Gosport

For other uses, see Gosport (disambiguation).
Gosport
Borough of Gosport
Town & Borough

Borough of Gosport shown within Hampshire
Coordinates: 50°47′41″N 1°07′28″W / 50.794785°N 1.124324°W / 50.794785; -1.124324
Sovereign State United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South East England
Non-metropolitan county Hampshire
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Gosport
Government
 • Type Non-metropolitan district council
 • Borough Council Gosport Borough Council (Conservative)
 • Mayor Keith Gill
 • MPs Caroline Dinenage (Conservative)
Area
 • Total 9.76 sq mi (25.29 km2)
Area rank 315th (of 326)
Population (mid-2014 est.)
 • Total 84,287
 • Rank 285th (of 326)
 • Density 8,600/sq mi (3,300/km2)
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
Postcodes PO12, PO13
Area code(s) 023 [1]
ONS code 24UF (ONS)
E07000088 (GSS)
OS grid reference SZ618998
Website www.gosport.gov.uk

Gosport /ˈɡɒspɔːrt/ is a Borough town in the South Hampshire conurbation, on the south coast of Hampshire in southern England. The 2011 Census recorded its population as 82,622.[2] It is on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour opposite the City of Portsmouth, to which it is linked by the Gosport Ferry.

History

Until the last quarter of the 20th century, Gosport was a major naval town associated with the defence and supply infrastructure of Her Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth. As a result of a decline in these activities, many of its fortifications and installations, such as Fort Brockhurst, have been opened to the public as tourism and heritage sites, with extensive redevelopment of the harbour area as a marina.

The Rowner area of the peninsula was known to have been settled in the Saxon era, mentioned in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle as Rughenor (Rough bank or slope). Both Rowner and Alverstoke (a separate village now within the boundaries of Gosport), the name coming from the original point where the River Alver entered the Solent at Stokes Bay, were included in the Domesday Book. Settlements in the wider region date back much earlier. Rowner is recorded as being the earliest settlement of the peninsula with many Mesolithic finds and a hunting camp (presently sealed under the reclamation site) being found, tumuli are located on the peninsula (all investigated). Bronze Age items found during a 1960s construction in HMS Sultan included a hoard of axe heads and torcs (now stored by, and loaned to Portsmouth museum services). A three-celled dwelling unearthed during construction of the Rowner Estate in the 1970s points to a settled landscape. Next to the River Alver which passes the southern and western edge of Rowner is a Norman motte and bailey, the first fortification of the peninsula, giving a vantage point over the Solent, Stokes Bay, Lee-on-the-Solent and the Isle of Wight. The Rowner Estate, now demolished, and HMS Sultan are on the former Royal Naval air station, known first as RAF Gosport and later as HMS Siskin, which gives its name to the local infant and junior schools. The barracks at Browndown (Stokes Bay) were used in the ITV series: Bad Lads Army.[3]

There are several theories of how the borough got its name including from the early name of Goseport which is believed to derive from 'goose'. An alternative etymology 'gorse' (from the bushes growing on local heath land) is not supported by the regional name for the plant, 'furze'. The third theory which was found in the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales and used in the town's motto, "God's Port Our Haven", claims a derivation from "God's Port", King Stephen's thanks in 1144 for safe landing in a storm. This, however, is believed by some to be a 19th-century invention.[4]

Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, formerly the last military hospital of the UK was closed as a military site in March 2007. It had opened in 1753, serving military personnel and their families, later also serving the community of Gosport. The hospital was then used by the NHS until 2009. The hospital closed as NHS services were moved to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, Portsmouth.

Graves of Turkish sailors 1850–51

In November 1850, two ships of the Turkish Navy, the Mirat-ı Zafer and Sirag-i Bahri Birik, anchored off the Hardway near Gosport. The visit lasted several months and during this time some of the members of the crew contracted cholera and were admitted to Haslar Hospital for treatment, where most of them died. In addition, some other sailors died because of training accidents. In total 26 died and were laid to rest in the grounds of Haslar. At the turn of the 20th century the bodies were exhumed and transferred to the R.N. Military Cemetery, Clayhall Road, in Alverstoke.

