Emsworth
| Emsworth | |
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 Emsworth
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| Emsworth shown within Hampshire | |
| Population | 9,492 (2011.ward) |
| OS grid reference | SU748060 |
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| District | |
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| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | EMSWORTH |
| Postcode district | PO10 |
| Dialling code | 01243 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Emsworth is a small town in Hampshire on the south coast of England, near the border of West Sussex. It lies at the north end of an arm of Chichester Harbour, a large and shallow inlet from the English Channel.
Emsworth has a population of approximately 10,000. The town has a basin for small yachts and fishing boats, which fills at high tide and can be emptied through a sluice at low tide.
Emsworth began as a Saxon village. At first it was linked to the settlement of Warblington nearby. People from Emsworth worshipped at St Peter's Chapel or in the church at Warblington. Emsworth was not mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, as it was included with Warblington.
Emsworth's name came from Anglo Saxon Æmeles worþ = "a man called Æmele's enclosure".
Emsworth grew to be larger and more important: in 1239 Emsworth was granted the right to hold a market, and there was also an annual fair In 1332 Emsworth (Empnesworth) was one of Hampshire's four Customs Ports.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, Emsworth was still a port. Emsworth was known for shipbuilding, boat building and rope making. Grain from the area was ground into flour by tidal mills and transported by ship to places such as London and Portsmouth. Timber from the area was also exported in the 18th and 19th centuries. The River Ems, which is named after the town (not, as often believed, the town being named after the river), flows into the Slipper millpond. The mill itself is now used as offices.
In the 19th century Emsworth had as many as 30 pubs and beer houses; today, only nine remain. Emsworth's once famous oyster industry went into decline in the early years of the 20th century. Recently, Emsworth's last remaining oyster boat, The Terror, was restored and is now sailing again.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Emsworth had a population of less than 1,200 but it was still considered a large village for the time. By the end of the 18th century, it became fashionable for wealthy people to spend the summer by the sea. In 1805 a bathing house was built where people could have a bath in seawater.
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Wikipedia