Geograph - photograph every grid square

Petersfield's history dates back at least 4,000 years to the burial mounds on The Heath. The town was founded during the 12th century by WilliamFitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester; and confirmed by charter in 1198. The town grew in prosperity due to its position on frequently travelled routes. There has been a weekly market in The Square since mediaeval times where there is an 18th-century statue of William III. Since the building of the by-pass in the early nineties, it has become less hectic and more tourist orientated.

Human footprints have been found preserved on English shores from over 11,000 years ago. Footpaths very often tell the story of the poor, as it was they who generally walked them. Prehistoric ridgeways following chalk and limestone hills, such as the South Downs Way, were part of a wider network of early routes. These included causeways made of twigs, split logs and planks across low-lying, water-logged places. Parts of the Sweet Track on the Somerset Levels can be traced back over 5,000 years. Many routes were used for the transport of goods: for example packhorse trails, drovers' roads and miners' tracks. Many such as the Pilgrims Way also have a strong spriritual dimension. Today footpaths vary from very short cut throughs to extremely long routes such as the Pennines Way. And best of all, unless you’re very unlucky, NO cars!