property, homes and houses for sale in Hampshire

The county of Hampshire

Hampshire is a fine English county in the heart of southern England. Its county town is the historic city of Winchester, which was once the capital of the ancient kingdom of Wessex. Hampshire offers a rich portfolio of unspoilt countryside, stunning coastlines, historic cities, bustling market towns and some of England's most picturesque villages. The ports of Southampton and Portsmouth give this county its strong nautical tradition; the 'Titanic' sailed from Southampton in 1912, and Portsmouth is the home port of the Royal Navy. Hampshire is bordered to the west by Dorset and Wiltshire, to the north by Berkshire, and to the east by Surrey and West Sussex, and is within easy reach of a number of historical places, such as Stonehenge, Salisbury and Windsor.

A brief history

Hampshire is one of the traditional counties of England, with a recorded history dating back over 1,000 years to Anglo-Saxon times. Hampshire's name was first recorded in 755 as 'Hamtunscir', and the origin of the name in Old English was 'homm', or 'hamm', meaning a water meadow. Hampshire covers some 1,500 square miles, has a population of 1,500,000, and contains the New Forest, which was once a Saxon royal hunting ground.

Hampshire played a big role in World War II due to its large Royal Navy harbour at Portsmouth, the army camp at Aldershot and the military Netley Hospital on Southampton Water, as well as its proximity to the army training ranges on Salisbury Plain and Purbeck. 'Supermarine', the designers of the Spitfire and other military aircraft were based in Southampton, which led to severe bombing of the city. Aldershot remains one of the British Army's main permanent camps. Two of the world's greatest authors, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens, were born in Hampshire.

Living in Hampshire

If you are considering moving to Hampshire, you will find the county has an unrivalled diversity of property for sale, in both urban and rural settings. There are seafront apartments on the seafront in Portsmouth, thatched cottages in the Test and Meon Valleys and the New Forest, new executive developments adjacent to the motorway networks, and character family homes in country towns. You can choose from brand new flats for sale in Southampton with prices starting from £119k+ - presenting ideal opportunities for first-time buyers – or, at the opposite end of the price scale there are houses for sale in Southampton in excess of £3m. In the much sought after area of Beaulieu, detached homes with river access command prices in excess of £6m. Other more unusual types of properties for sale in Hampshire include hospitals, churches and an ex-brewery that have been converted in to modern flats and apartments. You will also find Georgian and Victorian houses, and a number of brand new developments with water views in Portsmouth and Southampton. If you're not able to decide where you'd like to live, you could search for a property to rent in Hampshire, represented by a number of the UK's leading estate agents on Primelocation's property to rent section.

Hampshire is home to many thriving businesses and industries, so people searching for property in Hampshire will find plenty of employment opportunities exist. Some of the main employers include Hampshire Constabulary (with over 6,000 staff, they are one of the region's largest employers), the Royal Navy, the British Army, The AA who have their headquarters in Basingstoke, and Lockheed Martin (with several sites across the county), and who supply defence services to the Government.

Families considering moving to Hampshire will find there are a variety of schools, colleges and universities in the county. Two scholastic facts of interest are that Southampton's Solent University is launching the world's first degree in comedy later this year; and one of the most renowned colleges in Hampshire is Winchester College, founded in 1382, believed to be the oldest school in the country.

Whatever your needs or taste in shops you will find it in Hampshire. The cities of Southampton and Portsmouth boast a full range of department stores and shopping malls, including the recently opened West Quay and Gunwharf Quays. Smaller towns and villages provide great opportunities to purchase clothes, antiques and souvenirs from a number of boutiques and specialist outlets.

If you're searching for property in Hampshire and enjoy eating out, you will discover a diverse range of places to eat in this county, including intimate restaurants with English and international cuisine, bistros, pubs, coffee and tea shops, traditional country village inns and vegetarian and speciality eating houses.

The jewel in the crown of Hampshire's natural heritage is the New Forest, once a hunting ground for William the Conqueror, and preserved by Royal Order to the present day. It is an ideal place to walk, cycle, and horse-ride, or to enjoy a picnic. A selection of attractions and events in Hampshire include the annual Farnborough Air Show, Cowes Week, Highclere Castle, Aldershot Military Museum, the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Eling Tide Mill at Totton, Jane Austen's house in Alton, Buckler's Hard at Brockenhurst, the new 170 metre high Spinnaker Tower on Portsmouth's harbourside, Winchester Cathedral, and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, where you can explore Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory, and see Henry VIII's Mary Rose. Walkers can explore over 3000 miles of rights-of-way in Hampshire, and cyclists can ride on picturesque off-road routes and also on safe routes within urban areas. There are plenty of sailing opportunities in Hampshire - the Solent is one of busiest coastal zones in England and is the premier destination for sailing in the UK.

Travel and transport links in the county of Hampshire

Residents of Hampshire benefit from good travel links. Most of the county is within 1-2 hours' reach of London by main-line railway and motorways. Direct train journeys to Waterloo from Basingstoke and Farnborough take around 45 minutes, and from Portsmouth and Southampton the journey time is just under two hours. There are fast motorway links to the airports at Gatwick and Heathrow. It is also possible to fly to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and the Channel Islands from Southampton Airport, and to catch a ferry to the continent from the port at Portsmouth.