Hampshire

I

Introduction

Hampshire (abbreviation, Hants), county, southern England, bounded on the north by West Berkshire, Wokingham, and Bracknell Forest unitary authorities, on the west by Dorset and Wiltshire, on the east by Surrey and West Sussex, and on the south by the English Channel and the Isle of Wight. The Isle of Wight is separated from the mainland by two narrow straits, the Solent and Spithead, and was part of Hampshire until 1980, when it became a separate unitary authority. Under a restructuring of local government, implemented on April 1, 1997, the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth were administratively separated from Hampshire (see Southampton and Portsmouth borough articles). However, the two cities remain part of Hampshire geographically, and for ceremonial and related purposes. Hampshire has a geographical area of 3,769 sq km (1,455 sq mi); the area administered by the county council (that is, excluding Portsmouth and Southampton unitary authorities) is 3,679 sq km (1,420 sq mi). Winchester is the county town and administrative centre of the administrative county.

An important agricultural region, Hampshire administrative county is renowned for the beauty of the New Forest, in the south-west, once a royal hunting ground and now possessing national park status. The county as a whole has important military connections. Portsmouth, on the south coast, has been Britain’s premier naval base since the Tudor age and is also a container and ferry port. Aldershot, established as a military camp in 1855, is regarded as the home of the British Army. The Royal Aerospace (previously Aircraft) Establishment at Farnborough stages an international air show every two years. The port of Southampton, built at the head of Southampton Water, on a peninsula between the mouths of the Itchen and Test rivers, has long been an important point of departure for travellers of all kinds. They have included Richard I on his 1190 crusade and the ill-fated passengers of the Titanic on its maiden voyage in 1912. Today it is a major passenger and container port.

II

Land and Resources

A broad belt of chalkland known as the Hampshire Downs runs from west to east across the centre of Hampshire, up to 240 m (800 ft) high in places. In the north and south are Tertiary rock formations covered by heath and woodland. In the east, the westernmost tip of the South Downs and the Weald extend into Hampshire from West Sussex. The New Forest occupies some 376 sq km (145 sq mi) in the south-west of the county. Rolling grassy downland, gentle river valleys, and trout streams abound in Hampshire. There are some bogs and salt marshes in the south. The principal rivers are the Avon, the Hamble, the Itchen, the Meon, the Stour, and the Test. Southampton Water, an inlet of the sea, and the Solent are sheltered by the Isle of Wight, making them suitable for sailors of all kinds.

The New Forest, declared a royal hunting ground in 1079 by William I, the Conqueror, has long been a source of timber and a region of stock-raising. Oak, beech, and holly predominate, and there is a wide range of flora and fauna. Wild deer still roam, as do the New Forest ponies, which are descended from an indigenous wild breed. The Rufus Stone marks the spot where William II, nicknamed Rufus, was killed by an arrow while hunting. Although the forest is now mainly Crown land, the New Forest Commoners, descendants of those who raised cattle and ponies in Saxon times, still retain grazing rights on unenclosed areas.

Hampshire’s sheltered situation means that it has a mild climate, with few extremes. The average rainfall is about 760 to 1,000 mm (30 to 40 in) a year.

III

Population and Administration

The population of Hampshire as a whole is estimated at 1,644,200; that of the area administered by the county council is about 1,240,032 (2001). The cathedral city of Winchester (2001, 107,213) is the seat of local government. The other main towns of the administrative county are the port of Gosport (2001, 76,414) and Basingstoke (1991, 77,837), in the north. Lyndhurst (1991, 2,381), the unofficial capital of the New Forest, is the main tourist centre.

Until April 1, 1997, Hampshire was administered by a county council and 13 district councils: Basingstoke and Deane, East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Hart, Havant, New Forest, Portsmouth, Rushmoor, Southampton, Test Valley, and Winchester. On that date the City of Portsmouth and City of Southampton unitary authorities were created, with the same administrative areas as the two former district councils. Although the new authorities now became responsible for most aspects of their own government, joint authorities were established for police, fire, and rescue services. The rest of the county has retained the two-tier administrative structure of county and district councils. The administrative changes are the result of recommendations made by the Local Government Commission that was established under the Local Government Act 1992 to review the structure of local government in England. The commission originally recommended that the New Forest district, as well as Portsmouth and Southampton district, should become a unitary authority. The Secretary of State for the Department of the Environment, the government minister responsible for local government, subsequently decided, however, that New Forest would remain a district. Crown Courts sit at Winchester, Portsmouth, and Southampton.

IV

Education and Culture

Higher education within the geographical county focuses on the two unitary authorities, where the University of Southampton (founded in 1952) and the University of Portsmouth (Portsmouth Polytechnic until 1992) are located. Founded in 1840, King Alfred’s College in Winchester was originally a teacher-training institution, but now offers higher education courses in a wide range of disciplines. Winchester College, founded in 1382 by the then Bishop of Winchester, William of Wykeham, was a model for British public schools; its pupils are known as Wykehamists. Bedales, the first British co-educational boarding school, was founded in 1893 as a boys’ school. It first admitted girls in 1898 and was at the forefront of the progressive movement in education.

Writers associated with the county include Jane Austen, who lived at Chawton; Charles Dickens, who was born in Portsmouth; Charles Kingsley, who was curate at Eversley; and Izaak Walton, who is buried in Winchester Cathedral. The naturalist Gilbert White wrote about the village of Selborne, where he lived. In 1972 Richard Adams made Watership Down famous with his book of the same name. Children of the New Forest, written by Captain Frederick Marryat in the mid-19th century and set during the English Civil War, has powerfully evoked this part of England for numerous generations of children.

Hampshire County Cricket Club plays its home games at the County Ground in Southampton. Two professional football clubs are located in the county, Southampton FC and Portsmouth FC. Thruxton motor racing circuit, constructed on the site of a wartime airfield, is near the town of Andover.