Havant
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Borough of Havant | |
|---|---|
 |
 Shown within Hampshire |
| Geography | |
| Status: | Borough |
| Region: | South East England |
| Admin. County: | Hampshire |
| Area: - Total |
Ranked 294th 55.33 km² |
| Admin. HQ: | Havant |
| Grid Ref.: | SU717062 |
| ONS code: | 24UH |
| Demographics | |
| Population: - Total (2005 est.) - Density |
Ranked 178th 115,300 2,084 / km² |
| Ethnicity: | 98.5% White |
| Politics | |
| Havant Borough Council http://www.havant.gov.uk/ |
|
| Leadership: | Leader & Cabinet |
| Executive: | Conservative |
| MPs: | Michael Mates, David Willetts |
Havant is a town and district in Hampshire on the South coast of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It has good railway connections to London, Portsmouth and Brighton, being served by Havant railway station. The A27 road runs past its Southern side, beyond which lies Langstone, and then Hayling Island. To the north lies Leigh Park, a large council estate suburb which lies within Havant's boundaries, and beyond that Staunton Country Park. To the east is Emsworth, another small town, whilst to the west lies Bedhampton and Portsdown Hill. The A3(M) motorway passes to the west. The old centre of the town dates from Roman times, but the town has grown a lot since World War II, currently forming a conurbation with Langstone, Bedhampton, Leigh Park, Denvilles and Warblington.
The old centre of the town is similar to Chichester, in that it has a cross-shaped layout, with the four streets being named North Street, East Street, South Street and West Street.
There are several natural springs in the area, including one a short distance South-west of the church on West Street.
Much of Havant was destroyed by fire in 1760, leaving only the church and the adjacent late 16th or early 17th century cottages. The cottages are now known collectively as "The Old House at Home", and are now used as a pub. It is claimed that the two main beams in the lounge bar were recovered from the Spanish Armada, and that the "Bear Post" within once had the last dancing bear in England tethered to it. The oldest undisturbed part of St Faiths church date from the early 13th century; some of the foundations however are believed to date from Roman times.
Havant also has one of the more favoured colleges within the Portsmouth district, Havant College, located just to the north of the town centre. This success is partly due to the transport connections Havant has, including bus, train and roads. The main shopping centre is called Meridian Shopping (formerly known as The Meridian Centre), as well as a pedestrianised street in West Street. The old town hall now houses Havant Arts Centre. Havant is home to the local community radio station, Angel Radio which specialises in music and memories of the pre-60s era.
[edit] Sport
The town's senior non-league football side are Havant & Waterlooville F.C., Havant RFC are a successful rugby side and Havant HC are three times winners of the National Hockey League. The latter contributed several players to the British Olympic gold medal winning side of 1988. Havant Hockey Club also contributed two players to the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. The astroturf was provided by the National Lottery Fund.
