Shirley, Southampton
| Shirley | |
|---|---|
 Shirley High Street |
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 Shirley
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| Shirley shown within Southampton | |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SOUTHAMPTON |
| Postcode district | SO15 |
| Dialling code | 023 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Shirley is a district on the Western side of Southampton, England. Shirley's main roles are retailing and residential. It is the most important suburban shopping area in the west of the city. Housing is a mixture of council houses in the centre of the district surrounded by private housing, with larger suburban houses concentrated in Upper Shirley. Shirley is separated from Highfield by Southampton Common, a large green park-like area which sees many dog-walkers, joggers.
It is part of the Southampton Test constituency, with Alan Whitehead as Member of Parliament.
The place-name "Shirley" means 'bright glade', from the Old English scir (bright) and leah (cleared land in a wood). Local belief today suggests it was meant as a ' bright clearing in the woods', and later referenced to 'a place of hope' for those who settled there.
Shirley is recorded as a manor with a mill in the Domesday book, 1086. Shirley Mill originally stood to the west of the present Romsey Road/Winchester Road junction, at the confluence of the Hollybrook and Tanner's Brook streams. Shirley Mill had three large ponds, to the north of Winchester Road. Only one of those three mill ponds remains today, accessible by following the Lordswood Greenway.
In 1228 the Lord of the Manor of Shirley, then one Nicholas de Sirlie, settled a dispute with the Burgesses of Southampton over Rights of Common on Southampton common and land that would later become Shirley common. Under the agreement Nicholas de Sirlie surrendered all claim to Southampton Common in return for a small payment and the agreement that the Burgesses of Southampton had no rights of common over the land that would later become Shirley common.
In 1887, The South of England Bread and Biscuit Company opened a works at Shirley Mill. In the nineteenth century an iron works was built, which was converted into a brewery in 1880 and subsequently into a laundry at the beginning of the 20th century. The laundry was owned by Royal Mail and used to service the mail ships visiting Southampton.
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Wikipedia