h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi
Great I enjoyed this entry

Defence of the realm Section
Portsdown hill forts including the artillery museum at fort Nelson
Southwick house D-Day HQ
And about the best Saxon shore fort at Portchester

Very impressive. An excellent entry

Thanks Bob.

Are you local to the area?

It was a case of "what to leave out" with the coastal defences. I'm very familiar with them, but I think Palmerston's Follies should have a separate entry to do them justice. I do mention coastal defences in passing, and also Portchester Castle, which was originally Roman of course. Now that's something else which deserves a guide entry. It was a Napoleonic PoW camp if I remember correctly.

Can tourists visit Southwick House? It was part of HMS Dryad when I worked down there - I remember using the tennis courts.

Icy

no they cant by the way the old house was the HQ for Parliament in the ECW.
Did you know one of the 1066 landings was in Fareham creek, and there is a Norman Motte in Gosport near the municipal dump.

I wasn't aware of the Norman motte in Gosport (and I don't know where the municipal dump is - Reefgirl lives there, so she's probably seen it).

The 1066 landing at Fareham rings a bell - I used to live nearby.

We're certainly collecting lots of defence-related stuff in the wider Portsmouth area. The offshore forts have always fascinated me too - see http://www.spitbankfort.co.uk/ for a great picture of Spitbank.

top of military road a short walk from the "cocked hat" PH south of the old RN housing estste. Just off Little Woodham lane In the trees.

How about fort Charles and fort George (I think) near Portcheser

OK thanks Bob,

It's obviously too much to add to the Hampshire article - it would unbalance it for one thing. But if we continue to post further ideas here, then I'm sure one of us, or anyone else reading this can have a crack at a coastal defences entry.

Icy

No not for the article conversation point only, have you herd of them they were apparantly on islands in the harbour.

How about some sort of joint entry.

It's not something I can do immediately - I'm fairly busy at work these days, and I've got a few other entries on the go that I would want to complete first, but there's no reason why not. I'm not very quick at writing, so don't wait for me - just get cracking if I've gone quiet. In the meantime I'll keep collecting material when I get time.

Like Southsea castle - built by Henry VIII in 1545. I should look at the English Heritage guide, shouldn't I? (finds book)

Let's see - Fort Cumberland, Fort Brockhurst, Portchester Castle, and over the Southampton side there's Calshot Castle. Even further there's Hurst Castle.

Palmerston built Forts Purbrook, Widley, Southwick and Nelson on Portsdown Hill (were there others not already mentioned?)

Ok
Do we put the IOW into the context of Hampshire or not

I don't see why not. There is already a lot of IOW stuff in the Edited Guide, so it's worth checking before writing.

I would suggest that any fortification designed to protect the strategic harbours (Portsmouth & Southampton) and approaches would be in scope. What do you think?

(must dash now, btw - speak later )

Hi
Good approach and that will leave scope for the inland fortifications later. That might mean some overlap into Dorset & Sussex to give the full picture. There will be about 3/4 entries here plenty of scope.

And the best way is likely to be by era eg. Roman Saxon and so on any ideas.

Bobstafford

By era sounds good. I suppose an alternative would be by location, but then maybe that can be a sub-division. Era is much better.

List of eras then:

Roman, (Portchester)
Saxon (I read there were three including Portchester - need to find the others)
Norman
Mediaeval??? I don't think Edward I came anywhere near, did he?
Tudor (Southsea Castle etc)
Civil war period
Napoleonic period???
Palmerston's Follies
World War I?
World War II
Anything since? (I don't think they've installed laser weaponry at the top of the Spinnaker tower, but you never know)

Any obvious ones I've missed?

Hi I need acoffee That will do nothing missing.
Roman, (Portchester)
Saxon (I read there were three including Portchester - need to find the others)
No 7 in all from Portchester to Branodunum on the north Norfolk coast.
Norman
Ok there is a load of research to do here
Mediaeval
No but there was a stack of re furbishment
Tudor
Yes plenty and the big one the move from longbow to the gun and canon
Civil war period
Yes Cherriton down Alton Portsmouth Basing
Napoleonic period???
Re furbishment again and defence of the dockyard do we include the wooden wall.
Palmerston's Follies
Not my period of interest
World War I?
Not my period of interest
World War II
do we tackle the tank traps pill boxes as well

Well that will give a few weeks work what bits do you fancy as special interest.
Reefgirl can she confirm the location
Yes it is a great picture of Spitbank.

