Wikipedia

Eastleigh

For the suburb in the Kenyan capital, seeEastleigh, Nairobi.
For other uses, seeEastleigh (disambiguation).

Eastleighis a town inHampshire,England, betweenSouthamptonandWinchester.It is the largest town and the administrative seat of theBorough of Eastleigh,with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census.

Eastleigh
Town
The Point,Eastleigh's old town hall
Eastleigh is located in Hampshire
Eastleigh
Eastleigh
Location withinHampshire
Population24,011 (unparished area, 2011 census)
OS grid referenceSU4563818844
Civil parish
  • Eastleigh Town[1]
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townEASTLEIGH
Postcode districtSO50
Dialling code023
PoliceHampshire and Isle of Wight
FireHampshire and Isle of Wight
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
Websiteeastleigh-tc.gov.uk
List of places
UK
England
Hampshire
50°58′00″N1°21′00″W/ 50.966667°N 1.35°W/50.966667; -1.35

The town lies on theRiver Itchen,one of England's premierchalk streamsforfly fishing,and a designatedsite of Special Scientific Interest.[2][3]The area was originally villages until the 19th century, when Eastleigh was developed as arailway townby theLondon and South Western Railway.

History

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Eastleigh rail yard in 1984
Victorian bandstand in the recreation ground

The modern town of Eastleigh lies on the oldRomanroad, built in A.D.79 between Winchester(Venta Belgarum)andBitterne(Clausentum).[4][5][6]Romanremains discovered in the Eastleigh area, including a Roman leadcoffinexcavated in 1908,[7]indicate that a settlement probably existed here in Roman times.[4][8][9]

ASaxonvillage called 'East Leah' has been recorded to have existed since 932 AD.[10]('Leah' is an ancientAnglo-Saxonword meaning 'a clearing in a forest').[10]There is additional evidence of this settlement in a survey from the time which details land in North Stoneham being granted byKing Æthelstanto his military aid, Alfred in 932 AD.[4][8][11]The prefix 'Est' or 'East' is thought to refer to its location relative to the established settlement ofBaddesley.[4]

TheDomesday Bookof 1086 gives a more detailed account of the settlement, which is referred to as 'Estleie'.[4]

In 1838 the London and South Western Railway Company (L&SWR) built a railway from Southampton to Winchester.[10][12]It was decided to build a station near the little village of Barton. Thisrailway stationwas originally namedBishopstokeJunction.[10]In 1868 the villages of Barton and Eastley were combined into one parish.[10]A parish church, the Church of the Resurrection, was built in the same year, at a cost of £2,300.[13]A local noted author of many novels,Charlotte Yonge,donated £500 towards the building of the church.[14]She was rewarded by being given the privilege to choose a name for the 'new' parish; either Barton or Eastly. She chose Eastly, but with a new modern spelling; Eastleigh.[14]In 1891 the L&SWR Carriage and Wagon Works fromNine Elmsin London were transferred to Eastleigh. This was followed by theNine Elms Locomotive Workswhich were moved there in 1909. These railway works were closed in 2006 but have since reopened, albeit on a smaller scale.

Eastleigh has seen a rapid and controlled expansion in residential, industrial andcommercial developmentover recent years. Theborough of Eastleighwas ranked the "9th best place to live in the UK 2006" by aChannel 4programme.[15]

Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX

TheUnited States Navyestablished anaval air stationon 23 July 1918 to assemble and repairCaproni Ca.5andAirco DH.4andDH.9bombers for theNorthern Bombing Groupof the First World War. The base closed shortly after theFirst Armistice at Compiègne.[16]Perhaps Eastleigh's best-known 'resident' is theSpitfireaeroplane which was built in Southampton and first flown fromEastleigh Aerodrome.A replica has recently been placed on the roundabout at the entrance to the airport.

Eastleigh Museum, which is to be found in the High Street, holds information about the town and the surrounding villages, including Bishopstoke which had been the largestresidential area.

