Hamble-le-Rice
During the second World War the US navy were here preparing for the D-Day invasion of Normandy and the hardened foreshore of Hamble was ideal for the loading of landing craft. Hamble has many links with the military the most famous being the important aircraft works that were established here during World War I.

The parish is one of Hampshire smallest and   comprises of around 950 acres, fifty percent or more is tidal water or foreshore. It lies between the mouth of the Hamble River and the eastern bank of Southampton Water and at the south it is know as Hamble Spit which is a long mud bank that is complete submerged at high tide. The church of St Andrew and the vicarage are close to what used to be an ancient priory and opposite is Hamble House.

Right back to the 15th century the village has been famous for its oysters of which 20,000 are rendered at mid-lent to the monks of St Swithun's as a corrody. There is still a trade in shellfish and mainly lobsters and crabs which are brought from Devon and Ireland and fattened up at Hamble.

  This picturesque village, situated five miles South East of Southampton, and in the north east of the parish  and thanks to its boat building industry and yachting it is world renowned.. Ships have been built here since the reign of Henry III and in the 14th century Hamble was a more important trading centre than nearby Portsmouth.. Once a naval dockyard, in the 1300s it was a hive of industry, building warships including King Henry V's flagship, the 'Grace Dieu', and also a principal trading port.

The foreshore and Southampton Water was a place of great defence from Saxon times right up until D-Day. Now the river, which forms a wide estuary, is a favourite yachting centre with excellent anchorage. There are lovely views of the river from the quay which is an ideal spot to linger and watch the world go sailing by. Or you can take a boat trip up the Hamble river and take in the beauty of the river, see the creeks and tidal inlets, the many marinas, the historical Elephant Boatyard, named after the 18th Century flagship built for Nelson's fleet, and the Jolly Sailor pub at Bursledon.

The High Street and village square have attractive old houses and tiny shops, some of which date back to 1550. It is a popular 'comfort stop' for walkers as the village is halfway along the Solent Way. Tearooms where now one may indulge in delicious home made snacks, were once the workplace of rope and coffin makers. The outskirts of the village, St. Andrews Church and Hamble Common all have many things of interest to see. Several artefacts and memorials still remain in the vicinity of this scenic walk.

Sunset over the Hamble foreshore

    

IMAGES OF HAMBLE

 
The church
 
The Bugle Inn   The Victory Inn
 
The King and Queen public house
 
The Hamble Ferry   The shoreline
 
Anti Submarine Mine now used as a collection box!   The foreshore
 
 
 
Street scenes in the old village
 
The Village Tea Rooms   The War Memorial in the churchyard
 
The grave of Edwin Hodgson Roe, his wife
Annie Sophia Verdon and their son
Sir Edwin Alliot Verdon Roe O.B.E
He was the first Englishman to fly and was the
founder of
Avroe & Co Ltd. He died 14th January 1958 aged 80
 		   One of the first sights to greet the visitor to Hamble