Widley

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Widley
Christ Church, Widley - geograph.org.uk - 732013.jpg
Hampshire UK location map.svg
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Widley
Location within Hampshire
OS grid reference SU671068
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town PORTSMOUTH
Postcode district PO7
Dialling code 023
List of places
UK
England
Hampshire
50°51′25″N1°02′53″W / 50.85683°N 1.04806°W / 50.85683; -1.04806

Widley is an area of the Greater Portsmouth conurbation in Hampshire, near Waterlooville and Purbrook. It is on the dip slope of the South Downs just north of the ridge called Portsdown Hill.

Contents

Widley is served by the A3(T), trunk road which runs from Portsmouth to London. The main A3 to London (at this point the A3(M) motorway) is very close by, making it commutable by road. Widley is served by Cosham or Havant rail stations.

History

The Norman manor of Widley was held by the De Port and St John families of Cosham, and later passed to the Earls of Albemarle. In 1293, Isabel countess of Albemarle died without heirs and the manor passed back to the St John family. Later it was in the ownership of the Clynton and Uvedale families although the latter lost the manor temporarily in 1605, when accused of recusancy. It stayed in their family until 1766, when it was sold, and then passed by sale rather than inheritance. [1]

The original village of Widley stood approx 1 mile to the west of the current centre, around the site of the present Widley Farm. The settlement moved to be sited on the then newly built Cosham to Horndean turnpike road at the time of the building of the Portsdown forts and Christ Church, which was built as a place of worship for soldiers based in the forts.

The new church of St Mary Magdalen was built in 1849. Remains of the village's former chapel can be found close to Widley Farm; members of Charles Dickens' family, including his younger brother Alfred, are buried in the graveyard.

Governance

Politically, the majority of Widley is part of Purbrook Ward of Havant Borough Council. However, a small strip to the south is part of the City of Portsmouth unitary authority and the most western parts (including Widley Farm) are in the Southwick and Widley civil parish of Winchester City Council.

In 1894 the civil parish was abolished to form Cosham. On 13 October 1921 Cosham parish was renamed "Widley", on 1 April 1932 the parish was abolished and merged with Havant, part also went to form "Southwick and Widley". [2] In 1931 the parish had a population of 961. [3] It is now in the unparished area of Havant and Waterloo.

Fresh water supply in Widley is supplied by Portsmouth Water. Waste water is serviced by Southern Water. The nearest post office is within the Crookhorn Precinct Co-op shop at 8 Purbrook Way, Crookhorn Ln. Others include Purbrook, situated within the Co-op shop at 31 London Road, Purbrook or Cosham Post Office at 13 High Street, Cosham. The nearest fire stations are Cosham (full-time station) and Waterlooville (part-time station).

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Waterlooville is a town in the Borough of Havant in Hampshire, England, approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) north northeast of Portsmouth. It is the largest town in the borough. The town had a population of 64,350 in the 2011 Census. It is surrounded by Purbrook, Blendworth, Cowplain, Lovedean, Clanfield, Catherington, Crookhorn, Denmead, Hambledon, Horndean and Widley. It forms part of the South Hampshire conurbation. The town formed around the old A3 London to Portsmouth road.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsdown Hill</span> Ridge in Hampshire, England

Portsdown Hill is a long chalk ridge in Hampshire, England. The highest point of the hill lies within Fort Southwick at 131 m above sea level. The ridge offers good views to the south over Portsmouth, the Solent, Hayling Island and Gosport, with the Isle of Wight beyond. The hill is on the mainland, just to the north of Ports Creek, which separates the mainland from Portsea Island, on which lies the main part of the city of Portsmouth, one of the United Kingdom's main naval bases. To the north lies the Forest of Bere, with the South Downs visible in the distance. Butser Hill can be seen on a clear day. The hill is formed from an inlier of chalk which has been brought to the surface by an east–west upfold of the local strata known as the Portsdown Anticline.

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Purbrook is a village and local government sub-division located in Hampshire, England. Purbrook is on the outskirts of Waterlooville just north of the Portsmouth city Boundary. Purbrook village is part of Purbrook Ward which also includes Widley and Crookhorn and has a population of 9,281(2001), taking up 7.7% of Havant borough's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Widley</span> Fort in Portsmouth, UK

Fort Widley is one of the forts built on top of Portsdown Hill between 1860 and 1868 on the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom. It was designed, along with the other Palmerston Forts atop Portsdown, to protect Portsmouth from attack from the rear.

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

The River Wallington curves and gently meanders west then south in south-east Hampshire. Rising at sources to north and south of Waterlooville these flow west around Portsdown Hill into a dammed section as the lake in the grounds of Southwick House to unite, then through the village of Southwick then, in that parish, to receive the Beck of similar flow from the north. The river turns south and runs past fields and past the large town Fareham, before entering Portsmouth Harbour, as its main natural watercourse inflow, at Wallington.

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Fort Nelson, in the civil parish of Boarhunt in the English county of Hampshire, is one of five defensive forts built on the summit of Portsdown Hill in the 1860s, overlooking the important naval base of Portsmouth. It is now part of the Royal Armouries, housing their collection of artillery, and a Grade I Listed Building.

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

Southwick is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Southwick and Widley, in the Winchester district, in Hampshire, England. 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the Portsmouth boundary measured from Portsea Island. Homes and farms in the village are influenced by the style of the Middle Ages apart from Church Lodge.

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

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

Bedhampton is a former village, and now suburb, located in the borough of Havant, Hampshire, England. It is located at the northern end of Langstone Harbour and at the foot of the eastern end of Portsdown Hill.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drayton, Hampshire</span> Suburb of Portsmouth, England

Drayton is a residential area of the city of Portsmouth in the English county of Hampshire. Together with Farlington, its parent area, it makes up one of the electoral wards of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway</span> Tram service that ran initially from Cosham to Horndean in Hampshire, England

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Havant</span> Borough and non-metropolitan district in England

The Borough of Havant is a local government district with borough status in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Havant. Other towns and villages within the borough include Bedhampton, Cowplain, Emsworth, Hayling Island, Purbrook, Waterlooville and Widley. The borough covers much of the semi-urban area in the south east of Hampshire, between the city of Portsmouth and the West Sussex border.

References

  1. "Parishes: Widley Pages 171-172 A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 3. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1908". British History Online.
  2. "Fareham Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  3. "Population statistics Widley CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time . Retrieved 23 April 2024.