Steep is a parish situated within a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) on the eastern edge of the county of Hampshire in southern England. It will be totally included in the new South Downs National Park when that is officially formed in 2010.

Steep is located approximately 35 miles east of Southampton, 20 miles north of Portsmouth and 60 miles south-west of London. The village is thus well positioned for local walking, riding and cycling as well as exploring further afield.

The parish of Steep actually covers a larger area than its busy neighbour, the market town of Petersfield. The distance from north to south of the parish is about three miles and from east to west is about 3.5 miles.

Perched on and beside the wooded slopes known as the East Hampshire Hangers, the villages highest point is 800 feet above sea level and its lowest is at 250 feet.

The Hangers are managed by Hampshire County Council (HCC) in conjunction with other bodies such as Natural England , and include sites of special scientific interest (SSIs). A local group, the Ashford Hangers Preservation Committee, also exists to provide liaison between the village and the various bodies as well as help and support to HCC with the management.

Several years ago, a Village Design Statement was produced for Steep and provides a huge amount of background information on the village and its setting

Work is just starting on a Parish Plan which will build on the VDS

Over 30 years ago a local historian published a paper titled 'The Origins of Steep' in conjunction with the Petersfield Historical Society. This paper explored the origins of Steep from Roman times to the beginning of the 20th century and we have permission to make excerpts of it available on this website. This will happen over time.