St Denysis a partially riverside district ofSouthampton,England, centred 1.5 miles (2.4 km)north north-eastofthe city centrefacing variouslyBitterne Parkand quay across theRiver Itchen estuary.The river is here spanned in the mid-east extreme of the district byCobden Bridge,one of five within the city's broad boundaries, six including the railway bridge 100 m south. It is separated from the city centre by the districts sometimes known asBevois ValleyandNew Town,in turn and to the south a riverside boardwalk allows pedestrian and bicycle access to the Mount Pleasant Industrial Estate andNortham.
| St Denys | |
|---|---|
  St Denys Location withinSouthampton | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SOUTHAMPTON |
| Postcode district | SO17 |
| Dialling code | 023 |
| Police | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Fire | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
History
editThe far south has evidence of aRomanriver jetty or possible crossing toClausentumon the east of the river, and certain finds of other Roman archaeology.[1]
The area is named after the 12th-centurySt. Denys Priory,of minor wealth and size, of which little remains, aside from an archway of the original chapel spanning two back gardens,[2]and a counterpart moved to beside the rear wall of King John's Palace at Tudor House Museum in the city centre.[3][4]
St Denys consisted of a very small hamletnucleusand scattered farms throughout the medieval period. Drains and dykes improved the land for habitation and crop agriculture over many centuries.
19th century and later
edit
The land here was extensively developed atlow-riselevel from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century; by 1895 it had a quite dense grid of streets which preceded most of the larger area west of the north-south railway line, namelyPortswood,apart from its main road.[5]
An iron railway bridge crossing the River Itchen opened in 1866, connecting St Denys (then Portswood) Station to Netley Hospital, via Bitterne and Woolston.[6]This was followed in 1883 by the first Cobden Bridge.
A history of largelaundriesprovided employment, servicing Southampton'socean linersuntil the late 20th century. A number of homes ofTitanic(sank 1912) victims and survivors are in St Denys. Considerable bombing in theSouthampton Blitzdue to proximity to the railway connecting London anddocks.
Demography
editThe area is populated with a wide mix of younger working families, older residents and students.
A small community ofhouseboatsis moored along the easterly border, the waterfront, conversions fromWorld War IImotor torpedo boats.
Landmarks
editSt Denys Church
editThe church was built in 1868, designed byGeorge Gilbert Scottand is alisted building in the initial category;[7]the parish dates from the previous year, its patron is and remains theBishop of Winchester.[8]The stained glass windows have been restored, and the congregation of the early 21st century holds events in church rooms and gardens.
St Denys Primary School
editOriginally built in the Victorian era for approximately 900 pupils,[9]St Denys Primary School, located opposite St Denys Church on Dundee Road, is now aFoundation schoolserving up to 210 pupils aged between 4 and 11.
Industry
editThe area is bounded in part by the Portswood Waste Water Treatment Works built on former salt meadows and now owned bySouthern Water,supplementing another for the west side of the city.
In recent years part of the Waste Water Treatment Works estate was converted into industrial units and the area is bounded to the south west by the Empress Road industrial estate.
Dyer Bros Boatyardis located to the southwest of Cobden Bridge and has provided marine services from this location since 1903, prior to the construction of the existingCobden Bridge.[10]
Boundaries
edit- Church parishes and local government ward(s) history
St Denys is bounded by the estuary (east and south), a mainlinerailway(west), the far side of buildings on the north side of the start of Kent Road (north) and theA335bypass, which when built in the late 20th century meant removing part of the original parish. Today the area is roughly equivalent to a third of thewardofPortswood;[11]it remains a whole ecclesiastical parish in theChurch of England.[12]In theCatholic Churchit is grouped with Portswood to the north into a parish.[13]
Public Transport & Active Travel Zone
editThe area is connected bya minor passenger stop on the site of a junctionwith the coastal line toPortsmouthorBrightonof theSouth West Main Line.The area is connected by a high-frequency timetable of buses to Southampton city centre, including itsrailway station,where the mainline continues toWeymouthand has dedicated parking bays in the surrounding streets for aScooter-sharing system,currently provided by Voi[1]
Between 2020 and 2023 the area received investment in measures to improve the safety and promote the use ofActive Travelthrough the St Denys Active Travel Zone (ATZ) scheme.[2]
Arts, Culture & Recreation
editThe grassroots All Aboard Festival has taken place annually since 2019,[14]showcasing local musical acts and visual artists in various locations throughout St Denys including some performances taking place on pontoons and vessels on theRiver Itchenitself.
The proximity to the river affords easy access for popular water pursuits such as sailing and paddle boarding. St Denys Boat Club was founded in 1889 originally using Dyer Bros. Boatyard before relocating to its own premises to the north west of Cobden Bridge. Boats can also be launched at high tide from the public hard located to the south of Priory Road.
There are a number of small parks within St Denys and the St Denys Community Centre has an outdoor court which can be used for football or other ball games.
Notable residents
editMajor GeneralDaniel Beak,a recipient of theVictoria Cross,attended St Denys School prior to graduating to Tauntons Grammar School in Southampton.[15]
The singer, songwriter and modelFoxeslived in the area and attended St Denys Primary School in her early life.
Gallery
edit-
St Denys railway stationplatforms, canopies and homes and gardens in the hilly western part of Portswood and Bevois Mount beyond -
Six large arches of Cobden Bridge across the sky-reflecting estuary of the chalkland-fedItchen
References
edit- ^"Historic England List Entry 1425731; Historic England Website".
- ^Historic England."Remains of the Priory of St Denys in the back gardens of Nos 1 and 2 (1091999)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved8 December2017.
- ^Historic England."Archway from St Denys Priory, in the grounds of Tudor House Museum, situated to the south of the rear wall of King John's Palace (1092059)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved8 December2017.
- ^'Houses of Austin canons: Priory of St Denis, Southampton', in A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 2, ed. H Arthur Doubleday and William Page (London, 1903), pp. 160-164. British History Onlinehttp://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/hants/vol2/pp160-164.
- ^"Explore georeferenced maps - Map images - National Library of Scotland".
- ^Ticehurst, Brian J. (1991).Sights and Scenes of St Denys.Portswood, Southampton: B & J Ticehurst. p. 6.ISBN1 871733 01 4.
- ^Historic England."Details from listed building database (1179120)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved8 December2017.
- ^"Southampton: Churches, public buildings and charities | British History Online".
- ^"St Denys School Celebrates 2.5 Million Expansion; Southampton Daily Echo".
- ^"Misty St Denys Morning; I walk Alone Blog".
- ^Wards map colour-coded and re-used by Public Health England
- ^Parish finder (C of E). Parish of St Denys in the church of England
- ^The (Roman Catholic) Diocese of PortsmouthDeaneries showing parish subdivisions for schools purposes
- ^"All Aboard Festival;Festival Website".
- ^Ticehurst, Brian J. (1991).Sights and Scenes of St Denys.Portswood, Southampton: B & J Ticehurst. pp. 39–41.ISBN1 871733 01 4.
