-locations/|title=Filming Locations • Inspector Wexford|website=inspectorwexford.info|access-date=20 August 2019}}</ref>

A fictional "underground car park in Romsey" is referred to in an episode of the TV series ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=absolutely-fabulous-1992&episode=s03e02|title=Absolutely Fabulous (1992) s03e02 Episode Script &#124; SS|website=Springfieldspringfield.co.uk|access-date=6 April 2022}}</ref>

==Freedom of the Borough==
The following people and military units have received the [[Freedom of the City|Freedom of the Borough]] of Romsey.
{{Incomplete list|date=August 2021}}

===Individuals===
* [[Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)|Admiral of the Fleet]] [[Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma]]: 1946.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/LqFzFgLdXao Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210823043243/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqFzFgLdXao Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqFzFgLdXao|title=Lord Louis Mountbatten arrives in Romsey to receive the Freedom of the Borough (1946)|last=British Pathé|date=23 August 2021|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Military Units===
* The [[Royal Hampshire Regiment]]: 26 September 1959.<ref name="royalhampshireregiment.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.royalhampshireregiment.org/about-the-museum/local-history/|title=Local History|website=The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum}}</ref>
* The [[Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment]] inherited the Freedom from the [[Royal Hampshire Regiment]] as a result of the 1992 [[Options for Change]] merger with the [[Queen's Regiment]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news/regional/romsey/4217534.Town_to_welcome_heroes_home/ |title=Town to welcome heroes home |newspaper=Andover Advertiser |date=14 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020242/http://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news/regional/romsey/4217534.Town_to_welcome_heroes_home/ |archive-date=17 November 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Romsey}}
{{Commons category|Romsey}}
*[http://www.ltvas.org.uk/ Romsey Local History Society] Local History in Romsey and its surrounding area
*[http://www.transitiontownromsey.org.uk/ Transition Town Romsey] Romsey is now an official [[Transition Towns]]
*[http://www3.hants.gov.uk/localpages/south-west/romsey.htm Hampshire County Council page on the town]
*[http://www.romseyschools.net RomseySchools.net] Information on all schools in Romsey
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwTO-M_KBME&feature=gp-n-y A video of Romsey today (2014)]

{{Test Valley}}
{{Hampshire}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Romsey| ]]
[[Category:Market towns in Hampshire]]
[[Category:Test Valley]]
[[Category:Towns in Hampshire]]