Foundry cast a new treble bell, increasing the ring to six. St Stephen's parish is now one of five churches in The Downs Benefice. The others are at Chilbolton, Crawley, Littleton and Wherwell. Notable buildings northwest of the village is Sparsholt College, a leading land based college on the edge of the village, from which BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time series broadcasts from its "potting shed". northeast of the village is the Lainston House, a 17th-century country house that is now an hôtel. Sparsholt Manor was the home of businessman and philanthropist, Sir Adrian Swire. Amenities Sparsholt has a pub, the Plough Inn, which is controlled by Wadworth Brewery. Stagecoach South bus route 7 links Sparsholt with Winchester bus station. Buses run hourly from Mondays to Saturdays. There is no Sunday or bank holiday service. The village has a primary school, village hall, and a cricket club, whose ground is north of the village centre. Sparsholt has a village shop with post office. This small building was built as a well house for the village, holding water drawn from the well by a wind-pump for use by the villagers. The shop retains the name. Its post office section may be one of the smallest in the United Kingdom. In 2009 villagers bought the shop under an industrial provident scheme to safeguard its future. Governance Sparsholt is part of the Wonston and Micheldever ward which elects three councillors to Winchester City Council, as well as the Winchester Downlands ward which elects a councillor to Hampshire County Council. References Bibliography External links Sparsholt Parish Council Civil parishes in Hampshire Villages in Hampshire