Hamble-le-Rice

Last updated

Hamble-le-Rice
Village
Bus in The Square - geograph.org.uk - 1464808.jpg
The Square, Hamble
Hamble crest.jpg
The village crest
Hampshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Hamble-le-Rice
Location within Hampshire
Population4,695 (2011 Census)
OS grid reference SU479066
Civil parish
  • Hamble-le-Rice
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Southampton
Postcode district SO31
Dialling code 023
Police Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Fire Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Ambulance South Central
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Hampshire
50°51′25″N1°19′15″W / 50.85694°N 1.32084°W / 50.85694; -1.32084

Hamble-le-Rice, commonly known as Hamble, is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. It is best known for being an aircraft training centre during the Second World War and is a popular yachting location. The village and the River Hamble also featured in the 1980s BBC television series Howards' Way . The village centre, known as The Square, Hamble, has a more traditional English village aesthetic which differentiates it from the small industrial areas (mostly marinas) close to the village.

Contents

Location

Hamble-le-Rice is on the south coast of England, south-east of Southampton at the tip of the Hamble peninsula, bounded by Netley, Butlocks Heath, Bursledon, Southampton Water and the River Hamble.

History

Although previously known as "Hamble", "Hamelea", "Hammel", and "Ham-en-le-Rice", the village's official name is now Hamble-le-Rice. [1] The name "Hamble" is still in common usage. On 27 April 1992, the civil parish was renamed from "Hamble" to "Hamble-le-Rice". [2] To the south of the village, lies the site of an Iron Age promontory hillfort, Hamble Common Camp.

The place-name 'Hamble-le-Rice' is first attested in a French document of 1147, where it appears as Amle. It appears as Hamele in 1270, and as hamele in the Rys in 1404. The village takes its name from the River Hamble; the Rice is the Old English hrīs meaning 'brushwood' or perhaps by extension 'scrubland', and of which the modern form is the word rushes . Thus a modern form of the name might be 'Hamble-in-the-Rushes'. [3]

The area is home to the remains of a defensive structure dating to the reign of King Henry VIII. [4] Known as St Andrew's Castle, investigations suggest that it consisted of a rectangular structure fronted by a gun platform with a semi-circular layout. [4] The structure was protected by a moat, with a two gun platforms mounted on the counterscarp. [4] The structure was intact as late as the early 17th century. [5]

Aerospace

Hamble-le-Rice was the home of a major flying school before and during the Second World War for aircraft including the Spitfire, the Lancaster and the Wellington. Over 500 aircraft were built there including the prototype Armstrong Whitworth Ensign and Albemarle, which were first flown in 1938 and 1940. In 1960 the Air Corporations Joint Training Scheme (later, British Airways) fixed wing and helicopter training school was established there, as the Hamble College of Air Training. The south airfield has long since disappeared [6] and the north airfield has been partially developed as housing; the remainder is overgrown and owned by property developers Persimmon.

The aviation industry retains a large interest in Hamble-le-Rice, with the Hamble Aerostructures factory, now a subsidiary of the Spanish company Aernnova, in Kings Avenue. [7]

The following units were here at some point: [8]

Industrial areas

Hamble-le-Rice is home to three main marinas offering marine services and goods to the boating industry. In addition, large factories and smaller industrial units off Ensign Way and Hamble Lane are used by CooperVision, BP, Hoyer, GE and others. Some of these businesses are 24-hour operations with large numbers of staff who commute to work. The fuel terminal itself is not visible from the B3397: there was extensive development in the early 2000s when wartime hangars were demolished and high-density housing built next to the road, near the terminal. The Royal Yachting Association (RYA), a non-profit organisation, has its offices in Hamble.

Schools

There are two schools in Hamble-Le-Rice:

The River and Environment

Hamble-le-Rice is a boating mecca: the nearby River Hamble is often packed with marine traffic and, during the summer, the whole village is crowded with people out enjoying the water, local restaurants and many pubs. The village and its river is one of the many locations that made up the fictional village of Tarrant, in the BBC television series Howards' Way , shown weekly on BBC One in the late 1980s.

Hamble-le-Rice is home to a common, a variety of estuary wildlife, and other scenic walks.

Fuel terminal

This WWII Anti Aircraft emplacement on Hamble Common protected the fuel terminal and jetty (both visible in background) HambleAntiAircraft.JPG
This WWII Anti Aircraft emplacement on Hamble Common protected the fuel terminal and jetty (both visible in background)

Hamble fuel terminal was opened by Shell in 1924, whilst BP was still afloat using a converted passenger liner as a fuel tender. In 1930 the two companies formed a joint venture and BP moved to Hamble. This partnership was dissolved in 1976, with the Hamble terminal passing to BP. [10] A 2016 attempt to sell off the terminal was unsuccessful; however Hoyer now handles BPs bulk fuel road transport operation. [11]

A pipeline runs under Southampton Water from the Fawley oil refinery which supplies the BP fuel terminal at Hamble. This fuel terminal was used to supply PLUTO, during the invasion of Europe in World War II. [12] The PLUTO pipeline started at Shanklin on the Isle of Wight and was supplied by ship from Hamble. [12] The jetty at this fuel terminal was extended in 1943/44 so that more ships could be loaded simultaneously. [12]

Fuel is transported from this depot both day and night, in particular early mornings (between 3am and 6am), by 44 tonne road tankers along the B3397, as well as by pipeline to major industry and airports. Markers showing the route of the pipeline can be seen at various points in neighbouring Botley. A now disused branch line ran from the terminal to the Portsmouth to Southampton railway. This is now the scenic Strawberry Trail.