NB Cv Lived in Averstoke, Odiham, Gosport, Stubbington and stays at Arreton IOW

You?


Bobstafford

Forgot do we include the Hampshire hillforts in the Roman era

Hi

Just a quick count there were some 44 forts castles and batteries around the solent
Spit Bank, House Sand, No Mans Land and St Helens were in the solent. And it was forts James and Charles on islands in the harbour

Southsea Lumps and Cumberland (with Eastney Battery)to the west and Blockhouse Monkton and Gilkicker (with Stokes Bay Lines and Brown Down Battery) to the east

5 Forts on Portsdown hill with Farlington redoubt. And another 5 forts connected by Fort Fareham protectong the Gosport approach served by Military Road (giving 11 in all) and every one has its own style.

Hi Again
Bother I pressed post The point I am trying to make is how do we cover this and do it justice....
By the way there 3 Roads called Military Road in Gosport and I think that Titchbourne Way was re maned as it looks like Military Road continued at one thme to serve fort Elson.

Any way there is no other arer in the world that was as well fortified we need to do this justice


I look forward to your comments.

Although Jane Austen is indeed buried at Winchester Cathedral. I am sorry but evidence points to King Alfred being buried at Hyde (Near North Walls Rec').

You also seem to have a lot of questions here about fortifications, I think you should also mention other details about the county. Not a lot of mention about Winchester's historic role, not only as Capital for a while of England, but the role of the Bishop of Winchester, once I understand the richest man in England. Hardly any mention of the Supermarine works and its most famous product, or where that flew from. Or the Seaplane that preceded it. Up to the 1970's the last 'Flying Princess' was still in a Southampton scrap yard, some mention of the plane would be nice. And lastly if we are talking about Hampshire, how about an explanation of how Hampshire people are called 'Hogs'?

I will come back to see if any of these suggestions have been followed up.

Good comments so thats a 3 volume entry then
The fortification
Palmerstons follies
and a full history of Hampshire we will I think have a go at the first 2 and then do number 3 ETA looks like aboue 2009 unless any one else wants to help, join in or feed us information on thair area of interest.....
Hampshire Hog
A pub The Hampshire Hog, 227 King Street, London.
or
The Hampshire Hog is one of the oldest breeds of American hogs
or
It has nothing to do with pigs but is a corruption of 'hogget' the name given to a yearling sheep. The rolling Hampshire Downs were and still are grazed by vast numbers of sheep and the Hampshire Downs breed is famous the world over. Weyhill Fair was for many hundreds of years the largest sheep fair in England

PS the last pagan area of England was Hampshire the IOW Christianity was established by killing 80% of the pagan population.

And there will be no mention of football a subject best left to those with an interes.

BS

Hi Saints76!

Yes, this conversation seems to have been hijacked by myself and Bob Stafford doing some groundwork for a future entry on Solent fortifications. I have no intention of adding the material to the Hampshire entry.

Thank you for your suggestions. I'll check out the King Alfred burial site. Yes the Supermarine works should be mentioned - I'll do that. I saw the Battle of Britian memorial flight at Farnborough this weekend - Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster - impressive stuff. (I didn't go to the airshow, I just live nearby). Bishop of Winchester? - I'll do some research and see whether it looks like it would fit in. We already have a Winchester entry - maybe it should be an update to that - I'll see.

Hampshire hogs. Yes. I'll look into that too. The cricket team called themselves the Hawks for some strange reason. Hogs would have been better.

I'm guessing you're from Southampton with that moniker. If you feel inspired, then the guide really needs a Southampton entry!

Icy

I should have read your last post before I replied to the other one Bob. Thanks for the Hogs info.

I'd love to mention football, but it would look better in the city entries, to be honest.

I grew up in Portsmouth, also lived in W'ville & Fareham. Now live just over the Surrey border. Worked for the MoD from time to time, so have an interest in the defences, but not a lot of knowledge.