Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census.
Eastleigh rail yard in 1984Victorian bandstand in the recreation ground
The modern town of Eastleigh lies on the old Roman road, built in A.D.79 between Winchester (Venta Belgarum) and Bitterne(Clausentum).[4][5][6]Roman remains discovered in the Eastleigh area, including a Roman lead coffin excavated in 1908,[7] indicate that a settlement probably existed here in Roman times.[4][8][9]
A Saxon village called 'East Leah' has been recorded to have existed since 932 AD.[10] ('Leah' is an ancient Anglo-Saxon word meaning 'a clearing in a forest').[10] There is additional evidence of this settlement in a survey from the time which details land in North Stoneham being granted by King Æthelstan to his military aid, Alfred in 932 AD.[4][8][11] The prefix 'Est' or 'East' is thought to refer to its location relative to the established settlement of Baddesley.[4]
The Domesday Book of 1086 gives a more detailed account of the settlement, which is referred to as 'Estleie'.[4]
In 1838 the London and South Western Railway Company (L&SWR) built a railway from Southampton to Winchester.[10][12] It was decided to build a station near the little village of Barton. This railway station was originally named Bishopstoke Junction.[10] In 1868 the villages of Barton and Eastley were combined into one parish.[10] A parish church, the Church of the Resurrection, was built in the same year, at a cost of £2,300.[13] A local noted author of many novels, Charlotte Yonge, donated £500 towards the building of the church.[14] She was rewarded by being given the privilege to choose a name for the 'new' parish; either Barton or Eastly. She chose Eastly, but with a new modern spelling; Eastleigh.[14] In 1891 the L&SWR Carriage and Wagon Works from Nine Elms in London were transferred to Eastleigh. This was followed by the Nine Elms Locomotive Works which were moved there in 1909.
These railway works were closed in 2006 but have since reopened, albeit on a smaller scale.
Eastleigh has seen a rapid and controlled expansion in residential, industrial and commercial development over recent years. The borough of Eastleigh was ranked the "9th best place to live in the UK 2006" by a Channel 4 programme.[15]
Eastleigh Museum, which is to be found in the High Street, holds information about the town and the surrounding villages, including Bishopstoke which had been the largest residential area.
The Anglican parish church is All Saints in Desborough Road.[18] The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Cross was built in Leigh Road in 1902 to replace an early tin church.[19] Emmanuel Baptist Church was founded in the early 1930s, in the former Desborough Mission Hall in Desborough Road. The building dates to 1905.[20]
Eastleigh Baptist Church is situated in Wells Place and was previously called Union Baptist Church.[21] Adjacent to the main church building is the Wells Place Centre, built on the site of a former dairy which itself replaced a bacon factory.[22]
St Andrew's Methodist Church is located in Blenheim Road.[23]
Junction Church has premises in Eastleigh's High Street[24] and Thrive Church meets at the Pavilion on the Park.[25]
Eastleigh F.C. is the town's sole senior football team playing in the National League as well as entering the FA Cup and the FA Trophy. They are known as The Spitfires.[26]
Solent Kestrels
Solent Kestrels are the town and area's basketball club, and compete in the English Basketball League Division 1, the second highest level of the sport in the country, behind the nationwide British Basketball League. The team were promoted to Division 1 in 2016, after finishing as champions of Division 2 in the 2015–16 season. They are coached by Matt Guymon and play home games at the Fleming Park Leisure Centre.
Eastleigh Ladies Hockey Club
Eastleigh Ladies Hockey Club is based in South Hampshire. It fields 2 teams in the Hampshire Women's League (playing Saturdays), as well as playing floodlit and indoor league games (playing on weekdays).
Eastleigh Rugby Football Club
Eastleigh Rugby Football Club play from "the Hub" in Eastleigh. They currently have four senior sides, colts and young player development, their 1st XV currently play in the London 2 South West. Also based at the Hub are "the Hurricanes", a team for young adults with learning difficulties.
