Highfield, Southampton
Encyclopedia
Highfield is a suburb of Southampton
, England. The suburb is situated to the north of the city centre, and is bounded by (clockwise from West) Southampton Common
, Bassett, Swaythling
and Portswood
. Highfield is home to the main campus of the University of Southampton
, which is built on a former brickfield.
Highfield Church
, officially named Christ
Church, began as a chapel of ease
serving the parish of South Stoneham. It was built in 1847 and originally (and, officially, still is) named "Christ Church, Portswood
". The architect was Joshua Brandon, who died before the building was completed and is buried in the churchyard
.
A number of large country houses dominated the area, including Highfield House, Highfield Cottage, Uplands (formerly "The Rosaries" or "The Rosary"), Heather Deane, Oak Mount, Ivy Bank and Highfield Lodge (not to be confused with the lodge to Highfield House). These houses are all shown on an 1897 Ordnance Survey
map. Some of these buildings, including Ivy Bank and Oak Mount, still stand, albeit in somewhat altered surroundings. Highfield House and Uplands have both been demolished.
A deed of covenant was signed in 1846 to establish Highfield Church of England School
. The building, which stands next to the church, was opened in 1849.
Highfield House had a number of naval
connections in the 19th century, being owned by Vice-Admiral Foote, Rear-Admiral Morier and then William Ogden. In 1861, Uplands was listed in the Post Office
Directory as "The Rosaries". It was occupied by Revd Thomas McCalmont, a Church of England
cleric whose family originated from Ireland. In 1877, Alfred (Thomas' third son) became Mayor of Southampton at the age of 26. Alfred died a year later, and after a further two years, his elder brother Frederick also died, aged 34. Two stained glass windows in Highfield Church commemorate the clergyman and his sons.
In 1883, Highfield House was purchased by James Ireland, a tailor and outfitter.
The Southampton Tramways Company, which was later subsumed into the Southampton Corporation transport department, purchased Highfield Stables in 1888. The company had been stabling their horses (for horse-drawn trams) there for some time previously. The stables could house 31 horses. Several additional buildings were erected to accommodate omnibus
es and tram
s. Electric trams arrived at the depot in 1904.
In 1913, Uplands was put up for sale. The house was demolished with Taunton's School being erected in its place. The school was founded in 1752 because of a bequest
left by Richard Taunton, a wine importer and merchant and cousin of Isaac Watts
. The school had originally been located in Windsor Terrace and in 1865 moving to New Road, both in the city centre. A number of factors, not least World War I, delayed the laying of the foundation stone of the new building in Highfield until 1925.
Between 1922 and 1936, most of the Uplands Estate was built. Designed by Herbert Collins
, the estate is now a designated conservation area. The estate comprises 200 houses and flats in Collins' distinctive Georgian
style. Collins made use of a stream that runs through Highfield, making it a feature of his open green areas and using it to feed an ornamental pond.
On the first Sunday in Lent
in 1941, Highfield Church was targeted by the Luftwaffe
. Eight bombs fell around the building, but none hit the target. Although some damage was sustained, the following morning's 8 o'clock service was held regardless.
Taunton's School, a grammar school
at the time, became a sixth form college
in 1967.
By 1969, the tram sheds had been derelict for around twenty years and so in that year volunteers from the Southampton Sixth Form Union demolished the depot.
Taunton's College (as it was renamed) merged with Hill College in Shirley in 1997. The new college retains the name Taunton's College but is located solely on the old Hill College campus, formerly the Girls' Grammar School. The Highfield site was sold to the University of Southampton
who moved their arts faculty into the building, extending it and renaming it Avenue Campus. The Avenue Campus also occupies the land which previously housed the Highfield tram depot; the archaeology building now stands there.
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. The suburb is situated to the north of the city centre, and is bounded by (clockwise from West) Southampton Common
Southampton Common
Southampton Common is a large open space to the north of the city centre of Southampton, England. It is bounded by the districts of Shirley, Bassett, Highfield and Portswood. The area supports a large variety of wildlife, including the largest recorded population of the internationally rare great...
, Bassett, Swaythling
Swaythling
Swaythling was once a village but over the years it has gradually become a suburb and electoral ward of Southampton in Hampshire, England. The ward has a population of 13,394....
and Portswood
Portswood
Portswood is a suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England. The suburb lies to the north-east of the city centre and is bounded by Freemantle, Highfield, Swaythling, St. Denys and Bevois Valley....
. Highfield is home to the main campus of the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
, which is built on a former brickfield.
History
Old maps of Southampton suggest that the name originates from "Hayfield" or "Hay field". As with most suburbs of Southampton, and as the name suggests, Highfield's origins are very much as a rural district.Highfield Church
Highfield Church
Highfield Church is a parish church in the Highfield district of Southampton, England. It is an Anglican Church in the Diocese of Winchester.- Early History :...
