The earliest record of the town was in 1100 when during a large storm the Bishop of Winchester was saved and given shelter in the village and he suggested its name be changed to "God's Port"

It has always had connections with the Royal Navy and this has played a major part in the development of Gosport and in 1678 a Royal Command had ordered tht the construction of a major defence system be constructed and this was later, in the 18th century extended to include the ordnance depot at Priddy's Hard and then a new victualling depot at Royal Clarence Yard, which eventually led to a line of five forts being built across the peninsula in the 19th century and  they became known as Palmerston's Follies,  and today  Spitbank and Fort Gilkicker are well known landmarks.

The Second World War thundered across Europe and the Luftwaffe left its mark on the area with over 11,000 houses being damaged and around 500 destroyed with a death toll of 111 civilians and 289 people injured.

The town made a major contribution to D-Day as it had three embarkation points , Stokes Bay, Beach Street and Hardway the latter having the honour of being visited in May 1944 by the King, the Prime Minister and Field Marshall Montgomery.

There were also some notable civilians in the town included Henry Cort who was responsible for the development of the 'pudding and rolling' process  that revolutionised the iron industry.

The Railway came to Gosport in 1841 with branch lines to Stokes Bay and Lee on the Solent and it was here at Gosport that Queen Victoria boarded the ship to take her to the Isle of Wight and Osborne House.

Shipbuilding was the major industry and the town thrived with factories producing televisions and other electronic equipment as well as pharmaceuticals but in the 1990s the gradual run down of the defence establishments began.

On 25th August 2004 Gosport celebrated its 800th birthday anniversary with a civic procession ending with a servic

The old railway station at Gosport
(Kindly sent in by Nigel and Lyn Newman)

Gosport's shoreline stretches from Nicholson's Yard to Blockhouse Point and the latter is now a submarine base it then carries on to Haslar Hospital which was once a Naval hospital and was in danger of being closed down and during 2000 it had a lot of local support who helped to keep it there

Holy Trinity church, was constructed of of red brick in 1696, and has  timber arcades, with round columns that are  made out of oak from trees felled at Farnham Castle and given by Peter Mews who was the Bishop of Winchester at the time of the church's construction

Originally set up by Henry Cook 1853 (The Bethel Mission) as a ragged school for the poor, and later a Seamans Mission. The original building was knocked down and rebuilt in 1969.  In May 2000 the building was passed on for Gods work, and has been renamed The Waterside Centre. The Centre now cares for people with learning difficulties, mental health problems, homeless people, or those suffering form drug/alchol abuse.
(photo kindly donated by Sam Pollard)

The Cresecent, Gosport

History before 1700
The improving climate and flat landscape first attracted groups of nomads in prehistoric times, whose stone tools are still found in the gravels at Lee-on-the-Solent, Browndown and along the shores of Portsmouth Harbour. Later, the more fertile soils attracted farmers who gradually cleared much of the forest.

The Parishes of Rowner and Stoake (Alwarestock) are mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. The earliest supposed record of the name Gosport was some years later, when Henry de Bois, Bishop of Winchester, on being rescued from a storm in the Solent asked what place had provided his haven. When told that it was Gosport (then a small fishing village) he remarked that it should from then on be known as God’s Port. At this time, there were also hamlets at Forton, Bury, Brockhurst and Elson, but it was Alverstoke that was to form the peninsula’s main religious and administrative centre for many years. The establishment of a naval dockyard on the Portsmouth side of the harbour was probably the key factor in the development of the Gosport area. Although there is evidence of extensive boat building along the harbour shores, this had little impact on the Borough until the seventeenth century, by which time Gosport town had a Mayor and was granted two fairs a year by its own Charter.

In 1642, early in the Civil War, Lord Goring held Portsmouth for the King whilst the Parliamentarians, held Southsea, the Navy and Gosport. From a hastily positioned cannon on Gosport Hard the gunners severely damaged the Cathedral spire in Portsmouth which was being used as a lookout. Lord Goring surrendered next day, throwing the keys to the Town in the moat. The Cavaliers later had their revenge on Gosport by "firing" the Town with the loss of many houses (based on "The Story of Gosport", L.F. White).

In 1665 Charles II instructed that defences should be constructed to protect the dockyard from landborne attack. His Chief Engineer, Bernard de Gomme, designed a system of ramparts and a protecting moat that would have a significant effect on restricting the size of the town for the next hundred years.

The 18th Century
One of Gosport’s most well known residents was Henry Cort (1740-1800) who had a forge near The Green in the Town. In 1783, he developed and patented the puddling and rolling process of manufacturing iron that was soon to revolutionise the iron industry in this country.

By 1760 the powder magazine in Portsmouth was considered a danger to the many people living nearby and the Board of Ordnance purchased fields on the Gosport side of the harbour, known as Priddy’s Hard. This area was fortified in 1748 and the present magazine and camber were built in 1771. The earlier defences to the Town were in very poor condition so the programme of rebuilding continued, enlarging the defended Town to link up with the new Priddy’s Hard area on the opposite side of Forton lake. These, defences were not completed until 1803 and included a gateway leading to Haslar Hospital (1753).

Within the enlarged defences, privately owned buildings were used for supplying ships, although the area was later purchased by the Navy and would become the victualling yard now known as Royal Clarence Yard. Forton Mill, a tide mill, had been built nearby to provide flour and the remainder of this area was occupied by St. George Barracks. Between 1780 and 1830 the Town developed rapidly, producing some fine buildings, notably in Clarence Square. The tight streets around the Square however provided squalid living conditions and were often patrolled by the naval Press Gangs.

The 19th Century
Robert Cruikshank, a local entrepreneur, planned to develop a seaside spa on land east of the village of Alverstoke. From 1827 to 1831 Thomas Ellis Owen, his architect, designed The Crescent, described as "a piece of grand urban planning of the early nineteenth century….unsurpassed in Hampshire" (Pevsner, 1967). He also designed its flanking villas together with St. Marks Road, where the pumphouse was situated and a garden to the south of the development containing the Bath House (now demolished). The development, although popular with naval officers, was unfortunately never completed. The Crescent’s formal gardens were restored to a Georgian design by the Borough Council and English Heritage in 1991.

The railway came to Gosport in 1841, the main station being in Spring Garden Lane, outside the fortifications. Prince Albert secured permission for a branch to Clarence Yard for Queen Victoria’s use when travelling to Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. A branch line and pier to Stokes Bay were added in 1863 together with a ferry service. The last branch built was to Lee-on-the-Solent in 1894. The now disused railway lines are still evident as is the former terminus at Lee-on-the-Solent.

New Town (or Bingham Town as it was also known) was started in the 1840’s and was the first major development outside the fortifications. The driving force behind this project was the Reverend Richard Bingham B.A., Vicar of Gosport Chapel (now Holy Trinity Church) and the second generation of a notorious local family. Bingham was also a publican, JP, entrepreneur and served six months in prison for fraud! The area has now been redeveloped but Joseph Street and Willis Road are reminders of that period.

In the early nineteenth century, the threat of a full scaled French invasion of the south coast under Napoleon III prompted thoughts of defence again and due to the advances made in artillery technology, the existing defences were considered inadequate to prevent the naval dockyard from coming under attack. An outer ring of defences ordered by Lord Palmerston was started in 1852 with five forts stretching across the peninsula from Gomer to Elson. The Stokes Bay Lines and accompanying Batteries were also constructed, together with Fort Gilkicker on the headland. In the 1880’s the first Victorian terraced houses appeared at Hardway, New Town, Brockhurst and Clayhall between the two lines of fortification. By the end of the century the population had doubled, though fewer were living in the original fortified Town area.

The 20th Century
Boat building had been carried out in Gosport for centuries but probably reached its height between 1900 and 1939 when Camper and Nicholson was synonymous with quality yachts and their famous America Cup contenders for Sir Thomas Lipton (1914) and Tommy Sopwith (1928) in co-operation with the sailmakers Ratsey and Lapthorn. In 1976, Aldey Aluminium built Ted Heath’s "Morning Cloud". Boats were also built and repaired at Ferrol Road and at Hardway.

In 1922 Gosport and Alverstoke Urban District Council became a Borough and annexed Rowner, a small agricultural hamlet centred around its thirteenth century church. The small seaside town of Lee-on-the-Solent was incorporated into the Borough in 1930.

During the Second World War, the Borough played a major role in supplying the Navy and providing the main submarine base. Grange airfield was used to train pilots and HMS Daedalus housed the "Swordfish" torpedo bombers and seaplanes. The Town area suffered considerable war damage during the blitzes of 1941 with more than half its houses damaged. By 1944, the whole area was bristling with activity and equipment as it provided a major embarkation centre for D-Day. Stokes Bay, Lee-on-the-Solent, Hardway and Gosport Town were all used in this massive operation.

The late 1960’s brought redevelopment to the old Town area which swept away most of the older buildings in the Haslar Road area, Clarence Square and New Town. The old fortifications, originally breached in 1901 to build the school and library (now the Museum and SEARCH Education Centre), were completely removed from the south and west of the town and the moats filled.

The Present and the Future
Since the 1960’s, views about town planning have changed dramatically and the Borough Council has been anxious to ensure the conservation of historic buildings, the town’s rich defence and maritime heritage and the natural habitats of the peninsula. There are now no fewer than fifteen Conservation Areas in Gosport, for example, and the Council has produced a Heritage Strategy to protect buildings of special architectural and historic interest.

As the Millennium approaches there is now a terrific opportunity to open up the Gosport Waterfront to the public for the first time in centuries. The Renaissance of Portsmouth Harbour Millennium Scheme, the major development opportunities associated with the release of redundant military sites and the Light Rapid Transit link to Fareham and Portsmouth are described elsewhere on this web site. Together these projects will rejuvenate Gosport, bringing new jobs and prosperity, as well as attractions and leisure facilities for residents and visitors alike. In short, the garrison town at the end of the peninsula is about to change as never before!

The Character of Gosport
(photo: Gosport Tide Clock. Courtesy Gosport Borough Council)

The character of Gosport is greatly influenced by its geography and its position as a peninsula dividing the Solent and Portsmouth Harbour. Its tidal creeks are very distinctive, creating a special sense of identity. Although their margins have gradually been altered through reclamation over the years and adapted for a variety of uses, they remain open spaces essential to the character and identity of their surroundings.
The Alver Valley is characteristic of the "urban fringe" where urban and rural land uses meet to create a vivid edge to the built up area. The high quality of its varied landscape and its open links to the Hamble and Solent are major amenity assets to Gosport and a valuable reminder of the peninsula’s former character.

Stokes Bay, with its sweeping line of trees forming an impressive backcloth, has probably the most natural appearance of any urban beach on the South Coast. No. 2 Battery and the remnants of the old fortifications are a vivid reminder of the Bay’s military history and Stanley Park, together with Bay House and Alverbank House surviving in almost their original settings, ad a sense of grandeur. Lee-on-the-Solent also has a fine coastline with the town centre, promenade and clifflands typifying the character of a 1930’s seaside resort. The views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight and the New Forest shoreline are impressive and full of interest.

In Gosport itself, the Esplanade, with its distinctive tower block entrance to the Borough and Portsmouth Harbour, contrasts with and to some extent conceals some of the remaining delights of the High Street area. The short sea crossing between Portsmouth and Gosport has always been a great interest. In the early days, watermen rowed passengers across before steam ferries, such as the well known "Vadne", became popular. Between 1840 and 1959 small vehicles could be carried across the water on the Floating Bridge to the Ferry Gardens. From the Gardens, the High Street, with its mixture of Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian and modern buildings, forms a distinctive commercial and social centre to the town. Its intimate scale is exemplified by the narrow alleys that lead off the High Street, particularly Bemister Lane.

These general qualities are strengthened by the impact of the naval and military history that surrounds the old town centre. The contribution of St. George Barracks, Royal Clarence Yard, St. Vincents and Walpole Park to the townscape and identity of Gosport is immeasurable. In addition, the remaining Palmerston forts at Elson, Brockhurst, Rowner and Grange (only Fort Gomer has not survived) provide a stark reminder of the perceived threats to Gosport and Portsmouth Harbour in the last century. The presence of Fort Brockhurst in particular alongside the main road into the Borough is impressive.

Elsewhere, the medieval origins of Alverstoke’s street patterns are still apparent. Elson and Hardway have also retained elements of their traditional character, particularly with their views across the moorings in Portsmouth Harbour to Portsdown Hill and the South Downs. Rowner Church and Middle Barn Cottages offer a picturesque centre to the old village, lying in a mature green landscape of copse and open space. This setting contrasts greatly with the Navy’s housing developments to the south.

The above text and photos are courtesy of Gosport Borough Council
http://www.gosport.gov.uk/council/history.htm
More Information about the History of Gosport can be found at the Gosport Museum website - http://www.hants.gov.uk/museum/gosport/index.html

The Place Names of Gosport

Alverstoke. Stoce, Allwardstok. 10th century. Old English stoc - a farm or place. Legend has it that Stoke was given to St. Swithun's Priory in Winchester by the widowed Lady Alwara, the name thus becoming Alwarstoke. The village, with its parish church, continued to be called Stoke until the 1820s when it became known as Alverstoke Village (to distinguish it from Alverstoke Parish). The original form lives on in Stoke Road and Stokes Bay.

Anglesey. Angleseyville. 1820s. An attempt to establish Stokes Bay as a spa and seaside resort, it was endorsed by Henry, first Marquis of Anglesey, hence the name.

Anns Hill. Annswell. 14th century. Annswell probably derives from Old English enadawiell - ducks' stream - reflecting the stream that once flowed into the head of Forton millpond. Later the name transferred itself to a natural spring at the corner of Mill Road with Brockhurst Road. The transformation from well to hill, decades before the first railway bridge, is quite obscure. Perhaps there was once a slight rise in the otherwise flat landscape (now lost to brick-earth excavation) which was ironically called a hill.

Bedenham. Bedeham, Bednam. 13th century. Old English hamm means dry land in marsh, an apt description of this area. The first part may be the personal name Biede.

Bingham Town. 1810s. A speculative development on land laid out by Rev. Richard Bingham. The streets, now mostly demolished, were named after his sons Charles, Henry, Joseph and Elliot. This was the first planned estate in the parish and was inevitably also known as Newtown.

Bridgemary. Bridgmery. 17th century. Old English brig bridge and mere lake. Frater Lake almost certainly stretched as far inland as the start of Brewers Lane (where Bridgemary Pond survived until the twentieth century), thus the main road would have required a bridge.

Brockhurst. 13th century. From Old English hyrst copse, by a broc brook.

Browndown. This coastal expanse in Lee Britten most probably takes its name from the Brune family who had claimed certain rights in the land as part of the Royalty of Richmond Crofton since the fourteenth century.

Burrow Island. 17th century. Burrough Island, Rat Island. Joined to Priddy's Hard by a causeway, the name derives from the fact that the island is within the boundary of the Borough (now City) of Portsmouth. One may surmise that the name Rat Island stems from rats leaving decaying hulks moored in the harbour, heading for the nearest land.

Bury. Berry. 13th century. More likely to derive from Old English bery new farm, than burg which means fortified place.

Camden Town. 1860s. A speculative development with streets named after prominent reforming politicians, including Camden. The area of the same name in London was a speculation by the first Earl Camden.

Chark. Cherc, Cherke, (Cherque). 12th century. The derivation of the name is obscure, possibly from burnt wood (as in charcoal). Cherque is twentieth-century 'Franglais'.

Clarence Town.1850s. Short-lived name for speculative housing in Victoria and Albert Streets off Forton Road.

Clayhall. Clay Hall. Late 18th century. This appears to be an ironic name of a cottage in a brick field.

Dock Village. See Seafield

Elson. Aethelswith tuninga, Elston. 10th century. Aethelswith's tuninga or farm. Queen Aethelswith, who died in 888, was the sister of King Alfred. The name, being rather a mouthful, became shortened to Elston, and again, in the 17th century, to Elson.

Ewer Common. 16th century. Named after the yew tree. See also Haslar, Privettand Oaker (Seafield).

Fleetlands. 14th century. Old English fleot means 'a creek or stretch of sea-water'.

Forton. Fortun, Fortune. 13th century. The farm at the ford. In 1540 a Fordbridge is recorded. The millpond, part of Forton Lake, originally covered the ground where the Criterion bingo hall now stands. The (Forton) road was presumably under water at high tides.

Gomer. Gagol mor, Gamoore, Gale Moor. 10th century. Apparently named after the bog myrtle plant, known locally as sweet gale, which once grew here in abundance in the marshy conditions.

