Gosport
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Gosport Borough of Gosport |
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|---|---|
| Town & Borough | |
 Borough of Gosport shown within Hampshire |
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| Coordinates: 50°47′41″N 1°07′28″W / 50.794785°N 1.124324°W | |
| Sovereign State | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South East England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Hampshire |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Gosport |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Borough Council | Gosport Borough Council (Conservative) |
| • Mayor | Keith Gill |
| • MPs | Caroline Dinenage (Conservative) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.76 sq mi (25.29 km2) |
| Area rank | 315th (of 326) |
| Population (mid-2014 est.) | |
| • Total | 84,287 |
| • Rank | 285th (of 326) |
| • Density | 8,600/sq mi (3,300/km2) |
| Time zone | GMT (UTC0) |
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) |
| Postcodes | PO12, PO13 |
| Area code(s) | 023 |
| ONS code | 24UF (ONS) E07000088 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | SZ618998 |
| Website | www |
Gosport /ˈɡɒspɔːrt/ is a Borough town in the South Hampshire conurbation, on the south coast of Hampshire in southern England. The 2011 Census recorded its population as 82,622. It is on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour opposite the City of Portsmouth, to which it is linked by the Gosport Ferry.
The Rowner area of the peninsula was known to have been settled in the Saxon era, mentioned in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle as Rughenor (Rough bank or slope). Both Rowner and Alverstoke (a separate village now within the boundaries of Gosport), the name coming from the original point where the River Alver entered the Solent at Stokes Bay, were included in the Domesday Book. Settlements in the wider region date back much earlier. Rowner is recorded as being the earliest settlement of the peninsula with many Mesolithic finds and a hunting camp (presently sealed under the reclamation site) being found, tumuli are located on the peninsula (all investigated). Bronze Age items found during a 1960s construction in HMS Sultan included a hoard of axe heads and torcs (now stored by, and loaned to Portsmouth museum services). A three-celled dwelling unearthed during construction of the Rowner Estate in the 1970s points to a settled landscape. Next to the River Alver which passes the southern and western edge of Rowner is a Norman motte and bailey, the first fortification of the peninsula, giving a vantage point over the Solent, Stokes Bay, Lee-on-the-Solent and the Isle of Wight. The Rowner Estate, now demolished, and HMS Sultan are on the former Royal Naval air station, known first as RAF Gosport and later as HMS Siskin, which gives its name to the local infant and junior schools. The barracks at Browndown (Stokes Bay) were used in the ITV series: Bad Lads Army.
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