, officially named Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
Church, began as a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
serving the parish of South Stoneham. It was built in 1847 and originally (and, officially, still is) named "Christ Church, Portswood
Portswood
Portswood is a suburb and Electoral Ward of Southampton, England. The suburb lies to the north-east of the city centre and is bounded by Freemantle, Highfield, Swaythling, St. Denys and Bevois Valley....
". The architect was Joshua Brandon, who died before the building was completed and is buried in the churchyard
Churchyard
A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
.
A number of large country houses dominated the area, including Highfield House, Highfield Cottage, Uplands (formerly "The Rosaries" or "The Rosary"), Heather Deane, Oak Mount, Ivy Bank and Highfield Lodge (not to be confused with the lodge to Highfield House). These houses are all shown on an 1897 Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
map. Some of these buildings, including Ivy Bank and Oak Mount, still stand, albeit in somewhat altered surroundings. Highfield House and Uplands have both been demolished.
A deed of covenant was signed in 1846 to establish Highfield Church of England School
Highfield School
Highfield School is a Primary School located in the Highfield district of Southampton.-History:Stephen Ram of Ramford, County Wexford was a resident of Portswood Lodge in Highfield. Part of his estate included Small Gains Field which bordered Back Lane...
. The building, which stands next to the church, was opened in 1849.
Highfield House had a number of naval
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
connections in the 19th century, being owned by Vice-Admiral Foote, Rear-Admiral Morier and then William Ogden. In 1861, Uplands was listed in the Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
Directory as "The Rosaries". It was occupied by Revd Thomas McCalmont, a Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
cleric whose family originated from Ireland. In 1877, Alfred (Thomas' third son) became Mayor of Southampton at the age of 26. Alfred died a year later, and after a further two years, his elder brother Frederick also died, aged 34. Two stained glass windows in Highfield Church commemorate the clergyman and his sons.
In 1883, Highfield House was purchased by James Ireland, a tailor and outfitter.
The Southampton Tramways Company, which was later subsumed into the Southampton Corporation transport department, purchased Highfield Stables in 1888. The company had been stabling their horses (for horse-drawn trams) there for some time previously. The stables could house 31 horses. Several additional buildings were erected to accommodate omnibus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es and tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s. Electric trams arrived at the depot in 1904.
In 1913, Uplands was put up for sale. The house was demolished with Taunton's School being erected in its place. The school was founded in 1752 because of a bequest
Bequest
A bequest is the act of giving property by will. Strictly, "bequest" is used of personal property, and "devise" of real property. In legal terminology, "bequeath" is a verb form meaning "to make a bequest."...
left by Richard Taunton, a wine importer and merchant and cousin of Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts
Isaac Watts was an English hymnwriter, theologian and logician. A prolific and popular hymnwriter, he was recognised as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns...
. The school had originally been located in Windsor Terrace and in 1865 moving to New Road, both in the city centre. A number of factors, not least World War I, delayed the laying of the foundation stone of the new building in Highfield until 1925.
Herbert Collins
Herbert Collins was a British architect. He designed many of the suburban developments in the city of Southampton in the 1920s and 1930s.-Life:...
, the estate is now a designated conservation area. The estate comprises 200 houses and flats in Collins' distinctive Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
style. Collins made use of a stream that runs through Highfield, making it a feature of his open green areas and using it to feed an ornamental pond.
On the first Sunday in Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
in 1941, Highfield Church was targeted by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. Eight bombs fell around the building, but none hit the target. Although some damage was sustained, the following morning's 8 o'clock service was held regardless.
Taunton's School, a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
at the time, became a sixth form college
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
in 1967.
By 1969, the tram sheds had been derelict for around twenty years and so in that year volunteers from the Southampton Sixth Form Union demolished the depot.
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
who moved their arts faculty into the building, extending it and renaming it Avenue Campus. The Avenue Campus also occupies the land which previously housed the Highfield tram depot; the archaeology building now stands there.
Famous residents
- Commodore Edward John Smith, captain of RMS Titanic
- R. J. MitchellR. J. MitchellReginald Joseph Mitchell CBE, FRAeS, was an aeronautical engineer, best known for his design of the Supermarine Spitfire.-Early years:...
, designer of the SpitfireSupermarine SpitfireThe Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s... - Dr. Catherine Powell, author of 'Safeguarding Children' and child abuse speaker.
- Pete Thomas (saxophonist)Pete Thomas (saxophonist)Pete Thomas is a leading British music producer, TV and film composer, recording musician, and saxophonist. He was born in London and is now based in Southampton, England. He is also an expert in Jazz music and theory.-Biography:...
, Musician and composer