Harefield, Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Harefield is a suburb and Electoral Ward
near Bitterne
in Southampton
, England
. The entire suburb consists of a council housing estate built around 1960 on the 238 acre (0.96315268 km²) estate of Harefield House.
Harefield Ward had a population of 13,711 as of the 2001 Census
, and is adjacent to Bitterne Park
, Peartree
, Sholing
and Bitterne
wards.
, chairman of the Southampton and Salisbury Railway Company, in what are now the grounds of Harefield Infant and Junior Schools on Yeovil Chase. Edwin Jones, the Southampton draper whose store ultimately became part of Debenhams
bought the house in 1887 and it burnt to destruction in 1915 while occupied by his widow. The Jones family sold the estate in 1917 and there was some building in the 1920s but it was not developed in earnest until after the Second World War.
The area was part of the civil parish
of West End
when it was established in 1894, but was transferred into Southampton in 1954.
The street names on the western edge of the estate are all named after Somerset
place names by the private housing developers active in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The later council housing extended these streets and added more to the west that are named after Hampshire
villages.
The development of the housing estate included two public houses (the Exford Arms and the Hare and Hounds), two shopping parades, two primary schools (Harefield and Moorhill, each consisting of infant and junior schools), and Moorhill Secondary School (named after Moorhill House, which stood just outside the estate in West End
). The Moorhill schools and the Exford Avenue shopping parade were constructed in 1964-65. Until that time there was a Post Office in a Nissen hut
opposite the Exford Arms.
Moorhill Secondary School was renamed as Woodlands Community School in 1984, and subsequently demolished and rebuilt in 2003. It is now known as Woodlands Community College
.
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
near Bitterne
Bitterne
Bitterne is an eastern suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England.Bitterne derives its name not from the similarly named bird, the Bittern but from the bend in the River Itchen; the Old English words byht and ærn together mean "house near a bend", most likely a reference to Bitterne Manor...
in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The entire suburb consists of a council housing estate built around 1960 on the 238 acre (0.96315268 km²) estate of Harefield House.
Harefield Ward had a population of 13,711 as of the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, and is adjacent to Bitterne Park
Bitterne Park
Bitterne Park is a suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England, on the Eastern bank of the River Itchen, built on sloping parkland which once formed part of Bitterne Manor....
, Peartree
Peartree (ward)
Peartree Ward is an Electoral Ward in the Unitary Authority of Southampton, England.It covers the suburbs of Merry Oak, Peartree Green and Itchen, and is bordered by Bargate Ward, Bevois Ward, Bitterne Park Ward, Harefield Ward, Sholing Ward, and Woolston Ward....
, Sholing
Sholing
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....
and Bitterne
Bitterne
Bitterne is an eastern suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England.Bitterne derives its name not from the similarly named bird, the Bittern but from the bend in the River Itchen; the Old English words byht and ærn together mean "house near a bend", most likely a reference to Bitterne Manor...
wards.
History
Harefield House was a country house of Elizabethan style built in 1834 for Sir Edward ButlerEdward Butler
Edward Butler , was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, son of Michael Butler, farmer, and his wife Mary, née Joyce. He was educated at St Kieran's College intending to become a priest, according to Thomas Carlyle. During the Potato Famine he became a journalist and supported Young Ireland as the editor...
, chairman of the Southampton and Salisbury Railway Company, in what are now the grounds of Harefield Infant and Junior Schools on Yeovil Chase. Edwin Jones, the Southampton draper whose store ultimately became part of Debenhams
Debenhams
Debenhams plc is a British retailer operating under a department store format in the UK, Ireland and Denmark, and franchise stores in other countries. The Company was founded in the eighteenth century as a single store in London and has now grown to around 160 shops...
bought the house in 1887 and it burnt to destruction in 1915 while occupied by his widow. The Jones family sold the estate in 1917 and there was some building in the 1920s but it was not developed in earnest until after the Second World War.
The area was part of the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of West End
West End, Hampshire
The Parish of West End in Hampshire is situated within the borough of Eastleigh, and to the north east of the city of Southampton. As well as the village itself, the parish contains the Chartwell Green suburb of Southampton....
when it was established in 1894, but was transferred into Southampton in 1954.
The street names on the western edge of the estate are all named after Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
place names by the private housing developers active in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The later council housing extended these streets and added more to the west that are named after Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
villages.
The development of the housing estate included two public houses (the Exford Arms and the Hare and Hounds), two shopping parades, two primary schools (Harefield and Moorhill, each consisting of infant and junior schools), and Moorhill Secondary School (named after Moorhill House, which stood just outside the estate in West End
West End, Hampshire
The Parish of West End in Hampshire is situated within the borough of Eastleigh, and to the north east of the city of Southampton. As well as the village itself, the parish contains the Chartwell Green suburb of Southampton....
). The Moorhill schools and the Exford Avenue shopping parade were constructed in 1964-65. Until that time there was a Post Office in a Nissen hut
Nissen hut
A Nissen hut is a prefabricated steel structure made from a half-cylindrical skin of corrugated steel, a variant of which was used extensively during World War II.-Description:...
opposite the Exford Arms.
Moorhill Secondary School was renamed as Woodlands Community School in 1984, and subsequently demolished and rebuilt in 2003. It is now known as Woodlands Community College
Woodlands Community College
Woodlands Community College is a mixed comprehensive school in east Southampton, Hampshire, in the south of England. Woodlands Community College was officially opened as a Specialist school for Science and Engineering by MP David Miliband on 14 September 2004.The most recent Ofsted inspection was...
.