Posted on: 20 Jul 2018 by Julia West – Manager – Romsey Visitor Information Centre
The delightful market town of Romsey sits on the banks of the glorious River Test and has a wealth of interesting things to discover.
My friendly team and I in the Romsey Visitor Information Centre welcome over 55,000 visitors a year. Mostly from the UK but also many from the Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany and beyond. Our award winning centre, as a local facility, sell tickets for a wide variety of local events, like the exciting Beggars Fair held every July, and concerts in the Abbey and shows at the Plaza Theatre. We also organise day trips with local coach companies and reserve seats on National Express Coaches.
Romsey has the unique honour of being awarded the first ‘Coach Friendly’ town in Hampshire and we make sure all visitors to the town have a truly unique experience. So far this year we have hosted more than 35 coach groups with over 1200 visitors and we are confident we will exceed these numbers next year.
We are proud to serve the whole Romsey community with our Makaton expertise and Dementia Friendly accreditation.
The VIC sits on Church Street, opposite the magnificent Norman Abbey, one of Hampshire’s finest, which dominates the town and can trace its origins back to Saxon times. As such it is the towns most visited attraction.
Behind the VIC are the fascinating delights of King John’s House and Miss Moody’s tea room in their beautiful Victorian Gardens. Also close by is the fully restored Romsey Signal Box, open various weekends throughout the year. In July and August why not visit the grandeur of the 18th century mansion Broadlands, the former home of Lord Palmerston and The Late Lord Louis Mountbatten. Broadlands also hosts a range of craft shows and events throughout the year, including the Romsey Agricultural & Horse show, on Saturday 8 September, one of the oldest and largest one day shows in England.
The fabulous art deco Plaza Theatre offers Pantomime, Musicals, Comedy, Drama and Live Music throughout the year.
A short stroll from the VIC is Romsey Memorial Park with its Warhorse Memorial, erected to commemorate Romsey’s role training the horses in the First World War. The park is the perfect peaceful place to sit beside the banks of the River Test, one of the finest chalk streams in Europe, renowned for its gin-clear waters and superb trout fishing.
Romsey is home to a varied range of individual shops, cafes, delis and restaurants. There’s always something to see and do in Romsey.
Our new Visit Romsey website shows more details and has a calendar of events. It is the perfect way to discover all that Romsey can offer.
I am looking forward to having the website help us promote the town and the area it serves, to visitors from near and far.
There’s a lot to see and do in Romsey! Come, explore and find out for yourself.
Julia West
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