River Hamble

River Hamble
The River Hamble looking upstream towards Botley from Fosters Copse. Dock Copse can be seen on the left bank. Bloomfield Copse is on the right bank.
Country	England
Basin features
Main source	Bishops Waltham, Hampshire.
River mouth	Southampton Water
Physical characteristics
Length	26 km (16 mi)

The River Hamble is a river in Hampshire, England. It rises near Bishop's Waltham and flows for some 7.5 miles (12 km) through Botley, Bursledon and Swanwick before entering Southampton Water near Hamble-le-Rice and Warsash.

The Hamble is tidal for approximately half its length and is navigable in its lower reaches, which have facilitated shipbuilding activities since medieval times. Leisure craft are still built there today.
One of these builders was Luke & co, later Luke Bros, a reputed yard at Hamble from around 1890 to 1945.

The river, and its shipbuilding yards, have also been used for military purposes, particularly during World War II.

Its lower reaches are now very popular for boating, being known throughout the sailing world as The Heart of British Yachting

From its source near Bishop's Waltham, the river flows in a generally southerly direction picking up several small tributary streams before reaching Botley, the site of an ancient watermill.

Below Botley, the river becomes tidal and navigable. It gains strength from adjoining streams, draining the surrounding areas of Hedge End, Curdridge, Shedfield and Burridge.

This section has been extensively used for medieval shipbuilding, using timber grown locally in the neighbouring woods. Nearby Kings Copse, formerly Kings Forest, indicates the former importance of this area.

The river's west bank can be accessed from Manor Farm Country Park, where it is possible to walk through Dock Copse and Fosters Copse. At extreme low tide, it is just possible to see the remains of the wreck of Henry V's 15th century warship HMS Grace Dieu. This section of the river was also home to HMS Cricket during World War II.