Romsey Town Centre

Romsey town centre is the historic heart of this small market town in Test Valley, Hampshire, on the western edge of the county between Southampton and the New Forest. The centre is compact and walkable, arranged around the Corn Market and Market Place, with the main shopping streets — The Hundred, Bell Street, Church Street, and Palmerston Street — radiating out from it.

## Shopping in Romsey Town Centre

The town centre keeps a strong independent character alongside the national names. Bradbeers department store on Bell Street is a long-established local institution, and the streets around it are lined with independent shops, cafés, and services. A market is held in the Corn Market and Market Place on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, continuing a tradition that dates back over 400 years to a royal charter of 1607.

## Eating and Drinking

The Hundred and Market Place have a good spread of places to eat and drink, from independent restaurants such as Bertie's to cafés, coffee shops, and pubs. The White Horse Hotel & Brasserie, a former coaching inn on Market Place, is a landmark building overlooking the Corn Market. A short walk away on Love Lane, The Old House At Home is the town's only thatched pub.

## Romsey Abbey

The dominant building in the town centre is Romsey Abbey — the Abbey Church of St Mary and St Ethelflaeda — one of the finest Norman churches in England, whose origins reach back to a nunnery founded in the early 10th century. It stands just off the Market Place and is open to visitors for most of the day.

## Getting Around

Romsey railway station is a short walk from the centre, on the line between Southampton and Salisbury. The town sits close to the A3057 and A27, with the M27 and M3 within easy reach, and there is parking in the town centre car parks. Much of the shopping area is easily covered on foot.