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Bishopstoke sits on the eastern bank of the River Itchen, separated from the busier hub of Eastleigh by a stretch of water meadows. It is essentially divided into two parts: the "old" village, which clusters around the river and the Church of St Mary, and the more elevated residential areas that climb up the hill towards Fair Oak. The village is defined by its relationship with the Itchen Navigation - a historic canal system that now provides a quiet, wooded route for walkers and is home to a good deal of local wildlife, including kingfishers and otters. Historically, the area was a significant manor belonging to the Bishops of Winchester, which accounts for the name, but today its character is shaped by a mix of Victorian cottages and mid-century housing. Locally, life tends to revolve around the small parade of shops at Riverside and the various access points to Stoke Park Woods, an ancient woodland that borders the northern edge of the village. It manages to feel self-contained and relatively green, yet it remains functionally tied to the nearby railway works and mainline connections at Eastleigh station, just a mile or so down the road.