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Fareham, Hampshire

Fareham
Fareham
Fareham Creek
Fareham is located in Hampshire
Fareham
Fareham
Fareham shown within Hampshire
Population 42,210 (2011 Census)
OS grid reference SU578048
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town FAREHAM
Postcode district PO14 - PO17, SO31
Dialling code 01329, 01489, 023
Police Hampshire
Fire Hampshire
Ambulance South Central
EU Parliament South East England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Hampshire
50°51′N 1°11′W / 50.85°N 1.18°W / 50.85; -1.18Coordinates: 50°51′N 1°11′W / 50.85°N 1.18°W / 50.85; -1.18

Fareham /ˈfɛərəm/ is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in the south east of Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the borough that comprises the town and its surrounding area. It was historically an important manufacturer of bricks (notably used to build the Royal Albert Hall, London) and a grower of strawberries. Current employment includes retail (including Fareham Shopping Centre with around 100 shops), small-scale manufacturing, and defence (with the Royal Navy's HMS Collingwood and the Ministry of Defence's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory nearby).

Archaeological excavations around the old High Street area and the church of St Peter & Paul on high ground over the Wallington Estuary have yielded evidence of settlement on the site contemporary with the Roman occupation. No extensive programme of investigation has been possible due to the historic nature of the buildings in this area.

The town has a documented history dating back to the Norman era, when a part of William's army marched up from Fareham Creek before continuing to the Saxon capital of England, Winchester. Originally known as Ferneham (hence the name of the entertainment venue Ferneham Hall), it was listed in the Domesday Book as having 90 households. The ford of Fareham Creek (at the top of Portsmouth Harbour) was the location of the Bishop of Winchester's mills; the foundations were subsumed in the A27 near the railway viaduct. Commercial activity continued at the port until the 1970s, and continues on a smaller scale. By the beginning of the 20th century, Fareham had developed into a major market town.


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