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Coordinates: 50°50'N 1°07'W? / ?50.83, -1.12
Portchester is a small suburb to the 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 arguably the finest example of a Roman fort in Western Europe and continued in 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 beautiful parish church [1] and the abundance of historic houses in Castle Street, this suburb is well placed for a multitude of waterfront leisure activities, being only a short distance from the UK's third largest marina at 'Port Solent' (which is home to Europe's second largest gym and health club, including a large outdoor pool) and a short journey from the historic city of Portsmouth and the market town of Fareham.
[edit] Famous residents
Steve Ridgway (http://en.wikipedia.orghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Ridgway) - Chief Executive, Virgin Atlantic Airways
[edit] Transport
Rail
Portchester railway station is owned by South West Trains and has services along the coast to Southampton, Fareham, Portsmouth, Havant, Chichester and Brighton. London services to London Waterloo (via Fareham) and London Victoria (via Chichester) also stop at the station.
Bus services
First Hampshire & Dorset services to Portsmouth, Havant, Fareham, Titchfield, Locks Heath and Warsash
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
- , Sunday Telegraph Issue No:2,409 12th August 2007 [1]
- , 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
(Source: Wikipedia) |