Between Portsmouth And Bristol Is A Charming English Market Town With Georgian Vibes And Quaint Shops

Southern England is speckled with the kinds of towns you might imagine as the backdrop to a period drama. There's a particular appeal to those that have endured as market towns — communities that host a streetside, weekly market that often dates back hundreds of years. Travelers staying around Portsmouth or Bristol have a convenient market town option between the two in Andover. Like other markets of its ilk, Andover's market has been around for some centuries, with its charter first granted in the 12th century, as the Andover Advertiser tells it. The market still fills Andover's High Street, blocked from car traffic, with stalls set up twice a week, though the buildings around it now are largely 18th-century Georgian in character, arranged in neat rows on High Street and branching into narrower side streets. As Visit Test Valley notes, Andover was particularly prosperous in the Georgian period, when it served as a major coaching town. 

A visit to Andover is not solely justified by its market, however. Its Andover Museum peels back layers of local history, from the Neolithic era to the town's Georgian coaching days and beyond, while the River Anton slips through the center and opens onto gentle riverside paths. Numerous endearing walks offer local flavor, too: the tree-lined Ladies Walk, a fashionable promenade that honors a royal marriage, and Poetry Trails that punctuate a stroll through the town with some snippets of verse. Back in the center, you could simply spend a day browsing the independent shops scattered up and down High Street and its adjoining lanes, from vintage finds to gift and homeware stores. It's all within a day-trip reach of nearby hubs: about a one-hour drive from Portsmouth or 1.5 hours from Bristol.

The U.K. has tons of market towns spread all across its counties, from big-city streets to some historic villages in the Somerset countryside. British market streets can sometimes feel cramped and chaotic, especially in certain areas where there are still cars competing with pedestrians for space. Andover has a couple of advantages in this regard: The High Street it takes place on is pedestrianized, and it's a fairly spacious thoroughfare, overlooked by the tower of the Gothic St. Mary's Church. Every Thursday and Saturday, the regular weekly market takes place here, where you can wander among stalls selling fresh produce, baked treats, plants, and more. You might stop by the Market Burgers stall, which got a shoutout from the Love Andover Facebook page, noting its burgers that start at just £2 each. Tails and Claws, a pet shop spotlit by the Test Valley Borough Council, brings an array of pet supplies to its market stall, with decorative cup-and-saucer bird feeders that could double as unique souvenirs for your garden.

Andover also hosts a market every second Sunday with a more contemporary edge, bringing independent artists and street-food vendors into the mix, along with live music and workshops. At the second Sunday markets, you can find jewelry, eco-friendly wax melts, original artwork, and artisan cheese. You might encounter Ziver Organiques, a local vegan skincare brand that uses upcycled ingredients, like water left over from seaweed drying. Bracknell Forest Spirits Company sells distilled gin infused with foraged nettles, while Honey & Harmony stocks beeswax candles handmade in the county.

Andover's High Street is a reliable area to get some shopping done outside of the busy, eclectic thrifting capital of London. For conventional mall shopping, Chantry Centre has nearly 50 stores under its roof. Many are familiar chains, but there are some unique independent shops, too. YANA Vintage Andover, which holds 4.8 stars from Google Reviews at the time of writing, is a vintage clothing store inside the center, for example. Meanwhile, on Bridge Street (at the lower end of High Street) you'll find Mooch — another highly rated shop that sells quirky gifts like Guatemalan worry dolls and illustrated greeting cards. Tucked into Shaws Walk, an alleyway off of High Street, Pennies Haberdashery sells craft and sewing supplies, with one Google Maps reviewer describing it as a "very tiny shop overloaded with everything you need for sewing, embroidery, knitting, crafts ..."

Look out for some hidden historical details on the streets. Underfoot on High Street, the Andover Time Ring is a mosaic circle tracing the town's story. Spot the plaques or etched glass with verses from local poets that form the town's two Poetry Trails, winding along High Street and the River Anton. For a longer stroll, the Ladies Walk is a piece of Andover's historical Georgian tastes. The route was created in 1785, tracing an elevated ridge (with a view over the town) for just over a mile. It was later planted with 121 trees in 1863 in honor of Edward VII and Princess Alexandra's marriage — and some of the original trees still remain by the path, along with a graceful iron footbridge. If you're looking for more nature to roam, Andover is a 30-minute trip by car from the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, filled with rare wildlife and rolling hills.