New homes in Andover

Welcome to Andover

From historic streets to riverside walks and sporting attractions, Andover is a charming place to live with lots to see and do in the surrounding areas. Located close to Winchester, Salisbury and Basingstoke, new homes in Andover are perfect if you want to be part of a close-knit community yet within commuting distance of larger towns and cities.

A quick history

Andover started as a Saxon village, and was the site of a royal hunting lodge in the 1100s. By the 11th century it was a relatively big settlement with around 500 residents, and the population more than doubled by the 1300s when it became a market town.

Andover flourished until the English Civil War when there was a big fire which destroyed most of the town. The rebuild included the construction of the town’s Guildhall, with the 16th century seeing successful industries including wool-making, leatherworking and haberdashery.

By the 1800s, Andover was still growing especially as it became connected to London and Southampton by rail. During the Second World War, the town was an important base for the RAF, and by 1945 it was the site of the first helicopter training unit in the UK.

Business and industry

Today Andover is home to a number of big well-known businesses including Britax Excelsior, R Twining & Co, Simplyhealth Group, Scottish Widows Unit Trust Managers and Vitacress Ltd. It’s also home to Army Headquarters, the command base for the British Army.

Close-by in Southampton there are a wide range of employers including the University of Southampton, Ordnance Survey, British American Tobacco, GE Aviation Systems and Exxonmobil Chemical Ltd.

Things to do in the area

If you’re relocating to Andover with a young family, the children will love visits to Finkley Down Farm Park, Andover Museum, and Charlton Lakeside where there’s crazy golf and pitch and putt. Other attractions in the local area include the Museum of the Iron Age, The Hawk Conservancy Trust, Thruxton Kart Centre, Whitchurch Silk Mill, the Museum of Army Flying, and Highclere Castle.

For those who love exploring the great outdoors, you can take a hike through the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or enjoy a round of golf at Andover Golf Club or The Hampshire Golf Club. The town trails are walks that go through Andover town centre and along the River Anton, where you can discover more about local history and culture.

Travel and commuting

Andover is located just north of the A303, which connects with the M3 in the east and goes all the way to the M5 in the west. The town also has its own train station, with regular services to local towns and cities. 

To get to Basingstoke, a car journey from Andover takes around 30 minutes while the train takes 15 - 20 minutes. Winchester is 30 minutes away from Andover by car, while Salisbury can be reached in 35 minutes by car or 15 - 20 minutes by train. Southampton can be reached in 40 minutes via the A34 and M3, and although there’s no direct rail route to the city from Andover, you can change trains in Salisbury with a total journey time of just under one hour.

If you’re travelling further afield, the journey from Andover to London takes around one hour 40 minutes by car, or you can take the direct train to Waterloo station with a journey time of just one hour five minutes. For international travel, Southampton Airport is close by.