Widley - Misplaced Pages

Neighbourhood of Greater Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Human settlement in England

Widley

WidleyLocation within Hampshire
OS grid reference	SU671068
District	Havant
Shire county	Hampshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	PORTSMOUTH
Postcode district	PO7
Dialling code	023
List of places UK England Hampshire 50°51′25″N 1°02′53″W / 50.85683°N 1.04806°W / 50.85683; -1.04806

Widley is an area of the Greater Portsmouth conurbation in Hampshire, near Waterlooville and Purbrook. It is on the dip slope of the South Downs just north of the ridge called Portsdown Hill.

Widley is served by the A3(T), trunk road which runs from Portsmouth to London. The main A3 to London (at this point the A3(M) motorway) is very close by, making it commutable by road. Widley is served by Cosham or Havant rail stations.

History

The Norman manor of Widley was held by the De Port and St John families of Cosham, and later passed to the Earls of Albemarle. In 1293, Isabel countess of Albemarle died without heirs and the manor passed back to the St John family. Later it was in the ownership of the Clynton and Uvedale families although the latter lost the manor temporarily in 1605, when accused of recusancy. It stayed in their family until 1766, when it was sold, and then passed by sale rather than inheritance.

The original village of Widley stood approx 1 mile to the west of the current centre, around the site of the present Widley Farm. The settlement moved to be sited on the then newly built Cosham to Horndean turnpike road at the time of the building of the Portsdown forts and Christ Church, which was built as a place of worship for soldiers based in the forts.

The new church of St Mary Magdalen was built in 1849. Remains of the village's former chapel can be found close to Widley Farm; members of Charles Dickens' family, including his younger brother Alfred, are buried in the graveyard.

Governance

Politically, the majority of Widley is part of Purbrook Ward of Havant Borough Council. However, a small strip to the south is part of the City of Portsmouth unitary authority and the most western parts (including Widley Farm) are in the Southwick and Widley civil parish of Winchester City Council.

In 1894 the civil parish was abolished to form Cosham. On 13 October 1921 Cosham parish was renamed "Widley", on 1 April 1932 the parish was abolished and merged with Havant, part also went to form "Southwick and Widley". In 1931 the parish had a population of 961. It is now in the unparished area of Havant and Waterloo.

Fresh water supply in Widley is supplied by Portsmouth Water. Waste water is serviced by Southern Water. The nearest post office is within the Crookhorn Precinct Co-op shop at 8 Purbrook Way, Crookhorn Ln. Others include Purbrook, situated within the Co-op shop at 31 London Road, Purbrook or Cosham Post Office at 13 High Street, Cosham. The nearest fire stations are Cosham (full-time station) and Waterlooville (part-time station).

References

"Parishes: Widley Pages 171-172 A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 3. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1908". British History Online.
"Fareham Registration District". UKBMD. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
"Population statistics Widley CP through time". A Vision of Britain through Time. Retrieved 23 April 2024.

External links

Towns and villages in the Borough of Havant

Havant & contiguous parts	Havant Bedhampton Langstone Warblington Leigh Park (see below)
Leigh Park	Leigh Park (currently divided electorally into four wards)
Waterlooville & adjoining neighbourhoods	Cowplain Hart Plain Purbrook Purbrook Heath Waterlooville Wecock Farm Widley
Emsworth & adjoining neighbourhoods	Emsworth New Brighton
Hayling Island	South Hayling Fleet North Hayling/Northney Stoke Tye

Borough of Havant

v t e Electoral wards and parishes in the City of Winchester District, Hampshire, England (since 2016 boundary changes)
Wards Parishes	Wonston and Micheldever	Crawley Littleton and Harestock Micheldever South Wonston Sparsholt Wonston
	The Worthys	Headbourne Worthy Kings Worthy
	Alresford and Itchen	Bighton Itchen Stoke and Ovington Bishops Sutton Itchen Valley New Alresford Northington Old Alresford
	Winchester	Winchester unparished city area has five wards: St Barnabas, St Bartholomew, St Luke, St Michael, St Paul
	Badger Farm and Oliver's Battery	Badger Farm Compton and Shawford Hursley Olivers Battery Otterbourne
	Colden Common and Twyford	Colden Common Twyford
	Upper Meon Valley	Chilcomb Tichborne Cheriton Beauworth Kilmeston Bramdean and Hinton Ampner Owslebury Upham Exton Warnford West Meon Corhampton and Meonstoke
	Bishops Waltham	Durley Bishops Waltham
	Central Meon Valley	Swanmore Droxford Soberton Hambledon
	Whiteley and Shedfield	Curdridge Whiteley Shedfield
	Denmead	Denmead Newlands
	Southwick and Wickham	Wickham Boarhunt Southwick and Widley Newlands
(Wards ordered from north-west corner, across the map, and then progressively south and east)

Categories: