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The Hampshire Portal

View over Portsmouth from Portsdown Hill
View over Portsmouth from Portsdown Hill
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Hampshire (/ˈhæmpʃər/, /-ʃɪər/ ⓘ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, Dorset to the west, and Wiltshire to the north-west. The city of Southampton is the largest settlement.

The county has an area of 3,769 km2 (1,455 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 1,920,959 in 2024. Southampton is in the south of the county and the city of Portsmouth in the south-east; both are part of a larger conurbation. A second conurbation in the north-east includes Farnborough and Aldershot and extends into Berkshire and Surrey. The remainder of the county is rural, and its principal settlements include Basingstoke in the north, Andover in the north-west, and the city of Winchester in the centre. For local government purposes Hampshire comprises a non-metropolitan county, with eleven districts, and two unitary authority areas: Portsmouth and Southampton. The county historically contained the towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch, which are now in Dorset, and the Isle of Wight.

Undulating hills characterise much of the county. A belt of chalk crosses the county from north-west, where it forms the Hampshire Downs, to south-east, where it is part of the South Downs. The county's major rivers rise in these hills; the Loddon and Wey drain north, into the Thames, and the Itchen and Test flow south into Southampton Water, a large estuary. In the south-east are Portsmouth Harbour, Langstone Harbour, and the western edge of Chichester Harbour, three large rias. The south-west contains the New Forest, which includes pasture, heath, and forest and is one of the largest expanses of ancient woodland remaining in England.

Settled about 14,000 years ago, Hampshire's recorded history dates to Roman Britain, when its chief town was Venta Belgarum (now Winchester). The county was recorded in Domesday Book as divided into 44 hundreds. From the 12th century, the ports settlements grew due to increasing trade with the European mainland resulting from the wool and cloth, fishing, and shipbuilding industries. This meant by the 16th century, Southampton had become more populous than Winchester. In 20th century conflicts, including World War One and Two, Hampshire played a crucial military role due to its ports. (Full article...)

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Clockwise from top: Town centre viewed from Churchill Way at night, The Anvil theatre, Basingstoke railway station, St Michael's Church, high-rise flats in Crown Heights and the AA Building (Fanum House)

Basingstoke (/ˈbeɪzɪŋstoʊk/ BAY-zing-stohk) is a town in Hampshire, situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs. It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status. It is located 30 miles (48 km) north-east of Southampton, 48 miles (77 km) south-west of London, 27 miles (43 km) west of Guildford, 22 miles (35 km) south of Reading and 20 miles (32 km) north-east of the county town and former capital Winchester. According to the 2021 population estimate, the town had a population of 107,642. It is part of the borough of Basingstoke and Deane and part of the parliamentary constituency of Basingstoke.

Basingstoke is an old market town and was mentioned in Domesday Book. At the start of the Second World War, the population was little more than 13,000, and it remained a small market town until the early 1960s. It still has a regular market, but is now larger than Hampshire County Council's definition of a market town.

Basingstoke became an important economic centre during the Second World War. It expanded further in the mid-1960s as a result of an agreement between London County Council and Hampshire County Council. It was developed rapidly along with various other towns in the United Kingdom, in order to accommodate part of the London 'overspill' as perceived under the Greater London Plan in 1944.

It now houses the UK headquarters of Motorola, The Automobile Association, De La Rue, Sun Life Financial, ST Ericsson, Barracuda Networks, Eli Lilly and Company, FCB Halesway part of FCB, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions (the leasing arm of BNP Paribas in the UK) and Sony Professional Solutions. It is also the location of the European headquarters of the TaylorMade Golf Company. Other industries include IT, telecommunications, insurance and electronics. (Full article...)

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Ainslie in 2024

Sir Charles Benedict Ainslie (born 5 February 1977) is a British competitive sailor. Ainslie is the most successful sailor in Olympic history. He won medals at five consecutive Olympics from 1996 onwards, including gold at four consecutive Games from 2000 to 2012.

He is one of three men to win medals in five different Olympic Games in sailing, doing so after Torben Grael and Robert Scheidt, and the second to win four gold medals, after Paul Elvstrøm.

Ainslie is CEO of Athena Sports Group which includes the roles of team principal, CEO and skipper of Athena Racing and CEO of the Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team. He is also a Patron of the 1851 Trust, a British charity that supports young people in sailing and STEM education. (Full article...)

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Subcategories

Hampshire
Hampshire-related lists
Buildings and structures in Hampshire
Burials in Hampshire
Crime in Hampshire
Culture in Hampshire
Economy of Hampshire
Education in Hampshire
Environment of Hampshire
Films shot in Hampshire
Geography of Hampshire
Hampshire folklore
Health in Hampshire
History of Hampshire
Mass media in Hampshire
Military in Hampshire
New Forest folklore
Organisations based in Hampshire
People from Hampshire
Politics of Hampshire
Religion in Hampshire
Science and technology in Hampshire
Ships built in Hampshire
Sport in Hampshire
Tourist attractions in Hampshire
Transport in Hampshire
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More articles: Business in Hampshire | Geology of Hampshire | History of Hampshire | Portsmouth | Recreational walks in Hampshire | Southampton | Winchester

Lists: List of churches in Hampshire | List of further education colleges in Hampshire | List of Parliamentary constituencies in Hampshire | List of places in Hampshire

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Expand: Abbots Worthy | Cadnam | Chartwell Green | List of churches in Hampshire | Deane, Hampshire | East Hampshire | Farnborough Airfield | Geography of Gosport | Micheldever | Monks Brook | More...

Create: Baddesley Manor | Chilworth Manor (currently a redirect) | Gosport and Fareham Omnibus Company

Find references for: Accord of Winchester | Aldershot | Alton, Hampshire | Alverstoke | Andover, Hampshire | Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington | Bedales School | Bitterne Park School | Boyatt Wood | Brenda Rawnsley | Brian Murphy (actor) | Brockenhurst | C. B. Fry | Calleva Atrebatum | Cantell Secondary School

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