Education

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Eastleigh has twofurther educationcolleges:Barton Peveril Sixth Form College(whereColin Firthwas a pupil) andEastleigh College(both on the same road).Crestwood Community Schoolis the secondary school for the town, and primary schools include Cherbourg Primary School, Norwood Primary School, Nightingale Primary School, the Crescent Primary School and Shakespeare Infant and Junior Schools to the north of the town.[17]

Religion

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Emmanuel Baptist Church
Main article:List of places of worship in the Borough of Eastleigh

TheAnglicanparish church is All Saints in Desborough Road.[18]TheRoman CatholicChurch of the Holy Cross was built in Leigh Road in 1902 to replace an early tin church.[19]Emmanuel Baptist Church was founded in the early 1930s, in the former Desborough Mission Hall in Desborough Road. The building dates to 1905.[20]

Eastleigh Baptist Church is situated in Wells Place and was previously called Union Baptist Church.[21]Adjacent to the main church building is the Wells Place Centre, built on the site of a former dairy which itself replaced a bacon factory.[22]

St Andrew's Methodist Church is located in Blenheim Road.[23]

Junction Church has premises in Eastleigh's High Street[24]and Thrive Church meets at the Pavilion on the Park.[25]

Sport

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Eastleigh F.C.

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Eastleigh F.C.is the town's sole senior football team playing in theNational Leagueas well as entering the FA Cup and the FA Trophy. They are known as The Spitfires.[26]

Solent Kestrels

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Solent Kestrelsare the town and area's basketball club, and compete in theEnglish Basketball LeagueDivision 1, the second highest level of the sport in the country, behind the nationwideBritish Basketball League.The team were promoted to Division 1 in 2016, after finishing as champions of Division 2 in the 2015–16 season. They are coached by Matt Guymon and play home games at theFleming Park Leisure Centre.

Eastleigh Ladies Hockey Club

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Eastleigh Ladies Hockey Club is based in South Hampshire. It fields 2 teams in the Hampshire Women's League (playing Saturdays), as well as playing floodlit and indoor league games (playing on weekdays).

Eastleigh Rugby Football Club

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Eastleigh Rugby Football Club play from "the Hub" in Eastleigh. They currently have four senior sides, colts and young player development, their 1st XV currently play in theLondon 2 South West.Also based at the Hub are "the Hurricanes", a team for young adults with learning difficulties.

Eastleigh Running Club

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There is a broadly based running club.[27]

Eastleigh Swim Club

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Eastleigh Swim Club provides swimming lessons, pool and land training sessions and competitions for young people and adults. The club is primarily based at Places Leisure, Eastleigh and also provides lessons and training at Oaklands Pool in Southampton.[28]

Politics

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Eastleigh is represented in the House of Commons by Liberal Democrat MPLiz Jarvis.She was elected in 2024. The previous MP wasPaul Holmes.He was first elected for the constituency at the2019 general electionwith a majority of 9,147 votes, taking over fromMims Davies,the Conservative MP who took the seat in 2015.[29]Mike Thorntonof theLiberal Democratswas elected at the2013 by-electionwith a majority of 1,771 votes following the resignation ofChris Huhne,in a by-election that was closely fought with UKIP coming in second and the Conservatives finishing in third place.

In2005Huhne had been elected as the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for theEastleigh constituencyafter the previous MP (David Chidgey,also Liberal Democrat) retired. Eastleigh has a tradition of close contests, and Huhne narrowly beat the Conservative candidateConor Burnswith the second lowest swing against the Liberal Democrats of any seat with a retiring MP (2.6%).David Chidgeyhad succeeded theConservativeMPStephen Milliganfollowing his high-profile death.Chris Huhnewas appointed asSecretary of State for Energy and Climate Changefollowing the2010 general election.Huhne resigned the seat in February 2013 after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice over a 2003 speeding case.[30]

Eastleigh Borough Councilcurrently has 34 Liberal Democrats, 3 independent and 2 Conservative Councillors. On 1 April 2021 the town of Eastleigh became a civil parish, having previously been an unparished area within the borough.[31]

Economy

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TheB&Qhead office is on Chestnut Avenue inChandler's Ford,Eastleigh.[32]The town was formerly home to aMr Kiplingbakery.[33]

Eastleigh is also home to a manufacturing plant owned byPrysmianCables & Systems.

