Gosport
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Borough of Gosport | |
|---|---|
  |
 Shown within Hampshire |
| Geography | |
| Status: | Borough |
| Region: | South East England |
| Admin. County: | Hampshire |
| Area: - Total |
Ranked 343rd 25.29 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Gosport |
| ONS code: | 24UF |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2005 est.) - Density |
Ranked 303rd 77,300 3,057 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 98.3% White |
| Politics | |
| Gosport Borough Council http://www.gosport.gov.uk/ |
|
| Leadership: | Alternative - Sec.31 |
| Control: | NOC (Conservative administration) |
| MP: | Peter Viggers |
Gosport is a town and district in Hampshire with around 77,000 inhabitants (including Lee-on-the-Solent), situated on the south coast of England. Part of the South Hampshire conurbation, it lies on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour opposite the city of Portsmouth, to which it is linked by a pedestrian ferry.
Gosport is the largest town in Britain without an operational railway station [1],though the harbour ferry goes to Portsmouth Harbour railway station, terminus of the Portsmouth Direct Line to London. Ironically, Gosport received its railway before Portsmouth, but it closed to passengers in 1953. The main structure of the fine terminal building, designed by Sir William Tite, still remains. Award winning architects Format Milton are to bring the old structure to life with an exciting development which will see the old structure restored to its former glory.
Until the last quarter of the 20th century it was a major naval and military centre associated with the defence and supply infrastructure of Portsmouth Harbour. With the decline of these activities, many of its fortifications and installations, such as Fort Blockhouse and Palmerston Forts like Fort Brockhurst, have been opened to the public as tourism and heritage sites, with extensive redevelopment of the harbour area as a marina. Stokes Bay and the Solent are popular areas for yachting. Other tourism sites in Gosport include the Royal Navy Submarine Museum based just outside of Fort Blockhouse, the Explosion! exhibition and the Gosport museum. The Oakleaf Brewery is based in Gosport.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Rowner area of the peninsula was known to have been settled in Saxon times (for instance, Cherque Farm) and Alverstoke (a village now within the boundaries of Gosport) was included in the Domesday Book [2]. Settlements in the wider region date back much earlier [3].
The borough's name - an early name was Goseport - is believed to derive from "goose". An alternative etymology "gorse" (from the bushes growing on local heathland) is not supported by the regional name for the plant, "furze"; and that implied by the town's motto, "God's Port Our Haven", dates from the 19th century. [4]
The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales (1870-72) gives the source of the name Gosport as God's Port to King Stephen in 1144 when he landed there in a storm.
[edit] Geography
See main article: Geography of Gosport
[edit] Business
Gosport is an eclectic area with many business sectors, light manufacturing, marine and retail being the most prominent. The primary business organisation in the Borough is the Gosport Business Initiative [5].
Gosport Borough Council in conjunction with local schools, St Vincent College, University of Portsmouth and business support organisations such as South Hants Enterprise Agency and Business Link, have set up Impact with the help of funding from SEEDA (South East England Development Agency). Impact is designed to engage with businesses that either do not normally access mainstream business support or have issues within their organisation that need addressing. The project provides assistance to overcome these potential barriers to success by brokering in the most appropriate specialist support, and therefore release the company to grow.
[edit] Transport
Gosport is the largest town in Europe to be without a railway station. A pedestrian ferry service links the town with Portsmouth Harbour station, just under a mile away across Portsmouth Harbour.
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 William Tite. The terminus was intended to serve Portsmouth across the water. It was sited at Gosport, however, because the railway company was not allowed to breach the Hilsea Lines, the defences at the northern end of Portsea Island protecting Portsmouth.
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 a pedestrian walkway and cycle track. Gosport railway station has been retained for its historical and architectural value but is presently inaccessible and in poor condition. Proposals now exist to convert the platforms and buildings into a small number of residential properties and offices with the main gate in Spring Garden Lane opened up for vehicle access. A development of six terraced homes is also proposed for the North Western end of the site linking with George Street.
Being a peninsular town without a railway system Goport relies heavily upon the major A road (A32) in & out of the town. In the 1970s there were plans to widen the road to accommodate expected increases in traffic flow but this didn't go ahead. 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, approximately 5 miles, can routinely take anything up to 45 minutes and sometimes longer at peak times. The MP, Mr Peter Viggers, has been unable to get this situation improved despite decades of effort and the County Council talk, as they have done for the past three decades, about improving the road access to Gosport. Gosport is a long way from Winchester where Hampshire County Council are based.
The station site has been linked with the South Hampshire Rapid Transit Scheme, which would make use of the former railway route (some of which still has track because of freight services), however at present Government policy has made this scheme appear less likely.
[edit] Present day
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 [6]. Its timekeeping is partially restricted each day by shadowing caused by a large tower block nearby [7]. The International Festival Of The Sea [8] drew over 250,000 tourists to the Portsmouth Harbour area in 1998, 2001, and 2005. The next festival will take place in 2007. [9]
[edit] Education
Gosport has many schools including Bay House School which is a major specialist secondary school, located on the coast of Stokes Bay Beach. Bay House School also includes a Sixth Form and the school is now educating 1900 pupils and 290 students (correct as of 2006).
[edit] Sport
The town of Gosport has many sports clubs and organisations including judo, angling, rugby, cricket, football and hockey.
Gosport Borough F.C.[10] play their home games at Privett Park and cater for players of either sex from from age six upwards. The club play in the Wessex League and represent the town at a national level in the FA Cup and FA Vase.
Gosport and Fareham Rugby Football Club [11] has 6 senior sides, a Ladies team, 10 youth sides and a number of girls' teams in development.
[edit] Tourism
The Gosport peninsula has 17 miles (27km) 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 - notably with the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy Submarine Museum[12] is home to the world's first ever submarine (Holland 1) and HMS Alliance - a World War Two submarine one can explore.
Explosion![13] 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[14] is one of 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.
[edit] Twin Town
[edit] Famous connections
- Henry Cort, the Industrial Revolution iron founder - based in Gosport.
- Richard Dawson - actor, born in Gosport.
- Mike Hugg - co-founder of Manfred Mann, hails from Gosport
- Alexander Bryan Johnson - philosopher, born in Gosport.
- Bishop Samuel Wilberforce, liberal Victorian clergyman, was made Rector of Alverstoke in 1840.
- Nat Gonella - jazz trumpeter and bandleader, long associated with, and died in, Gosport.
- Arthur Upfield - author (creator of the Australian detective "Bony") - born in Gosport [15].
- Roger Black - Olympic Gold Medal winner, brought up in Gosport
[edit] Trivia
- In the BBC radio series the Navy Lark (set on a ship based at HMNB Portsmouth), one of the catchphrases was 'You carry on on that course, and you'll be doing 50 knots up Gosport high street!'
[edit] References and external links
- Gosport & Fareham Rugby Football Club Official website.
- Gosport Borough Football Club Official website
- Gosport Borough Hockey Club website
- Gosport Road Runners club website
- Gosport Railway History by Peter Keat, Gosport Railway Society
- Gosport Railway Station Development Brief (PDF format)
- Places to Visit in Gosport
- Gosport News User Submitted News, Events and Reviews.
- History of Gosport Haslar Hospital
- A Topographical Dictionary of England - 1848
