In 1810, the area which would become the village site was recorded as part of the formerly uninterrupted Forest of Bere. The only existing building at the time was Padnell Brick Kiln (later renamed Padnell Farm, then Padnell Grange).[citation needed] The village is located in a partially forested area, of which The Queen's Inclosure[2], Padnell Cuts Woods, Idlewood, Hurstwood, and Park Woods are portions. The village was founded at the foot of the nearby hill[which?], where The Spotted Cow Pub was originally built (c. 1860), from which the village's name is believed to have originated.[3][citation needed] Villages situated in close proximity of Cowplain are Lovedean, Rowland's Castle, Denmead and Horndean. Wecock Farm, a 1970s Portsmouth City Councilhousing estate, is located west of Cowplain.
Cowplain has several schools, including Cowplain School[4], Padnell Infant[5] and Junior Schools[6], Hartplain Infant[7] and Junior Schools[8], and Queen's Inclosure Primary School[9], which is adjacent to The Queen's Inclosure. Cowsplain is also home to St. Wilfrid's Church[10][11], Cowplain Evangelical Church[12], the Waterlooville Golf Course[13], and a supermarket, formerly a Fine Fare store until its closure in 1988, which itself replaced the Harcourt stores at the Fernwood house development.
The construction of the Portsdown & Horndean Light Railway in 1903 accelerated the village's growth.[vague] The former tramline followed the route of the main A3 road and traversed Cowplain, where the main tram depot was built, before the line closed in 1935.[citation needed]
Subsequently, the tramline was replaced by the No. 42 Southdown bus, which was recently[when?] renumbered as No. 8. Cowplain is also served by the No. 37 bus passing from Havant to Clanfield and from Petersfield and Liss, the National Express No. 030 from Cowsplain to London, the No. 39 passing through Wecock Farm, and the First Group service 8 which follows the A3 from Clanfield to Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth.
Train stations in close proximity of Cowplain include Havant Railway Station and Corsham Railway Station.
Notable people
Mark Wingett, an English actor known for playing Police Constable Jim Carver in The Bill[citation needed], who attended Padnell Junior School
Jill Ellis, an English-American football coach[14], who attended Padnell Junior School and Cowplain School[citation needed]
Gareth Southgate, an English footballer and team manager, who lived on the Hazleton Estate and briefly attended Padnell Infant school[citation needed]
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