Transport

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Eastleigh railway station in 2009

Air

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Southampton Airportis located in Eastleigh; it is the 20th largest airport in the UK. The airport is served by a dedicated main line railway station,Southampton Airport Parkway,which is the next station stop south (5 minutes) from Eastleigh. The airport codes are (IATA:SOU,ICAO:EGHI).

Railway

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Eastleigh railway stationis on theSouth West Main LinefromLondon WaterlooandWinchestertoSouthampton Central,Bournemouth,PooleandWeymouth;South Western Railwayprovides services to those places. Eastleigh is also the junction station for two other routes: theEastleigh–Fareham lineand theEastleigh–Romsey line.

Buses

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Eastleigh has bus services provided mostly byBluestar,withStagecoachoperating one service to Winchester.

Road

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Eastleigh is located close to the junction between theM3 motorwayandM27 motorway,giving easy road access to London, Southampton, Winchester, Bournemouth and Portsmouth.

Swan Centre

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The Swan Shopping Centre opened in 1989, and was built in the heart of the town's Victorian 'grid iron' road layout and blocked off Market Street and High Street – although through access was possible for pedestrians while the centre was open. The Swan Centre included a French-style café and a new library[34](replacing the former library situated in the Park, now used as part ofThe Point)

Notable people

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See also:Category:People from Eastleigh

Famous peoplelinked to Eastleigh include the painter Mary Beale,Chrystabel Leighton-Porter,the model for theSecond World Warcartoon characterJane,[35]andBenny Hillwho both lived in the town.[36]Hill's first job was atWoolworthson Leigh Road, Eastleigh. He then moved on to be a milkman for Hanns Dairies, on Factory Road, now Wells Place. His time working in Eastleigh on a horse-drawn milk float gave him his inspiration for his hit record,Ernie, The Fastest Milkman In The West.[37][38]In Hill's honour, a plaque has been put up close to the site of the now demolished Hanns Dairies building[38]and a new road has been namedBenny Hill Close,though many of the people who had bought the new homes were not happy with the decision. An alternative suggestion was Cowpat Lane.[39]

Sir Arthur Young,the eminentchief of police,was born at 55 Chamberlayne Road in 1907. Sporting notables includeTommy Greenwho won anOlympic Gold Medalat the1932 Los Angeles Gamesin the 50K walk, andVince Hawkinswho was British Middleweight Bo xing Champion in the late 1940s.[40][41][42]

Other notable residents of Eastleigh include:

Twin towns and sister cities

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Eastleigh istwinnedwith:[43]

It has a "sister city" relationship[43]with:

The friendship link withKimryin Russia was suspended due toRussian invasion of Ukraine.[43]