Preparations for the D Day Landings

In the first week of June 1944, tanks, scout cars and wheeled vehicles of the Sherbrooke Fusilier Regiment, Canadian Army loaded Landing craft tanks in Gosport. Convoys of vehicles had been carefully concealed from German discovery in the areas further inland, and in daylight on 3 June moved through Titchfield and Stubbington to G3 Hard on the Gosport waterfront. There the M4 Sherman tanks were backed into position in preparation for the Channel crossing. The initial plan was for the invasion to begin on 5 June but bad weather, with the various vessels riding at anchor off Calshot in the Solent, delayed the plans by one day.[5]

Gallery of historic buildings

Naval

Military

Geography

The Town area of the Borough, including Newtown, consists of the town centre, Stoke Road shopping area, Walpole Park, Royal Clarence Yard and three modern marinas: Royal Clarence, Gosport Marina and Haslar Marina.

South of the centre is Haslar Creek, which flows into Portsmouth Harbour near the harbour mouth. The lowest part of Haslar Creek is called Haslar Lake; at its western end, the creek splits into two branches. These are called Workhouse Lake (the northern branch) and Stoke Lake (the southern branch). South East of Stoke Lake and along Gilkicker Point is the area of Clayhall.

West, Northwest and South of Stoke Lake is the district and village of Alverstoke. To the west of which is Browndown, where the River Alver flows into The Solent at Stokes Bay. Further west from Browndown point is the district of Lee-on-the-Solent with the former RNAS Daedalus which is now home to a hovercraft museum and several marine related businesses. It is also used as a base for glider clubs, light aeroplanes, HM Coastguard heliport and police aircraft.

In the west of Gosport is the naval base HMS Sultan. West of HMS Sultan is the district of Rowner which includes Alver Village.

There are several districts north, northwest and west of the town centre. These include areas that extend to the inland areas of the peninsula, Hardway (including Priddy’s Hard and Forton Lake) Elson, Brockhurst, Bridgemary and Rowner. Hoeford (A32 Gosport Road) is the most north westerly area within Gosport and ends at the boundary with the Borough of Fareham.[6]

Climate

The climate of Gosport is milder than that of the surrounding areas, winter frosts being light and short-lived and snow quite rare. Temperatures rarely drop much below freezing, because the peninsula has water to the south and east. Portsdown Hill also protects the town from the cold northerly winds during the winter months. Located on the south coast, Gosport also receives more sunshine per annum than most of the UK. The average maximum temperature in January is 8C with the average minimum being 3C. The average maximum temperature in July is 21C, with the average minimum being 14C. The record high temperature is 32C and record low is -9C.[7][8]

The Met Office has a weather station at the M.R.S.C. in Lee-on-the-Solent.

Climate data for Solent MRSC 1980-2010
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 8.2
(46.8)		 8.2
(46.8)		 10.5
(50.9)		 13.2
(55.8)		 16.7
(62.1)		 19.2
(66.6)		 21.4
(70.5)		 21.4
(70.5)		 19.0
(66.2)		 15.5
(59.9)		 11.5
(52.7)		 8.7
(47.7)		 14.46
(58.04)
Average low °C (°F) 3.4
(38.1)		 2.8
(37)		 4.5
(40.1)		 6.1
(43)		 9.2
(48.6)		 12.1
(53.8)		 14.2
(57.6)		 14.3
(57.7)		 12.2
(54)		 9.6
(49.3)		 6.2
(43.2)		 3.8
(38.8)		 8.2
(46.77)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 68.8
(2.709)		 49.3
(1.941)		 51.6
(2.031)		 42.4
(1.669)		 43.4
(1.709)		 42.0
(1.654)		 44.5
(1.752)		 50.0
(1.969)		 53.7
(2.114)		 86.2
(3.394)		 83.2
(3.276)		 83.9
(3.303)		 699
(27.521)
Source: UK Met Office[9]

Business

Gosport is an eclectic area with many business sectors, light manufacturing, marine and retail being the most prominent. Gosport centre is dependent on businesses in vulnerable sectors. These include construction. Of its 80,000 residents, 35,000 approximately are in employment and most of them are skilled manual labourers.