Gosport. Goseport. By 1241. The Manor and Borough of Gosport was carved out of Alverstoke Manor at the beginning of the thirteenth century as a counterpoint to Portsmouth on the opposite side of the harbour. The name apparently derives from gosa, Old English for goose, and port, Latin portus or harbour, 'borrowed' from Portchester, Portsea and Portsmouth. The suggested derivation from gorse is clearly nonsense as gorse is a northern name for what is traditionally called furze in this area. Similarly, 'God's Port' is a nineteenth century romantic invention, but one which has 'official' backing in the form of the town crest with its motto of 'God's Port our Haven'.

Grange. From Quarr Abbey's Grange Farm in Rowner. A large area was acquired by the War Department in the 1850s, and Fort Grange was built. This became part of Grange Airfield (RAF Gosport), on which the Grange estate was built.

Hardway. 18th century. Hards are natural landing places formed when firmer material is left when the adjacent softer stuff is washed away by tidal action. There were several hards at Hardway with names such as Convict Hard, Dutch Hard,Priddy's Hard, and Carter's Hard. The latter is mentioned in 1587.

Haslar. Haselhurst, Haselhorde, Haselworth, Hazeler. One of Alverstoke's tree names: the hazel. See also Ewer Common, Privett and Oaker Common (Seafield).

Hoeford. The stream which drains into Fareham Creek now crosses the main road in a culvert, but the name commemorates the time when there was a ford there. A Holford Bridge is recorded in 1542. This natural feature marks the boundary between the Manors of Alverstoke and Fareham.

Holbrook. This is a modern name arising when Holbrook School moved from its original home, near Holbrook's Farm (known as such in 1573) in Rowner, to what was once called Nalder's Farm, off the Fareham Road.

Lee Britten. Lye. Lee Bruton, (Le Breton). 13th century. Old English leah means wood or clearing. The suffix comes from the Brut or Bret family who owned the manor in the 13th century. This distinguishes it from Lee Marks, to the north and east, owned by the Marks family.

Lee-on-the-Solent. A name invented in 1884 when Sir John Robinson laid out his vision of a new seaside resort on lands mainly in the ancient Manor of Lee Britten.

Leesland. 1860s. A name also seen in Lees Lane. Presumably Lee was a landowner, but there are no obvious candidates in surviving records.

Newtown. Alternative name for Bingham Town. Newton was used for a short time in the 17th century as the name of an area near Bury Cross.

Peel Common. Old English pyll, a pool. The original Peel Common was a wider southern part of Newgate Lane in Fareham Borough. Now a 1960s housing estate and a sewage works.

Priddy's Hard. 18th century. One of the natural landing places at Hardway by land bought from Elizabeth Priddy in 1755 by the Board of Ordnance for fortifications.

Privett. Pryvet, Prevet. 13th century. One of the Alverstoke tree names: the privet.

Rowner. Ruwan oringa, Rughenor. 10th century. A Saxon settlement, later a manor and parish, whose name means 'rough slope or bank'. It is still possible to trace the ancient boundary ditches separating Rowner from Chark (at Sandhill Common), and from a disconnected part of Alverstoke (at Brooker's field).

Sandhill. A perfect descriptive name now totally inaccurate after years of sand and gravel digging.

Seafield. 19th century. Presumably named from the low-lying nature of the area, this was originally Oaker Common, one of the 'tree' names in Alverstoke (see Haslar, Privett and Ewer Common). It was known as Dock Village before the proposal in 1839 to build a ship canal here.

Stoke. See Alverstoke

Weevil. Weevle. 17th century. This cannot be named after the destructive granary-beetle, as the name pre-dates the formation of the government bakery (later the Royal Clarence Victualling Yard). The theory that the bakery was named after a Navy victualling agent is also wrong for the same reason. Perhaps it just means small settlement?

Woodcot. 14th century. Old English wuda cot: cottage in the wood. The clearance of natural woodland in Alverstoke started in the south-eastern parts, gradually progressing north and west.
Woodcot, being furthest away from the water, would have kept its trees longest, although someone obviously set up home in a clearing.

Bibliography
G.B. Grundy. The Saxon Land Charters of Hampshire. (1920s. Typescript in Hampshire Record Office).
J.E.B. Gover. The Place-Names of Hampshire. (1961. Typescript in HRO).
R. Coates. The Place-Names of Hampshire. (1989, Batsford).
E. Ekwall. Oxford Dictionary of Place-Names. (1960, OUP).