Visit Hampshire Places

Welcome to Visit Hampshire Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Hampshire

  

Hampshire Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Hampshire

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Hampshire history

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Before the Norman Conquest

The region is believed to have been continuously occupied since the end of the last Ice Age about 12,000 BCE. At that time sea levels were lower and Britain was still attached by a land bridge to the European continent and predominantly covered with deciduous woodland. The first inhabitants were Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. The majority of the population would have been concentrated around the river valleys. Over several thousand years the climate became progressively warmer and sea levels rose; the English Channel, which started out as a river, was a major inlet by 8000 BCE, although Britain was still connected to Europe by a land bridge across the North Sea until 6500 BCE. Notable sites from this period include Bouldnor Cliff. Agriculture was being practised in southern Britain by 4000 BCE and with it a neolithic culture. Some deforestation took place at that time, although during the Bronze Age, beginning in 2200 BCE, it became more widespread and systematic. Hampshire has few monuments to show from those early periods, although nearby Stonehenge was built in several phases at some time between 3100 and 2200 BCE. In the very late Bronze Age fortified hilltop settlements known as hillforts began to appear in large numbers in many parts of Britain including Hampshire, and they became more and more important in the early and middle Iron Age; many of them are still visible in the landscape today and can be visited, notably Danebury Rings, the subject of a major study by archaeologist Barry Cunliffe. By that period the people of Britain predominantly spoke a Celtic language, and their culture shared much in common with the Celts described by classical writers. Hillforts largely declined in importance in the second half of the second century BCE, with many being abandoned. Probably around that period the first recorded invasion of Britain took place, as southern Britain was largely conquered by warrior-elites from Belgic tribes of northeastern Gaul, but whether those two events were linked to the decline of hillforts is unknown. By the Roman conquest the oppidum at Venta Belgarum, modern-day Winchester, was the de facto regional administrative centre; Winchester was, however, of secondary importance to the Roman-style town of Calleva Atrebatum, modern Silchester, built further north by a dominant Belgic polity known as the Atrebates in the 50s BCE. Julius Caesar invaded south-eastern England briefly in 55 and again in 54 BCE, but he never reached Hampshire. Notable sites from this period include Hengistbury Head (now in Dorset), which was a major port. The Romans invaded Britain again in 43 CE and Hampshire was incorporated into the Roman province of Britannia very quickly. It is generally believed their political leaders allowed themselves to be incorporated peacefully. Venta became the capital of the administrative polity of the Belgae, which included most of Hampshire and Wiltshire and reached as far as Bath. Whether the people of Hampshire played any role in Boudicca’s rebellion of 60–61 is not recorded, but evidence of burning is seen in Winchester dated to around that period. For most of the next three centuries southern Britain enjoyed relative peace. During the later part of the Roman period most towns built defensive walls; a pottery industry based in the New Forest exported items widely across southern Britain. A fortification near Southampton was called Clausentum, part of the Saxon Shore forts, traditionally seen as defences against maritime raids by Germanic tribes. The Romans withdrew from Britain in 410. Two major Roman roads, Ermin Way and Port Way, cross the north of the county connecting Calleva Atrebatum with Corinium Dobunnorum, modern Cirencester, and Old Sarum respectively. Other roads connected Venta Belgarum with Old Sarum, Wickham and Clausentum. A road presumed to diverge from the Chichester to Silchester Way at Wickham connected Noviomagus Reginorum, modern Chichester, with Clausentum. Records are unreliable for the next 200 years, but at that time southern Britain went from being British to being English owing to settlement of Germanic tribes such as the Angles and Saxons. Hampshire emerged as the centre of what was to become the most powerful kingdom in Britain, the Kingdom of Wessex. Evidence of early Anglo-Saxon settlement has been found at Clausentum, dated to the fifth century. It has been suggested that Germanic settlement in this region was initially controlled and directed by powerful Romano-British trading ports; however, the incomers eventually appear to have dominated the locals, and by the seventh century, most of the population of Hampshire spoke Old English rather than Brittonic. Around this period, the administrative region of “Hampshire” seems to appear; the name is attested as “Hamtunscir” in 755, and Albany Major suggested that the traditional western and northern borders of Hampshire may even go back to the very earliest conquests of Cerdic, legendary founder of Wessex, at the beginning of the sixth century. Wessex, with its capital at Winchester, gradually expanded westwards into Brythonic Dorset and Somerset in the seventh century. A statue in Winchester celebrates the powerful King Alfred, who repulsed the Vikings and stabilised the region in the 9th century. A scholar as well as a soldier, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a powerful tool in the development of the English identity, was commissioned in his reign. King Alfred proclaimed himself “King of England” in 886; but Athelstan of Wessex did not officially control the whole of England until 927.

Middle Ages onwards

There were 44 hundreds, covering 483 named places, recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 which are in present-day Hampshire and part of Sussex . From the 12th century, the ports grew in importance fuelled by trade with the continent, wool and cloth manufacture in the county, and the fishing industry . By 1523 at the latest, the population of Southampton had outstripped that of Winchester . Over several centuries, a series of castles and forts was constructed along the coast of the Solent to defend the harbours at Southampton and Portsmouth .