Gosport in 1960

Transport

Gosport is the largest town in Britain without an operational railway station. The Gosport Ferry provides quick access to Portsmouth Harbour railway station, terminus of the Portsmouth Direct Line to London. Due to heavy traffic (see below) this ferry is very well used. At one time the Gosport Ferry Company operated steam ferries, until the arrival in 1966 of two identical (and then very modern) diesel ferries, named Gosport Queen and Portsmouth Queen. In 1971 a third ferry called Solent Enterprise joined the fleet. She was a slightly larger, more luxurious version of the "Queens". The company now operates two new modern ferries along with the two 1966 veterans. The first was built in 2001 and is named Spirit of Gosport. After the retirement of the Solent Enterprise in 2003, a second modern and slightly larger ferry was added to the fleet and was named the Spirit of Portsmouth. All ferries have been able to carry cycles and motorcycles.

Gosport received its railway before Portsmouth, but it closed to passengers in 1953. In 1841 a railway opened between the London and Southampton Railway at Eastleigh via Fareham to Gosport, where a terminus was built to an Italianate design of Sir William Tite. Gosport railway station was intended to serve Portsmouth across the water, but was sited at Gosport away from the harbour because the railway company was not allowed to breach either the Hilsea Lines, defences at the northern end of Portsea Island protecting Portsmouth, or the Gosport Lines protecting depots such as Royal Clarence Yard.

An extension to Royal Clarence Yard was opened in 1846, and branch lines to Stokes Bay (open from 1863 to 1915), and to Lee-on-the-Solent (open to passengers 1894 to 1931). Due to declining traffic, the connection to Fareham was closed for passenger services in 1953 and to freight traffic in 1969, although trains to the armament depot in Frater ran until the late 1970s.

The trackbed of the former Gosport – Fareham railway is now an exclusive fast bus route and cycle lane. Tite's station building has been retained for its historical and architectural value and has been converted into a small number of residential properties and offices. The main gate in Spring Garden Lane has been opened up for vehicle access. A further development of six terraced homes has been built at the north western end of the site linking with George Street.[10]

Being a peninsula town without a railway system Gosport relies heavily upon the major A32 road in and out of the town. In the 1970s there were plans to widen the road to accommodate expected increases in traffic flow but this did not take place. In the early 1990s a computerised system controlling traffic lights along the route was installed to improve the rate of flow of traffic but this failed to work and had to be switched off since it could not cope with the traffic volumes. Now, in the 21st century, the A32 is much the same as it was thirty years ago and the traffic using it has increased to such an extent that the journey time to the nearby M27, about 5 miles (8 km), can routinely take anything from 45 minutes and often longer at peak times between 07:30 & 09:00 and 16:00 & 18:30.

The station site was linked with the South Hampshire Rapid Transit scheme, which would have made use of the former railway route. However, due to Government refusal to fund the scheme, it was formally abandoned in November 2006.[11] During 2010, construction started on the same route to provide a rapid bus route between the Holbrook area of Gosport and the town of Fareham. Now completed, regular service buses between Gosport and Fareham divert onto the new route avoiding lengthy queues on the A32 and speeding up commuting time between the towns for bus passengers.

Present day

Forton Lake Millennium Bridge 2005

Many people who live in Gosport use it as a dormitory town. According to Gosport Borough Council, the number of people commuting out of the town each day in 2001 was 18,200 compared to 7,600 people commuting in. In addition the number commuting out is increasing at a faster rate than that coming in.[12]

The 2001 Census recorded 54,854 people in Gosport of working age between the ages of 16 and 74. The economic activity of the residents in the Gosport Borough was 46.7% were in full-time employment, 12.9% were in part-time employment, 6.1% were self-employed, 2.7% were unemployed, 2.5% were students with jobs, 2.5% were students without jobs, 14% were retired, 6.2% were looking after the home or family, 3.8% were permanently sick or disabled and 2.5% were economically inactive for other reasons.

As part of the Renaissance of Portsmouth Harbour Millennium project, a large sundial, known as the Millennium Timespace, was installed on the harbour front in 2000.[13] Its timekeeping is partially restricted each day by shadowing caused by large tower blocks either side of the 'timespace'.[14] The International Festival of the Sea drew over 250,000 tourists to the Portsmouth Harbour area in 1998, 2001 and 2005.[15] The most recent festival was held in 2007.

The Royal Navy maintains a presence in Gosport at HMS Sultan which is the home of the Defence School of Marine Engineering (DSMarE) and the Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival School (RNAESS). The Sultan site occupies 179 acres (72 ha) of land within a 3 1⁄2-mile (5.6 km) perimeter and is the largest of the Royal Navy's training establishments, with around 3,000 Service and civilian personnel when working at full capacity.

