Portchester
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Coordinates: 50°50′31″N 1°07′12″W / 50.842°N 1.12°W
| Portchester | |
 Portchester
Portchester shown within Hampshire |
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| OS grid reference | SU6105 |
|---|---|
| District | Fareham |
| Shire county | Hampshire |
| Region | South East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | FAREHAM |
| Postcode district | PO16 - PO17 |
| Dialling code | 023/01329 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | Fareham |
| List of places: UK • England • Hampshire | |
Portchester is a locality and suburb 10km northwest of Portsmouth, England. It is part of the borough of Fareham in Hampshire. Once a small village, Portchester is now a busy part of the expanding conurbation between Portsmouth and Southampton, on the A27 main thoroughfare. Its population according to the 2001 Census was approximately 17,000 residents.
The fort of Portus Adurni, now Portchester Castle, is considered the finest example of a Roman fort in Western Europe, and saw continued use over the next sixteen centuries. The Roman walls enclose a Norman keep and a church. The name Portchester is of partly Roman origin, from Latin portus (a harbour) and Old English ceaster (Roman town or castle).
As well as the castle, its parish church[1] St Mary's[2] and the abundance of historic houses in Castle Street, this suburb is well placed for waterfront leisure activities, being only a short distance from the UK's third largest marina at 'Port Solent', and from the historic city of Portsmouth and the market town of Fareham.
Contents |
[edit] Amenities
[edit] Public open spaces
[edit] Schools
- Portchester Community School - mixed comprehensive community school for 11–16 year olds.
[edit] Notable residents
- Neil Astley, publisher and founding editor of Bloodaxe Books, born in Portchester
- Emily Farmer, watercolour painter[3]
- Neil Gaiman, author, born in Portchester[4]
- Steve Ridgway, Chief Executive, Virgin Atlantic Airways
- Juno Jakob, Musician and Filmmaker
- Mike Hancock, MP for Portsmouth South and Councillor for Fratton ward, has lived here for over 30 years.
[edit] Transport
[edit] Rail
Portchester railway station is managed and operated by South West Trains with frequent Southern Railway services. Services run along the coast to Southampton, Fareham, Portsmouth, Havant, Chichester and Brighton. London services to London Waterloo (via Fareham) and London Victoria (via Barnham) also stop at the station.
[edit] Bus services
First Hampshire & Dorset services to Portsmouth, Havant, Fareham, Titchfield, Locks Heath and Warsash
[edit] Road
The A27 road cuts through the centre of Portchester running east/west between Fareham and Cosham on the northern outskirts of Portsmouth. Access to the M27 motorway is via Junction 11 at Fareham or Junction 12 at Port Solent
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ [1] Sunday Telegraph Issue No:2,409 12th August 2007
- ^ [2] St Mary's Portchester
- ^ B. S. Long, "Farmer, Emily (1826–1905)", rev. Charlotte Yeldham, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 accessed 8 Aug 2007
- ^ What's fame got to do with it?, Frances Atkinson, The Age, July 24, 2005
