Steeped in history and full of character, Romsey boasts its own share of quirky charm. Let’s delve into some of Romsey’s weird and wonderful facts – did you know them?

From a former King's hunting lodge to a legendary ghost myth, here are five of our favourite unusual facts about Romsey.

So drunk he must have been to Romsey

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Romsey was the home to more than 80 breweries up and down the town, which meant there was one pub for every 141 people, which was around twice the average at the time.

This led to the birth of a popular saying at the time which went: “So drunk he must have been to Romsey”.

The ghost of Braishfield

It is believed that early this century, a woman buried her treasures and jewels in Braishfield, on Dark Lane, where she lived.

Shortly after the woman died, and her hoard was never discovered.

Since then, her ghost has been seen and heard around the surrounding area, where she is allegedly searching for her treasures.

Florence Nightingale lived and was buried near Romsey

Did you know that the world-famous, pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale used to live just outside of Romsey at Embley Park?

During the 19th century, Florence Nightingale’s father built a house in Embley Park as a winter resort during the colder months.

When she died in 1910, Florence Nightingale’s body was transported back to Romsey from London, where she was buried in a nearby church.

A former king of England’s hunting lodge in Romsey

King John was on the throne towards the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th century.

He was devoted to hunting during his life and became particularly fond of poaching in The New Forest.

Therefore, King John decided to build a house in the heart of Romsey to use as a hunting lodge, so he could easily travel back and forth to the New Forest.

The house still stands today and is used as a museum.

Romsey’s remount depot

During the First World War, 500 acres of land in Romsey was used as a spot to train thousands of horses for the war.

More than 800 horses would arrive each day for training purposes or for recuperation and it is thought that nearly 120,000 horses were based here.

The location is now used as the War Memorial Park, where a statue of a horse sands to remember the camp.