Woolston, Hampshire

Infobox UK place
country = England
map_type = Southampton
official_name= Woolston
latitude = 50.8931
longitude = -1.3765
unitary_england= Southampton
lieutenancy_england=Hampshire
post_town= SOUTHAMPTON
postcode_area= SO
dial_code= 023
constituency_westminster=Southampton Itchen
region = South East England
postcode_district= SO19

Woolston is a district of Southampton, England, located on the eastern shore of the River Itchen. It is bounded by the River Itchen, Sholing, Peartree Green, Itchen and Weston. Its boundary with Weston is the stream that runs through Mayfield Park.

Overview

The area is rich in maritime and aviation history. The ancient hamlet had grown as new industries, roads and railways came to the area in the Victorian era. The borough of Southampton attempted to annexe Woolston in 1895, but this was rejected at a public inquiry The Illustrated history of Southampton's Suburbs. Jim Brown. 2004. ISBN 1 85983 405 1] and it remained part of the Itchen Urban District Council. But that was only a temporary reprieve. Woolston was formally incorporated into the borough of Southampton in 1920Southampton in the twenties. Eric Wyeth-Gadd, 1979. ISBN 0-86146-003] . At this time, various street names were changed to avoid conflicts with street names that were already in use in Southampton.

Development of the Itchen Bridge in the 1970s caused some additional significant changes.

In the early part of the 21st century, Woolston is again experiencing a period of major change.

Early History

Woolston is believed to originate from "Olafs tun", a fortified tun on the East bank of the River Itchen established by the Viking leader Olaf I of Norway in the 10th Century. The small hill in the area surrounding modern day Defender Road conveniently overlooks the Saxon port of Hamwic [Ordnance Survey maps] and nearby Itchen Ferry village subsequently became a popular and convenient point for crossing the Itchen. This area would thus have been a good strategic location for the Vikings in 994 AD, when they were known to have camped in the Itchen area.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, the area is recorded as "Olvestune"

Medieval trade in Southampton included the export of Wool produced across a large part of Southern EnglandSouthampton. An Illustrated History. Adrian Rance. 1986. ISBN 0-903852-95-0] . The Wool House still survives in Southampton and was very accessible via the crossing of the River Itchen from Itchen Ferry village. With the next available crossing of the River Itchen several miles upstream at Mansbridge, the area now known as Woolston is certain to have received consignments of Wool to be ferried across the River Itchen by the inhabitants of Itchen Ferry village. The evolution of "Olvestune" into Woolston is an obvious result of that trade.

In 1424, Richard Inkpen conveyed an estate on the east bank of the River Itchen to his daughter Alice, wife of Richard Chamberlayne . At least part of that estate was to return to the Chamberlayne name in the late 18th Century.

In 1536, Niccolo de Marini de Egra, a Genoese merchant, is recorded as purchasing the Manor of Woolston.

In 1631, Sir George Rivers conveyed 340 acres of land and the rights to the passage over the river Itchen to Nathaniel Mills. This transaction appears to have been Woolston Manor. The rights to the passage over the River Itchen, was owned by the Lords of the Manors of Southampton and Woolston, but those rights were exercised by the fishermen of Itchen Ferry village who paid for that privilege in cash, providing a useful income for the Lord of the Manor.

In 1781, William Chamberlayne inherited the estates owned by Thomas Dummer, of Woolston House. In 1802 his son, William Chamberlayne (MP) established the Weston Grove Estate" on land neighbouring Woolston"'.

The Dummer/Chamberlayne estate covered a large area, extending as far as Netley and including Netley Abbey. On 3rd January 1856Netley Hospital and its Railways. J.R.Fairman. 1984. ISBN 0 946184 09 7. p7] , Thomas Chamberlayne sold land that was used to develop the Royal Victoria Military Hospital. Workers from Woolston were used to help with its constructionNetley Hospital and its Railways. J.R.Fairman. 1984. ISBN 0 946184 09 7. p15] [Hampshire Independent, 1st December 1860] . The Hospital was subsequently a significant customer for the traders of Woolston [Spike Island. Philip Hoare. ISBN 1-84115-294-3] .

Industry

An Ordnance Survey map (NC/03/17894), shows that a shipbuilding yard already existed in Woolston in 1870

In 1876, Thomas Ridley Oswald, a shipbuilder from Sunderland, closed his yard on the River Wear due to financial difficulties and opened a new shipyard on the banks of the River Itchen at Woolston [Andover Advertiser, 17 Jun 2003] . In 1878 he formed a partnership with John Henry Mordaunt of Warwick, changing the name of the business to Oswald Mordaunt and Company [Southampton. An Illustrated History. Adrian Rance. 1986. ISBN 0-903852-95-0] .

Between 1876 and 1889 the yard launched over 100 ships. Despite that success, the Woolston yard also experienced some financial difficulties. In 1881 an official receiver was appointed to manage the company. Shipbuilding continued at the yard for a few years, but in 1889, Oswald Mordaunt and Company sought a new yard in South Wales and closed the yard in Woolston.

William Becket-Hill, who had been managing the yard as official receiver since 1886 soon formed a new consortium and shipbuilding resumed as the Southampton Naval Works under the management of J. Harvard Biles, a naval architect from the Clyde subsequently to become the first Professor of Naval Architecture at the University of Glasgow. The Southampton Naval Works built eighteen ships, but that business also experienced financial problems and went into receivership in 1893.

The yard was then idle until the yacht building firm, J.G. Fay and Co of Northam, Southampton, expanded their business and took over the Woolston yard in 1897. That venture was also financially unsuccessful, so J.G. Fay and Co sought joint ownership with Mordey Carney and Co. in 1899. .

In 1966 John I. Thornycroft & Company merged with Vosper & Co. to form Vosper Thornycroft. The various shipbuilding companies on this Victoria Road site were thus the major employer in Woolston until 31st March 2004 when Vosper Thorneycroft vacated the site having relocated its operations to Portsmouth.

The other major employer in Woolston, from 1913 to 1960, was Supermarine. This company built seaplanes on its Hazel Road site that were ultimately successful in the Schneider trophy. Those seaplanes were further developed by R. J. Mitchell to create the iconic Supermarine Spitfire. Alongisde its simpler and more numerous counterpart, the Hawker Hurricane, the Spitfire played an important part in World War II and the Battle of Britain. This, unfortunately, made Woolston an important target for the Luftwaffe.

The Sopwith Aviation Company opened a small factory in Woolston in 1914 [Flying Boats of the Solent. Norman Hull. ISBN1-85794-161-6] , building sea-planes for the Admiralty during World War I.

The Royal Navy also had a large building situated between Archery Road and the waterfront [Images of Southampton. Southampton City Council.ISBN 1-873626-59-2] which they used as stores. Originally built in 1917 by the Ministry of Munitions as Rolling Mills for the production of brass strip for shell cases, this building is often thought of and referred to as being within Woolston but it was actually in the neighbouring district of Weston. It was built immediately behind Weston Grove House on land that was originally part of the Weston Grove estate Southampton. An Illustrated History. Adrian Rance. 1986. ISBN0-903852-95-0. pp137] .

Situated slightly to the north of Woolston railway station was a small goods yard South Coast Railways - Portsmouth to Southampton. Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith. ISBN 0-906520-31-2] , accessible from from Bridge Road. This yard was a busy place until it closed in November 1967.

The Hazel Road area of modern Woolston still has some industrial activity, including the Jubilee Sailing Trust.

Ironically, the only industry left in Victoria Road, now that Vosper Thorneycroft have closed, is the sewage treatment plant operated by Southern Water.

Wartime history

With a major shipbuilding yard situated just a short distance downstream from the Supermarine factory, Woolston attracted much unwanted attention from the Luftwaffe during World War II. This bombing did much damage in Woolston and completely destroyed the Supermarine factory and the neighbouring Itchen Ferry village on 26th Septemebr 1940, but it did not stop production of the Spitfire which had been safely dispersed around the country.

In 1943, the Admiralty requisitioned the bombed-out remains of the Supermarine factory to provide a base for the planning of PLUTO [Hampshire and D-Day. Martin Doughty. ISBN 1-85741-047-5] , an undersea pipeline which supplied the invasion forces after D-Day [Hampshire and D-Day. Martin Doughty. ISBN 1-85741-047-5] . This base was known as HMS Abatos [Hampshire and D-Day. Martin Doughty. ISBN 1-85741-047-5] .

On 17th August 1943 military restrictions were introduced to facilitate a "military exercise" prior to the invasion of Europe and D-Day in 1944Southampton and D-Day. Ingrid Peckham. 1994. ISBN 1 872649 04 1.] . The southern parts of Woolston were explicitly listed by the Chief Constable (6th August 1943) as one of the areas that would be affected by the exercise. The exercise named Harlequin tested the port of Southamptons capacity for embarking troops and equipment. For the next 9 months Woolston saw a great deal of military activity. It became part of the huge military camp that was established in Hampshire, known as Area C, specifically part of embarkation area C5 [Hampshire and D-Day. Martin Doughty. ISBN 1-85741-047-5] .