Eastleigh Swim Club provides swimming lessons, pool and land training sessions and competitions for young people and adults. The club is primarily based at Places Leisure, Eastleigh and also provides lessons and training at Oaklands Pool in Southampton.[28]
Politics
Eastleigh is represented in the House of Commons by Liberal Democrat MP Liz Jarvis. She was elected in 2024.
The previous MP was Paul Holmes. He was first elected for the constituency at the 2019 general election with a majority of 9,147 votes, taking over from Mims Davies, the Conservative MP who took the seat in 2015.[29]Mike Thornton of the Liberal Democrats was elected at the 2013 by-election with a majority of 1,771 votes following the resignation of Chris Huhne, in a by-election that was closely fought with UKIP coming in second and the Conservatives finishing in third place.
In 2005 Huhne had been elected as the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for the Eastleigh constituency after the previous MP (David Chidgey, also Liberal Democrat) retired. Eastleigh has a tradition of close contests, and Huhne narrowly beat the Conservative candidate Conor Burns with the second lowest swing against the Liberal Democrats of any seat with a retiring MP (2.6%). David Chidgey had succeeded the Conservative MP Stephen Milligan following his high-profile death. Chris Huhne was appointed as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change following the 2010 general election. Huhne resigned the seat in February 2013 after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice over a 2003 speeding case.[30]
Eastleigh Borough Council currently has 34 Liberal Democrats, 3 independent and 2 Conservative Councillors. On 1 April 2021 the town of Eastleigh became a civil parish, having previously been an unparished area within the borough.[31]
Eastleigh is also home to a manufacturing plant owned by Prysmian Cables & Systems.
Transport
Eastleigh railway station in 2009
Air
Southampton Airport is located in Eastleigh; it is the 20th largest airport in the UK. The airport is served by a dedicated main line railway station, Southampton Airport Parkway, which is the next station stop south (5 minutes) from Eastleigh. The airport codes are (IATA: SOU, ICAO: EGHI).
Eastleigh has bus services provided mostly by Bluestar, with Stagecoach operating one service to Winchester.
Road
Eastleigh is located close to the junction between the M3 motorway and M27 motorway, giving easy road access to London, Southampton, Winchester, Bournemouth and Portsmouth.
Swan Centre
The Swan Shopping Centre opened in 1989, and was built in the heart of the town's Victorian 'grid iron' road layout and blocked off Market Street and High Street – although through access was possible for pedestrians while the centre was open. The Swan Centre included a French-style café and a new library[34] (replacing the former library situated in the Park, now used as part of The Point)
Famous people linked to Eastleigh include the painter Mary Beale, Chrystabel Leighton-Porter, the model for the Second World Warcartoon characterJane,[35] and Benny Hill who both lived in the town.[36] Hill's first job was at Woolworths on Leigh Road, Eastleigh. He then moved on to be a milkman for Hanns Dairies, on Factory Road, now Wells Place. His time working in Eastleigh on a horse-drawn milk float gave him his inspiration for his hit record, Ernie, The Fastest Milkman In The West.[37][38] In Hill's honour, a plaque has been put up close to the site of the now demolished Hanns Dairies building[38] and a new road has been named Benny Hill Close, though many of the people who had bought the new homes were not happy with the decision. An alternative suggestion was Cowpat Lane.[39]
^Williams, R. A. (1968) The London & South Western Railway, v. 1: The formative years, and v. 2: Growth and consolidation, David and Charles, ISBN0-7153-4188-X; ISBN0-7153-5940-1
^"Company InformationArchived 10 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine." B&Q. Retrieved on 25 March 2012. "B&Q Plc B&Q House Chestnut Avenue Chandlers Ford Eastleigh Hampshire SO53 3LE "
Clarke, Kathleen (1995). First (ed.). Civic Pride: Engendered and Remembered. Eastleigh: K M Clarke B.A./ Boyatt Wood Press, Southampton. ISBN0-9526565-0-7.
