On The Road Travel Essays

Stockbridge  Straddles the River Test, with a small population (1,000). But it's famous for once being the center of candle and parchment industries. Today it retains its old-world look, having one long street.

The river, which we cross, used to be navigable a thousand years ago. Three miles upstream, Danish conquerors once had a shipyard for repairing their longboats.

Watch for the Grosvenor Hotel, which has a built-out porch, an elegant feature from the days when passengers descending their coaches wanted protection from the rain. This main street in Stockbridge is so broad it was once used as a race course.

(COURIER: Now begin your introduction to Winchester, which lies a mere nine miles ahead.)