Alresford had been famous for its sheep fairs since the middle ages, when the sheep were herded along drove lanes from around Hampshire and Wiltshire. In 1837 it was reported that 140,000 sheep had been penned at the fair that year but by 1889 the average had fallen to 16,000. Once the railway came many sheep were transported on it and in the twentieth century, on cattle lorries. The town’s last ever sheep fair was held in 1972, although the number of sheep involved had fallen to about 8,000