The ruins around Itchen Ferry village were used for training troops that would be fighting in similar conditions on mainland Europe [Southampton and D-Day. Southampton City Council. 1994. ISBN 1 872649 04 1.] .

Woolston was also situated within Regulated Area (No 2) established 31st March 1944, which placed restrictions on the movement of people in the final build-up to D-Day.

Other history

[Southampton City Council, Mayfield Park leaflet] .

Granville Augustus William Waldegrave (1833-1913), 3rd Lord Radstock and his heirs previously owned the Mayfield estate in Woolston [Southampton City Council, Mayfield Park leaflet] .

Mayfield contains a monument to Whig politician Charles James Fox [Southampton City Council, Mayfield Park leaflet] . That Obelisk has given its name to a local street and a public house in Woolston.

Sir Thomas Longmore, Professor of Military surgery at the Royal Victoria Military Hospital had a house in Woolston [Spike Island. Philip Hoare. ISBN 1-84115-294-3]

Amelia Earheart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic came ashore at Woolston on June 19 1928 [Southampton. A pictorial peep into the past, Southern Newspapers Ltd. 1980] .

The worlds first international flying boat service from Woolston to Le Havre was introduced by Supermarine in 1919 [Southampton in the twenties. Eric Wyeth Gadd. 1979. ISBN 0-86146-003] .

HMS Woolston (1918), was a W Class escort destroyer, built towards the end of World War I [Illustrated London News, July 19th 1919] , which saw action on escort duties in World War II. It was scrapped in 1947.

In 1928 Oliver Simmonds formed the Simmonds Aircraft Co.Ltd and produced the Simmonds Spartan aircraft. The prototype was built in his house in Woolston, the first production model was assembled at the Royal Navy Rolling Mills building, off Archery Rd in Woolston [AVIATION IN HAMPSHIRE UK 1900 to 2000(and beyond) website] .

Woolstons lost streets and buildings

The appointed architects are the Richard Rogers partnership [SEEDA press release 15th October 2003]

The appointed developers are Dean and Dyball [SEEDA press release 24th March 2006] , who will build the 4 hectares allocated for marine and commercial uses, and Crest Nicholson [SEEDA press release 15th March 2006] who will develop the other 8.5 hectares for residential and retail purposes, under the brand name Centenary Quay.

"There have been three quays identified on this stretch of the river. Centenary Quay is one of the original quays and to focus and strengthen the identity of the overall development, the name Centenary Quay has been suggested by all the partners as the residential/retail scheme's brand name. [Crest Nicholson, Woolston Riverside website] "

The imminent redevelopment of that large waterside site seems likely to rejuvenate the shopping area, but the redevelopment has also been predicted to place extra burden on the Itchen Bridge and cause extra congestion in Woolston [Southampton Daily Echo, 19 April 2008] . Developers of the residential site are reported to be considering the possibility of re-introducing a ferry service to Southampton [Southampton Daily Echo. 19 April 2008] .

Houses have already been built on the land where the Royal Navy stores once stood. Clearing that brownfield site was a major exercise, complicated by old munitions, including Mustard Gas shells which had been buried in the ground and asbestos. The redevloped area is now in the district of Woolston [Southampton City Council. Southampton Online. Southampton Property search]

Woolston is thus becoming more of a residential area, though it will still retain some marine industry with facilities to berth vessels of up to 76m in length, including perhaps Tall ships [ Crest Nicholson, Woolston riverside website] .

Open spaces

Mayfield Park is a partially wooded, partially open recreational area situated between Woolston and Weston.

The "Archery Grounds", bounded by Swift Road and Archery Road adjoin Mayfield Park

Millennium Garden

The Woolston Millennium Garden was created for the residents by a local group who wanted to give something back to the area and inject some pride into the area. It features a huge feather which can be seen as you are walking into Woolston via the Itchen Bridge.

References

External links

* [http://www.plimsoll.org/Southampton/RiverItchen/TheFloatingBridge The Floating Bridge at Woolston]
* [http://archive.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/2003/6/17/47943.html Proud history of Vosper Thornycroft in Southampton]
* [http://www.seeda.co.uk/work_in_the_region/development_&_infrastructure/development/sites/hampshire_&_isle_of_wight/woolston/index.asp SEEDA] .
* [http://www.woolstonriverside.co.uk Woolston Riverside, Crest Nicholson]
* [http://www.southampton.gov.uk/Images/Appendix%201%20Mayfield%20leaflet_tcm46-200112.pdf Mayfield Park]
* [http://www.hwtma.org.uk/lectures/08_annual_public.pdf htwma 1999 public lecture]
* [http://daveg4otu.tripod.com/iowweb/sim.html AVIATION IN HAMPSHIRE UK - Simmonds Spartan]

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