Sholing
| Sholing | |
|---|---|
 Kenson Gardens, a typical Sholing street |
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 Sholing
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| Sholing shown within Southampton | |
| Area | 2.95 km2 (1.14 sq mi) |
| Population | 14,053 |
| • Density | 4,764/km2 (12,340/sq mi) |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SOUTHAMPTON |
| Postcode district | SO18 |
| Dialling code | 023 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Sholing, previously Scholing, is a district on the eastern side of the city of Southampton in Southern England. It is located between the districts of Bitterne, Thornhill and Woolston.
Various explanations from where the name derives but the most popular is that "Sholing" derives from the Anglo-Saxon phrase for "hill on the shore."
The parish church for Sholing, St Mary's, was opened in 1866. The first Vicar, the Rev. Francis Davidson, (the father of the "Rector of Stiffkey" Harold Davidson) remained in place for the first 48 years.
In 1920, the village became part of the Borough of Southampton.
Sholing has a railway station, opened in 1866, which connects the area to Southampton and Portsmouth.
There are various explanations for the origin of the name 'Sholing', spelt 'Scholing' on many old maps. One version is that it means, in Old English, 'the hill above the shore' or 'the hill sloping down to the shore' and it is true that Sholing is indeed on high ground and slopes down towards Southampton Water. However, others think that the ending 'ing' indicates an area where the sons of a man named "Schol" lived. The Old English 'Scēolingas' means 'people associated with somebody called 'Scēolh', a nickname for somebody who was crooked or squint-eyed. Another local Romany explanation is that it comes from the presence of the heather 'ling' when it was mentioned that the area had a 'nice show o' ling"'.
The name of the area could also possibly come from the ancient Sceolingas tribe who lived somewhere in this part of Hampshire.
The area has been named locally by some as 'Spike Island'. The explanations include that it originates from the heathland's characteristic spiky gorse that still springs up whenever open land is left unattended. Another is that it stems from the spikes that secured the chains of convicts held in the area prior to being transported to Australia. Another explanation is linked to Spike Island, County Cork – a small island off Cork Harbour, Ireland; this was used in the time of Cromwell to hold Irish rebels and in the 19th century deportees were dispatched to Botany Bay in Australia. This detail is than conflated by some with the name 'Botany Bay' and the implied lawlessness of the Traveller and Gypsy inhabitants of Sholing to arrive at Spike Island. There is no 19th century contemporary sources for this Spike Island. 'Botany Bay' is simply a name to imply a remote and inaccessible region, as its Australian namesake, and apart from Hampshire there are examples of Botany Bay in various other counties.
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