Hampshire toponymy

Hampshire derives its name from the settlement that is now the city of Southampton. The old name was recorded in the Domesday book as Hantescire, and from this spelling the modern abbreviation “Hants” derives. Hampshire was a departure point for several groups of colonists who left England to settle on the east coast of North America during the 17th century.

Hampshire geography / climate

Hampshire is the largest county in South East England. It is the third largest shire county in the United Kingdom despite losing more land than any other English county in all contemporary boundary changes. At its greatest size in 1890, Hampshire was the fifth-largest county in England.

Geology

Hampshire’s geology falls into two categories . In the south, along the coast is the “Hampshire Basin”, an area of relatively non-resistant Eocene and Oligocene clays and gravels . These low, flat lands support heathland and woodland habitats, a large area of which forms part of the New Forest . The forest is protected as a national park, limiting development and agricultural use .

Natural regions

Natural England identifies a number of national character areas that lie wholly or partially in Hampshire . Hampshire Downs, New Forest, South Hampshire Lowlands, South Coast Plain, South Downs, Low Weald and Thames Basin Heaths .

Hills

The highest point in Hampshire is Pilot Hill at 286 metres (938 ft) There are some 20 other hills exceeding 200 metres (660 ft) above sea level . The substrate is the rocks of the Chalk Group, which form the Hampshire Downs and the South Downs .

Rivers

The Itchen and Test are trout rivers that flow from the chalk through wooded valleys into Southampton Water . Other important watercourses are the Hamble, Meon, Beaulieu and Lymington rivers . The Hampshire Avon links Stonehenge to the sea and forms the modern border between Hampshire and Dorset .

Wildlife

Hampshire’s downland supports a calcareous grassland habitat, important for wild flowers and insects . The River Test has a growing number of otters as, increasingly, does the Itchen . There are wild boar kept for meat in the New Forest, which is known for its ponies and herds of fallow deer, red deer, roe deer, and sika deer .

Climate

Hampshire has a higher average annual temperature than the UK average at 9.8 to 12 °C (49.6 to 53.6 °F) Average rainfall at 640–1,060 millimetres (25–42 in) per year . Hampshire has higher than average sunshine totals of around 1,750 hours of sunshine per year.

You can visit Hampshire places with Walkfo Hampshire to hear history at Hampshire’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Hampshire has 79 places to visit in our interactive Hampshire map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Hampshire, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Hampshire places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Hampshire & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 79 audio facts unique to Hampshire places in an interactive Hampshire map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Hampshire Places Map
79 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Hampshire historic spots	Hampshire tourist destinations	Hampshire plaques	Hampshire geographic features
Walkfo Hampshire tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Hampshire

  

Best Hampshire places to visit

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Hampshire has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Hampshire’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Hampshire’s information audio spots:

St Peter’s Church, Winchester St Peter’s Church is a Roman Catholic church in Winchester, England. It was built in 1924 and designed by Frederick Walters in the Gothic revival style. It is situated on Jewry Street, next to Milner Hall, in the centre of Winchester.

City of Winchester The City of Winchester is a local government district in Hampshire with a city status. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by the merger of Droxford Rural District and part of Winchester Rural District. The 2011 Census recorded the population of the district as 116,600, with a total area of 255.2 square miles.

The Rifles Museum The Rifles Museum is located in Winchester in Hampshire, England. It is part of Winchester’s Military Museums. The museum is the regimental museum of the Rifles.

Lower Barracks Lower Barracks was a military depot of the Royal Hampshire Regiment from its formation in 1881 until it moved out in 1959. It is one of several independent museums that comprise Winchester’s Military Museums.

Peninsula Barracks Peninsula Barracks are a group of military buildings in Winchester, Hampshire. They are located in the Peninsula area of the Peninsula Peninsula. They were built in the 1950s and 1960s.

Winchester Guildhall Winchester Guildhall is a Grade II listed building in Winchester, Hampshire. It is a municipal building in the High Street, Winchester, and is located in the town’s High Street.

Rout of Winchester In 1141, the army of imprisoned King Stephen of England faced the forces of Empress Matilda and her cousin. Her forces were commanded by her half-brother Robert of Gloucester. The Angevin army gave up the siege and was crushed as it began to retreat.

Winchester City F.C. Winchester City Football Club play in the Southern Football League Division One South. Craig Davis is the current manager of the club. The club motto is “Many in Men, One in Spirit”

Wolvesey Castle Wolvesey Castle, also known as the “Old Bishop’s Palace”, is a ruined building in Winchester, Hampshire. It was briefly fortified during the later years of Henry of Blois, the Bishop of Winchester. The palace was the location of the wedding breakfast in 1554 of Queen Mary and Philip II of Spain.

Winchester Castle F.C. Winchester Castle F.C. are an English football team based in Winchester. The club currently plays in the Hampshire Premier League Senior Division. Winchester Castle are affiliated to the Hampshire Football Association.

Visit Hampshire plaques