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An Introduction to Hampshire

Hampshire (shortened as Hants). is situated in South - central England.  It is an agricultural county, devoted to corn production and dairy farming as well as market gardening.

There is evidence of prehistoric and Roman settlement and Hampshire was once part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex. It has numerous historical and literary associations.

Within its boundaries are two of Britains leading ports at Southampton and the historic Portsmouth with its long naval association. For the visitor, a good many of the attractions in Hampshire are of military origin and we have provided a whole section on military museums.

The capital of the county is Winchester.  No visit to Hampshire would be complete without seeing Winchester Cathedral. The Cathedral has its origins in the 7th century, when a Christian Church was first built on this site. Since then it has played a fundamental part in the life of this ancient city

Southampton the largest town in the county is famous as the departing point for the infamous TITANIC. In addition this old port  provides a tour of the old city walls and the Museum of Archaeology reveals the story of Southampton and its Roman Saxon and Medieval origins near the meeting point of the Test and Itchen rivers. The city's museums tell the story of town life, the growth of the modern port and the development of the flying boats. The Southampton Maritime Museum, for example, features an exhibition devoted to the story of the Titanic.

Portsmouth & its Historic Dockyard

Portsmouth has long been associated with the British Navy. In 1194, King Richard I ordered the construction of a dockyard in Portsmouth, and granted the town its first charter, . Henry VII initiated the construction of the world's first dry dock in the dockyard in 1495.  Henry VIII made the dockyard his fleet construction centre, and when Charles II created the Royal Navy in 1670, he gave Portsmouth the status of Royal Dockyard. In 1800 the yard was the world's largest industrial complex. The age of mechanisation provided the world's first steam powered factory, the Blockmills, opened in 1802 to mass-produce ship pulley blocks. Portsmouth Royal Dockyard's greatest achievement was only, however, reached with the construction of the Dreadnoughts at the beginning of the 20th Century. HMS Dreadnought built in record time was the first major warship with steam turbines.

The dockyard now houses three significant warships: 

HMS Victory was the flagship of Vice Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar (21st October 1805) and of Admiral Sir John Jervis at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent (14th February 1797) is the most famous warship in the world. This ship is the only remaining 18th Century warship anywhere in the world and is the oldest serving Royal Navy ship in commission. HMS Victory was ordered in 1758, the same year in which Horatio Nelson was born.

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