The Hamble Peninsula has one main access road, the B3397, Hamble Lane, which is approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) long and goes straight through the village from the junction with the A27 Portsmouth road. Hamble Lane has had numerous incidences of traffic accidents. [13] and at its intersection with Portsmouth Road an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) exists to monitor nitrogen dioxide traffic pollutants. [14] The B3397 is a very high volume road; a traffic count in March 2003 showed around 16,300 vehicles in a 24-hour period. [13] Daily traffic congestion and slow moving queues are due to the large number of inbound and outbound commuters, on staggered work shifts. Many businesses supply local companies as BP Oil UK, CooperVision and GE Aviation and minor industry and services within the four marinas and industrial areas off Ensign Way. Road oil and petrol tankers form the bulk of the heavy goods vehicles along this road, numbering a few hundred vehicle movements per day.[ citation needed ] The village is served by Hamble railway station, about two miles from the centre of the village, which provides hourly services to both Southampton Central and Portsmouth Harbour. [15] It is also linked by a pedestrian ferry to Warsash, and has frequent bus services to Southampton - the '15' provided by Bluestar, [16] via Netley and Woolston. There is also a service, the '49h', to Hedge End, provided by Stagecoach South. [17]

People

Sport and leisure

The main sporting activity in the village is sailing with it being the centre of UK offshore sailing and a hub for inshore yacht and keelboat racing. This is partly due to its mainland location and closeness to Cowes on the Isle of Wight. There are three sailing clubs within the village:

In addition Warsash Sailing Club based on the other side of the river also contributes significantly to sailing activities within the village hosting the annual spring series championship and other regattas. Together with offshore racing primarily organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club and the Junior Offshore Group.

The Royal Yachting Association, the sport's national governing body, has had its headquarters in the village since the early 2000s, when it moved from Eastleigh to a new purpose-built building.

The village has two non-league football clubs; Folland Sports and Hamble Club, both of which play in the Wessex League.

A speedway training track used to operate at Hamble in the early 1950s. There is now a sports college in Hamble to provide recreation and leisure.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Hamble</span> River in south Hampshire, England

The River Hamble is located in south Hampshire, England. It rises near Bishop's Waltham and flows for 10.1 km (6.3 mi) through Botley, Bursledon, and Lower Swanwick before entering Southampton Water between Hamble Common and Warsash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton Airport</span> Airport in Southampton, England

Southampton Airport is an international airport located in both Eastleigh and Southampton, Hampshire, in the United Kingdom. The airport is located 3.5 nautical miles north-north-east of central Southampton. The southern tip of the runway lies within the Southampton unitary authority boundary with most of the airport, including all of the terminal buildings, within the Borough of Eastleigh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Eastleigh</span> Non-metropolitan borough in England

The Borough of Eastleigh is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England. It is named after its main town of Eastleigh, where the council is based. The borough also contains the town of Hedge End along with several villages, many of which form part of the South Hampshire urban area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton Water</span> Tidal estuary in England

Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point, where the estuaries of the River Test and River Itchen meet. Along its salt marsh-fringed western shores lie the New Forest villages of Dibden, Hythe and Fawley, and the Fawley Refinery. On the slightly steeper eastern shore are the Southampton suburb of Weston, the villages of Netley and Hamble-le-Rice, and the Royal Victoria Country Park. To the south, Southampton Water enters the Solent between Calshot Spit and Hill Head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moi Air Base</span> Military airport east of Nairobi, Kenya

Moi Air Base, formerly known as RAF Eastleigh and Eastleigh Airport is a military airport located to the east of Nairobi, in the Eastleigh suburb. The airport is used by the Kenya Air Force. Additionally, the airfield is the home of the East African School of Aviation run by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, which was established at the airport in 1954 as the DCA training school. The airport is also used to train Kenyan Air Cadets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Coastway line</span> Railway line in England

The West Coastway line is a railway line in England linking the conurbations of Brighton/Hove/Littlehampton and Southampton/Portsmouth, with 1.3 million people between them. It has short southward branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis, which offer direct services to and from London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solent Way</span> Long-distance footpath in Hampshire, England

The Solent Way is a 60-mile (97 km) long-distance footpath in Hampshire, southern England. With the exception of a few inland diversions, the path follows the coast of the Solent, the sea strait that separates the mainland from the Isle of Wight. The Solent Way forms part of the E9 European Coastal Path, which runs for 5000 km (3125 miles) from Cape St Vincent in Portugal to Narva-Jõesuu in Estonia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bursledon</span> Human settlement in England

Bursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby villages include Swanwick, Hamble-le-Rice, Netley and Sarisbury Green.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netley</span> Village in Hampshire, England

Netley, officially referred to as Netley Abbey, is a village on the south coast of Hampshire, England. It is situated to the south-east of the city of Southampton, and flanked on one side by the ruins of Netley Abbey and on the other by the Royal Victoria Country Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warsash</span> Village in southern Hampshire, England

Warsash is a village in southern Hampshire, England, situated at the mouth of the River Hamble, west of the area known as Locks Heath and south of Sarisbury. Boating plays an important part in the village's economy, and the village has a sailing club. It is also home to the Warsash Maritime Academy, part of Southampton Solent University, which provides training for Merchant Navy Officers from around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastleigh (UK Parliament constituency)</span> UK Parliament constituency since 1955

Eastleigh is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Paul Holmes, a Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamble railway station</span> Railway station in Hampshire, England

Hamble railway station is an unstaffed station near the village of Hamble-le-Rice, England. It is served by a 2-track electrified line which joins the Southampton to London main line, in the direction of Southampton at St Denys in Southampton, and joins the line running east from Eastleigh at Fareham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Micheldever railway station</span> Railway station in Hampshire, England

Micheldever railway station, in the village of Micheldever Station, serves Micheldever and the surrounding area in Hampshire, England. It is a flint building with an added veranda. The station is on the South West Main Line, 58 miles 4 chains (93.4 km) down the line from London Waterloo towards Southampton and is managed by South Western Railway. The station is near the A303 Basingstoke to Andover road approximately 2.5 miles (4 km) from the village.

The RS Vareo is a modern, single-handed sailing dinghy raced throughout the UK at both club and national level. The RS Vareo is a hiking singlehander with an asymmetric spinnaker.

The Southampton–Fareham line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of Hampshire. As a through line it came late in British Railway history, traversing unpromising coastal terrain. The first part from Portswood, near Southampton, to Netley was opened in 1866, prompted by the establishment of the Royal Victoria Hospital at Netley, which had been established for the care of wounded soldiers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Southampton</span> Passenger and cargo port in Southampton, England

The Port of Southampton is a passenger and cargo port in the central part of the south coast of England. The modern era in the history of the Port of Southampton began when the first dock was inaugurated in 1843. After the Port of Felixstowe, Southampton is the second largest container terminal in UK, with a handled traffic of 1.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). It also handles cruise ships, roll-on roll-off, dry bulk, and liquid bulk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke & Co</span>

Luke & Co was a boatbuilding firm, established in 1829 in Limehouse near London. They moved to Oakbank at Itchen Ferry in 1868, and in 1895, settled at Hamble. At Hamble, they designed and built yachts of all sizes, as well as providing all kinds of services to the yachts visiting or having a berth at the river. The river Hamble was a popular place to "lay up" yachts for the winter.

HMS <i>Tormentor</i> (WWII shore establishment) WWII training establishment

HMS Tormentor was a shore establishment of the British Royal Navy during World War II, based near Warsash, on the River Hamble.

Hamble Valley is a proposed constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it will first be contested at the next general election.

References

  1. ↑ "A brief history of Hamble". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  2. ↑ "Southampton Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  3. ↑ Eilert Ekwall, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names, p. 214
  4. 1 2 3 Osborne, Mike (2011). Defending Hampshire The Military Landscape from Prehistory to the Present. The History Press. p. 57. ISBN   9780752459868.
  5. ↑ Osborne, Mike (2011). Defending Hampshire The Military Landscape from Prehistory to the Present. The History Press. pp. 58–59. ISBN   9780752459868.
  6. ↑ "Hamble Airfields". Archived from the original on 6 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "AERNNOVA TO ACQUIRE GE AVIATION'S HAMBLE BUSINESS UNIT". Aernnova Aerospace S.A. 4 October 2019.
  8. ↑ "Hamble". Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust . Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  9. ↑ "The Hamble School – Achieving Excellence Together". Thehambleschool.co.uk. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  10. ↑ "BP in Hamble". Hamble.net. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
  11. ↑ Martin, Ben (20 July 2016). "BP eyes sell-off of UK oil terminals and pipeline stake". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 Hampshire and D-Day. Martin Doughty. 1994. ISBN   1-85741-047-5
  13. 1 2 "Hamble Lane Speed Limit Review" (PDF). Meetings.eastleigh.gov.uk. August 2003. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ↑ "15 - Southampton - Woolston - Netley - Hamble".
  17. ↑ "49h - Hedge End Park - Hamble Square via Bursledon Tesco, Netley".
  18. ↑ van der Merwe, Pieter (15 January 2000). "Obituary – Michael Robinson 1910 – 1999". Erithyachtclub.org.uk. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010..
  19. ↑ McNeil, Paul (27 June 2016). "The Krays on The Hamble Peninsula". Timedetectives.blog. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  20. ↑ "Hamble River Sailing Club : Club History". Hrsc.org.uk.
  21. ↑ "RAFYC Home - The Royal Air Force Yacht Club". Rafyc.org.uk.
  22. ↑ "Royal Southern Yacht Club : Club History". Royal-southern.co.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.