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^"Eastleigh Town".Ordnance Survey.Retrieved3 July2021.
  2. ^Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife TrustArchived24 August 2009 at theWayback Machine
  3. ^Fact file on the River ItchenArchived5 June 2011 at theWayback Machine
  4. ^abcdeNicola Gosling:1986, Page 4
  5. ^"Archaeology Object Database – Southampton City Council".sccwww1.southampton.gov.uk.Southampton City Council.Archived fromthe originalon 19 April 2010.Retrieved28 March2010.
  6. ^"VENTA BELGARVM".roman-britain.org.Archived fromthe originalon 16 January 2010.Retrieved28 March2010.
  7. ^"Hampshire Treasures: Volume 13 ( Eastleigh), Page 3 – Bishopstoke, Entry 04".hants.gov.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 5 June 2011.Retrieved29 March2010.
  8. ^ab"Bishopstoke Parish Council: History".bishopstokepc.hampshire.org.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 27 February 2011.Retrieved28 March2010.
  9. ^"Chandlers Ford – Local History".chandlersfordonline.Archived fromthe originalon 9 March 2009.Retrieved29 March2010.
  10. ^abcde"A History of Eastleigh".localhistories.org.Retrieved21 December2009.
  11. ^"Bishopstoke Parish Council website".bishopstokepc.hampshire.org.uk.Archived fromthe originalon 26 May 2010.Retrieved28 March2010.
  12. ^Williams, R. A. (1968)The London & South Western Railway,v. 1: The formative years, and v. 2: Growth and consolidation, David and Charles,ISBN0-7153-4188-X;ISBN0-7153-5940-1
  13. ^Clarke, Kathleen:1995, Page 6
  14. ^abClarke, Kathleen:1995, Page 7
  15. ^"BEST AND WORST PLACES TO LIVE 2006: Eastleigh".Channel 4.Archived fromthe originalon 3 February 2008.Retrieved16 November2007.
  16. ^Van Wyen, Adrian O. (1969).Naval Aviation in World War I.Washington, D.C.: Chief of Naval Operations. p.80.
  17. ^"Hampshire schools by area: Eastleigh".Hantsweb.Hampshire County Council. Archived fromthe originalon 14 September 2008.Retrieved28 October2013.
  18. ^"Eastleigh Parish".Easleigh Parish.Retrieved6 November2018.
  19. ^"History".Holy Cross.The Catholic Parish of St Swithin Wells. Archived fromthe originalon 12 September 2016.Retrieved6 November2018.
  20. ^Kelly's Directory of Southampton and Neighbourhood.1907. pp. 512 & 516. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ^"Hettie's hundred years at Eastleigh".baptisttimes.co.uk.Retrieved22 November2021.
  22. ^"Changing Eastleigh – History of Bishopstoke, Hampshire".Retrieved22 November2021.
  23. ^"Winchester, Eastleigh & Romsey - St Andrews, Eastleigh".wermethodistcircuit.org.uk.Retrieved22 November2021.
  24. ^"Junction Church, Eastleigh - A Church For Everyone".Junction Church, Eastleigh.Retrieved22 November2021.
  25. ^"Thrive Church".thrivechurch.uk.Retrieved22 November2021.
  26. ^"Former Saints youngster Hesketh makes surprise Sholing move".Daily Echo.31 May 2023.Retrieved6 June2023.
  27. ^"Eastleigh Running Club".eastleighrunningclub.org.uk.
  28. ^"Eastleigh Swim Club".eastleighsc.
  29. ^"Eastleigh (Constituency) 2015 results".UK Parliament.Retrieved28 January2021.
  30. ^Norman Smith (3 February 2012)."BBC News – Chris Huhne quits cabinet over speeding claims charge".BBC.co.uk.Retrieved12 March2013.
  31. ^"The Eastleigh Borough Council (Reorganisation of Community Governance) Order 2021"(PDF).Eastleigh Borough Council.Retrieved3 July2021.
  32. ^"Company InformationArchived10 February 2011 at theWayback Machine."B&Q. Retrieved on 25 March 2012." B&Q Plc B&Q House Chestnut Avenue Chandlers Ford Eastleigh Hampshire SO53 3LE "
  33. ^Manor Bakery Closure is a Blow for Local Economy and Break with HistoryArchived7 August 2011 at theWayback Machine
  34. ^"Swan Shopping Centre Eastleigh".2007–2009 Swan Shopping Centre, Eastleigh.Retrieved27 June2009.
  35. ^"Racy Cartoons of the WW II Years:" Jane "".skylighters.org.Archived fromthe originalon 10 June 2007.Retrieved9 June2008.
  36. ^"Late 20th Century".eastleighso50.tripod.Retrieved27 March2010.
  37. ^"Benny Hill saluted by the south".BBC News.6 August 2009.Retrieved29 March2010.
  38. ^ab"Eastleigh".Southern Life.Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2010.Retrieved29 March2010.
  39. ^"Benny Hill's no joke".Daily Echo.6 October 2003.Retrieved14 April2022.
  40. ^Adams, Melanie (2 December 2008)."Post-war bo xing champion Vince Hawkins dies aged 85".Southern Daily Echo.Southampton.Retrieved20 December2009.
  41. ^"Vince Hawkins".Boxrec Bo xing Encyclopaedia.Retrieved20 December2009.
  42. ^Clarke, Kathleen:1995, Page 61
  43. ^abc"Twin Towns & Twinning Association".Eastleigh Borough Council.Retrieved30 July2015.

Bibliography

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