Lover, Wiltshire

Lover (pronounced like Dover, /ˈloʊvər/) is a small village in Wiltshire, England, close to the county border with Hampshire. It is part of the parish of Redlynch and lies about 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of Redlynch and 7.5 miles (12 km) southeast of the city of Salisbury. The village is within the boundaries of the New Forest National Park.[1]

Lover

The settlement was once called Warminster Green, but by 1876 it was known as Lover, possibly a corruption of Lower Redlynch.[2] Lover consists of three roads that connect together to form a triangle. These are Besomer Drove, School Road and Church Hill. The name Besomer Drove refers to the tradition of broom-making in the area.[3]

Lover has St Mary's church, built in 1837 to serve the Redlynch area.[4] Nearby is Redlynch Village Hall.

A National School was built c. 1839 and rebuilt in 1878; it became Redlynch Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School.[5][6] After the school closed in 2006 its playing fields were transferred to the parish council. Renamed Lover Green, the area is maintained by the community and is the venue for the annual Lover Country Fayre.[7] In 2016 the school buildings were bought by the community.[8]

The Lover post office used to do much business around Valentine's Day, as items posted there were postmarked "Lover".[9] Although the post office was regarded as a "vital" service for the 100 people a week who used it,[10] it was closed on 2 April 2008.[11] Since the closure, a temporary post office opens during the week of Valentine’s Day so that the cards can be stamped with "Lover".

Lover also once had a village store and pub, but both have been closed.[10]

References
  1. "National Park boundary map". New Forest National Park Authority. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  2. "Redlynch". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  3. "Victoria County History - Wiltshire - Vol 11 pp19-77 - Parishes: Downton". British History Online. University of London. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  4. "Church of St. Mary, Redlynch". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  5. "Redlynch C. of E. VA Primary School". Wiltshire Community History. Wiltshire Council. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  6. "Redlynch Primary School". Archived from the original on 24 April 2006. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  7. "Lover Green Association". Redlynch ONLINE. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  8. "Village clubs together to try and rescue former school building". SpireFM. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  9. The lady who gets 2,000 valentine cards. BBC. Retrieved 2004.02.07.
  10. Fight to save Lover Post Office, Salisbury Journal, 11 January 2008
  11. In Pix: Lover's Post Office Closes, BBC Wiltshire. Retrieved 11 October 2011

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