Education

The Borough of Gosport has the following schools and colleges:[16]

Sixth Form College

Secondary Schools

Primary Schools

Junior Schools

Infant Schools

Nursery School

Haven Early Years Centre.

Sport

The town of Gosport has many sports clubs and organisations including boxing, judo, angling, rugby, cricket, football and hockey.

Gosport Borough F.C.[17] play their home games at Privett Park and cater for players of either sex from age six upwards. The club play in the Football Conference South and represent the town at a national level in the FA Cup and FA Trophy. The area also has another Non-League football club Fleetlands F.C. who play at Lederle Lane Stadium. RMLI Gosport F.C. were a former team to represent the town winning the 1910 FA Amateur Cup.

Gosport and Fareham Rugby Football Club has 6 senior sides, a Ladies team, and 10 youth sides.[18] Gosport Borough Hockey Club, based at St Vincent College, has three Men's teams, a Ladies team and Junior teams.[19]

Tourism

The Gosport peninsula has 17 miles (27 km) of waterfront on Portsmouth Harbour and The Solent and is a maritime playground for all. The pebble beach at Stokes Bay slopes steeply into the sea and offers fine views of the shipping going in and out of Portsmouth and Southampton and the many pleasure craft from the many marinas along The Solent and the Isle of Wight.

The town also has a strong military history – chiefly with the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy Submarine Museum has exhibits including Holland 1 – the Royal Navy's first submarine and the Second World War submarine HMS Alliance.

Explosion! tells the story of naval firepower from gunpowder to modern missiles. This modern, interactive museum is housed in historic buildings at Priddy's Hard, the Navy's former armaments depot, with views across Portsmouth Harbour.

Fort Brockhurst is one of the "Palmerston's Follies", built in the 1850s to defend Portsmouth Harbour against threats of a French invasion. A central exhibition explains Palmerston's plans to defend the key naval port. Nearby is the Gosport Aviation Heritage Museum, dedicated to the development of the Royal Air Force. The fort is owned by English Heritage.

Gosport is also home to Little Woodham, aka "The 1642 Living History Village". The village exists to educate both children and adults about 17th century life at the outbreak of the English Civil War and is open for the public to meet the villagers at certain times throughout the year.

Twin towns

Notable people

See Category:People from Gosport

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ofcom | Telecoms numbering". Stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk. 2010-04-28. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  2. ↑ "Area: Gosport (Local Authority): Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Lambert, Tim. "A Brief History of Gosport". A World History Encyclopedia.
  4. ↑ Eley, Philip. "The Place Names of Gosport, an unofficial portrayal". Hantsweb. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008.
  5. ↑ Jackson, LtCol HM (1958). The Sherbrooke Regiment (12th Armoured Regiment). privately published.
  6. ↑ "Online maps". Gosport.gov.uk. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  7. ↑ "Climate Solent M.R.S.C.". World Weather. TuTiempo.net.
  8. ↑ Gosport climate information adapted from Portsmouth climate information. Thanks to User:Jaguar for permission.
  9. ↑ "Solent MRSC climate". Met Office.
  10. ↑ "Gosport Railway". Hermitage Housing Association.
  11. ↑ "Tram scheme to be formally abandoned". Hantsweb. Archived from the original on 12 January 2007.
  12. ↑ "6 Employment". Gosport Borough Local Plan Review (PDF). May 2006.
  13. ↑ "New Lottery Funded 'millennium Timespace' Sundial Unveiled". Millennium Commission. Archived from the original on 20 August 2004.
  14. ↑ "Tower blocks put sundial in shade". Southern Daily Echo (Newsquest). 22 January 2001.
  15. ↑ Four Amazing Days in Summer The International Festival of the Sea 2005 Archived 7 February 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ↑ "Gosport Borough Council (Schools and Colleges)". www.gosport.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-12-03.
  17. ↑ "The Boro' Online". Gosport Borough F.C. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  18. ↑ "Welcome". Gosport & Fareham RFC. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  19. ↑ "Gosport Borough Hockey Club". Gosport Borough Hockey Club. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  20. ↑ "Gosport – Royan twinning". Gosport Borough Council.

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Gosport.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gosport.

Coordinates: 50°47′42.32″N 1°7′27.25″W / 50.7950889°N 1.1242361°W / 50.7950889; -1.1242361

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