delightful village in the world". A corn market was opened in 1829 and a cattle market in 1836, while Botley Market Hall – today a Grade II listed building – was built in 1848. A new All Saints church was built nearer the village centre in 1836. The National School opened in 1855 and the Recreation Ground was purchased in 1888. In the mid-nineteenth century the climate made south Hampshire ideal for growing strawberries and Botley became the centre for a thriving trade in strawberries. In 1841 Botley railway station was opened by the London and Southampton Railway Company. It became a major loading point for the seasonal strawberry traffic, as Botley formed the start of what is now known as the Strawberry Trail. Places of worship Botley has possessed a place of worship for at least nine hundred years. The early church, commonly called St Bartholomew's, adjacent to the old village of Boteleigh, was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. This church was largely destroyed by the falling of a large poplar tree onto the nave resulting in the original capacity of 500 being reduced to what had been the chancel. The replacement church, dedicated to All Saints’, was constructed between 1835–6 as a result of a petition to the Bishop of Winchester and much fund-raising, following the destruction of the old church. The centre of the village had long since moved away from the old church and parishioners were finding it increasingly troublesome to take the path across the fields to the church. Prior to this, a 'Dissenters Church' had been built in Winchester Street in 1800 and was attracting a growing congregation. The parcel of land on which the church is built was given by James Warner (Snr) and the foundation stone was laid on 11 June 1835. The building was consecrated on 22 August 1836 at a service with a congregation of 700. The Walker’s organ was installed in 1852, later enlarged and recently dismantled, enlarged and overhauled. Baker died and his successor was John Morley Lee, who was bought the benefice by his father, a London builder who built a new rectory for his son. The present chancel and choir vestry were added in 1859. Further large increases in population made necessary the major work of removing the North Wall and replacing it with an arcade supported by oaken pillars on stone bases. A