Portal:Hampshire

The Hampshire Portal

View over Portsmouth from Portsdown Hill

P:HantsP:Hants

Hampshire (/ˈhæmpʃər/, /-ʃɪər/ ^ⓘ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, Dorset to the west, and Wiltshire to the north-west. The city of Southampton is the largest settlement.

The county has an area of 3,769 km² (1,455 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,920,959 in 2024. Southampton is in the south of the county and the city of Portsmouth in the south-east; both are part of a larger conurbation. A second conurbation in the north-east includes Farnborough and Aldershot and extends into Berkshire and Surrey. The remainder of the county is rural, and its principal settlements include Basingstoke in the north, Andover in the north-west, and the city of Winchester in the centre. For local government purposes Hampshire comprises a non-metropolitan county, with eleven districts, and two unitary authority areas: Portsmouth and Southampton. The county historically contained the towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch, which are now in Dorset, and the Isle of Wight.

Undulating hills characterise much of the county. A belt of chalk crosses the county from north-west, where it forms the Hampshire Downs, to south-east, where it is part of the South Downs. The county's major rivers rise in these hills; the Loddon and Wey drain north, into the Thames, and the Itchen and Test flow south into Southampton Water, a large estuary. In the south-east are Portsmouth Harbour, Langstone Harbour, and the western edge of Chichester Harbour, three large rias. The south-west contains the New Forest, which includes pasture, heath, and forest and is one of the largest expanses of ancient woodland remaining in England.

Settled about 14,000 years ago, Hampshire's recorded history dates to Roman Britain, when its chief town was Venta Belgarum (now Winchester). The county was recorded in Domesday Book as divided into 44 hundreds. From the 12th century, the ports settlements grew due to increasing trade with the European mainland resulting from the wool and cloth, fishing, and shipbuilding industries. This meant by the 16th century, Southampton had become more populous than Winchester. In 20th century conflicts, including World War One and Two, Hampshire played a crucial military role due to its ports. (Full article...)

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Clockwise from top left: Winchester Cathedral, Great Minster Street, Great Hall of Winchester Castle and Winchester Guildhall

Winchester (/ˈwɪntʃɪstər/, /-tʃɛs-/) is a cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, at the western end of the South Downs National Park, on the River Itchen. It is 60 miles (97 km) south-west of London and 14 miles (23 km) from Southampton, its nearest major city. At the 2021 census, the built-up area of Winchester had a population of 48,478. The wider City of Winchester district includes towns such as Alresford and Bishop's Waltham and had a population of 127,439 in 2021. Winchester is the county town of Hampshire and contains the head offices of Hampshire County Council.

Winchester developed from the Roman town of Venta Belgarum, which in turn developed from an Iron Age oppidum. Winchester was one of the most important cities in England in the Anglo-Saxon period.

The city's major landmark is Winchester Cathedral. The city is also home to the University of Winchester and Winchester College, the oldest public school in the United Kingdom still using its original buildings. (Full article...)

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Image 1The Rufus Stone in the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 2Twyford Post Office and stores, between Winchester and Southampton (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 3Fawley Oil Refinery from the remains of Netley Hospital in the Royal Victoria Country Park (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 4Cobbled streets in Lymington (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 5A zebra grazing at Marwell Zoological Park (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 6St John the Baptist Church, Boldre in the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 7Hovercraft passing the mixed architecture, public gardens and shingle beach at Southsea, Portsmouth (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 8A train on the Watercress Line (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 9A boat on the Basingstoke Canal (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 10Winter sunshine at Keyhaven (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 11Hayling Island's mainly shingle beach with Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower beyond (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 12The seafront and beach at Lee-on-the-Solent (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 13West End Fire Station, near Southampton, designed by Herbert Collins (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 14Hurst Castle seen from The Needles (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 15Odiham High Street in the north-east of Hampshire (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 16The West window of Romsey Abbey (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 17Trees on Southampton Common in winter (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 18The church at Breamore in the west of the county, north of the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 19The mill at Greywell in the north-east of Hampshire (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 20View looking east along West Street, New Alresford (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 21Heathland in the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 22Breamore House in the west of the county, north of the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 23Highclere Castle in the far north of Hampshire, a large country house in the Jacobethan style by the architect Charles Barry, with a large park designed by Capability Brown, used as the set for Downton Abbey. (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 24The seafront and beach at Lee-on-the-Solent (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 25Portsmouth Cathedral (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 26A Bentley in the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 27The Rose Bowl, near Southampton, home to Hampshire County Cricket Club (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 28Watercress beds in Warnford near the River Meon (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 29The Itchen Bridge in Southampton (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 30Landscape near Horton Heath, Hampshire (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 31A sunset near Horton Heath, Hampshire (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 32The interior of Portsmouth Cathedral (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 33Broadlands, near Romsey circa 1880 (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)

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Reverend Awdry in 1988

Wilbert Vere Awdry OBE (15 June 1911 – 21 March 1997), often credited as Rev. W. Awdry, was an English Anglican priest, railway enthusiast, and children's author. He was the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine and several other characters who appeared in his book series, The Railway Series. (Full article...)

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Did you know

... that Winchester College football used to be played on top of a hill, with a line of boys on each side to keep the ball from rolling away?
... that the first work of fan fiction featuring a romantic relationship between the Winchester brothers in Supernatural was published one day after the first episode aired?
... that a Portsmouth building was Grade II-listed because Eric Rimmington painted a mural inside it?
... that Walkelin, Bishop of Winchester, began the construction of the modern Winchester Cathedral in 1079?
... that the wreck of HMS Cambrian marks the extent of jurisdiction of the Portsmouth competent harbour authority?

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Lists: List of churches in Hampshire | List of further education colleges in Hampshire | List of Parliamentary constituencies in Hampshire | List of places in Hampshire

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v t e Ceremonial county of Hampshire
Hampshire Portal
Unitary authorities	City of Portsmouth City of Southampton
Boroughs or districts	Borough of Basingstoke and Deane District of East Hampshire Borough of Eastleigh Borough of Fareham Borough of Gosport District of Hart Borough of Havant District of New Forest Borough of Rushmoor Borough of Test Valley City of Winchester
Major settlements (cities in italics)	Aldershot Alton Andover Basingstoke Bishop's Waltham Blackwater Bordon Botley Bramshott and Liphook Bursledon Chandler's Ford Cowplain Eastleigh Emsworth Fair Oak and Horton Heath Fareham Farnborough Fleet Fordingbridge Gosport Havant Hedge End Holbury Hook Horndean Hythe Lee-on-the-Solent Lymington New Alresford New Milton North Baddesley Petersfield Portchester Portsmouth Ringwood Romsey Southampton South Hayling Stockbridge Stubbington Tadley Totton Valley Park Waterlooville Welborne Whitchurch Whiteley Winchester Yateley See also: List of civil parishes in Hampshire
Rivers	Avon Beaulieu Hamble Itchen Meon Test Wallington Wey
Topics	Parliamentary constituencies Places Population of major settlements SSSIs Country houses Grade I listed buildings Grade II* listed buildings Scheduled monuments South Coast Plain South Downs History Schools Further education Museums Lord Lieutenants High Sheriffs