Northam, Southampton
Encyclopedia
Northam is a suburb of Southampton
in Hampshire
. On the West bank of the River Itchen
, it shares borders with St Mary's, Hampshire, Bitterne
and Bevois Valley
. Beside the border with St Mary's, Hampshire is the Chapel area, which has been home to some recent apartment building developments in Northam http://www.cityannex.co.uk/location.htm http://www.highwoodgroup.co.uk/news/article.aspx?id=8. The A3024 road runs through the suburb and crosses the Northam Bridge
, which links Northam with Bitterne
via Bitterne Manor
. Although St Mary's Stadium
takes its name from the neighbouring St Mary's, the stadium
itself is in Northam, and home to Southampton F.C.
. Northam has one of the highest crime rates in the South East of England.Violence against a person was at an all time high in 2009 with over 700 crimes being recorded.The area consists of blocks of flats, situated round Milbank tower a 20 story tower block.In 2010 a man walking through the estate was assualted by a local gang and was later found dead.
Northam also was home to an extensive television studio complex
, run by ITV
franchises Meridian Broadcasting
, TVS
and Southern Television
, before Meridian moved their operations to Whiteley
. The complex was demolished in 2009, leaving just a large, neat pile of rubble still extant throughout 2010. As well as the regional news magazine programme Meridian Tonight, the studios were originally home to the very first series of the popular game show, Catchphrase
(before it moved to Maidstone Studios) and handled transmission of Meridian, Anglia and HTV West.
, and Northam was home to the Summers and Day iron works. Summers and Day launched the first iron ship to be built on the Itchen in 1842 http://www.freewebs.com/graham7760/southamptonhistory.htm.
Steamship companies (such as the White Star Line
and the Cunard Line
) were major employers in the district in the early 20th century. Over 350 Northam residents died aboard RMS Titanic when it foundered off the coast of Newfoundland in 1912; 125 students at one school alone were orphaned.
In the early to mid 20th century the road bridge was rebuilt and strengthened, reopening in 1954 http://www.southampton.gov.uk/transport/roads/itchenbridge/historyoftheitchenbridge.asp. Around the same time and into the 1960s, much of the current Northam Estate was built to replace the slum conditions that had existed until that time http://www.localhistories.org/southampton.html.
In 1965, further work was undertaken on the A3024, the dual carriageway which runs through Northam, to coincide with the opening of the M27 motorway
.
Aside from Millbank House, which forms part of the housing estate, one of the most dominant buildings in Northam is the Augustine Centre. The building was originally a Church of England
church, and subsequently home to Northam Pentecostal Church. It was purchased by Riverside Family Church in the early 1980s and given its new name http://www.riversidefamilychurch.net. The building is a Grade II listed building.
The London and South Western Railway opened a large Motive Power Depot
at Northam in 1840, which remained the principal locomotive servicing facility in the area until 1903 when it was replaced by a new depot at Eastleigh
. In 2001, South West Trains
chose Northam as the location for the maintenance facility for their new Desiro
fleet of trains, which replaced the last slam-door trains to run on the network. The Northam Traincare Facility was constructed by Turner & Townsend and opened in July 2003 by Brian Souter
.
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...
in 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...
. On the West bank of the River Itchen
River Itchen, Hampshire
The River Itchen is a river in Hampshire, England. It flows from mid-Hampshire to join with Southampton Water below the Itchen Bridge in the city of Southampton. The river has a total length of , and is noted as one of England's - if not one of the World's - premier chalk streams for fly fishing,...
, it shares borders with St Mary's, Hampshire, 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...
and Bevois Valley
Bevois Valley
Bevois Valley is an inner city area of Southampton, England within Bevois Electoral Ward, and includes areas called Bevois Town & Bevois Mount. The area lies south of and adjoins Portswood and is within easy walking distance of the city centre...
. Beside the border with St Mary's, Hampshire is the Chapel area, which has been home to some recent apartment building developments in Northam http://www.cityannex.co.uk/location.htm http://www.highwoodgroup.co.uk/news/article.aspx?id=8. The A3024 road runs through the suburb and crosses the Northam Bridge
Northam Bridge
The Northam Bridge is a road bridge across the River Itchen in Southampton, England, linking the suburbs of Northam and Bitterne Manor. The current bridge was the first major prestressed concrete road bridge to be built in the United Kingdom...
, which links Northam with 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...
via Bitterne Manor
Bitterne Manor
Bitterne Manor is a suburb of Southampton surrounding the manor house of the same name.- History :Bitterne Manor is the site of the original Roman settlement of Clausentum, the forerunner to today's City of Southampton....
. Although St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium
St Mary's Stadium is the home of Southampton F.C., in the city of Southampton. It is a UEFA 4-star rated stadium and with a capacity of 32,689 is the largest football stadium in the south of England, outside of London.-History:...
takes its name from the neighbouring St Mary's, the stadium
Stadium
A modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
itself is in Northam, and home to Southampton F.C.
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
. Northam has one of the highest crime rates in the South East of England.Violence against a person was at an all time high in 2009 with over 700 crimes being recorded.The area consists of blocks of flats, situated round Milbank tower a 20 story tower block.In 2010 a man walking through the estate was assualted by a local gang and was later found dead.
Television Centre, Southampton
Television Centre, Southampton, also known as The Southern Television Centre, The Southampton Television Centre and unofficially as The Northam Studios and locally as The Dream Factory...
, run by ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
franchises Meridian Broadcasting
Meridian Broadcasting
Meridian Broadcasting is the holder of the ITV franchise for the South and South East of England. The station is owned and operated by ITV plc, under the licensee of ITV Broadcasting Limited....
, TVS
Television South
Television South was the ITV franchise holder in the south and south east of England between 1 January 1982 and 31 December 1992. The company operated under various names, initially as Television South plc and then following reorganisation in 1989 as TVS Entertainment plc, with its UK...
and Southern Television
Southern Television
Southern Television was the first ITV broadcasting licence holder for the south and south-east of England from 30 August 1958 until the night of 31 December 1981. The company was launched as Southern Television Limited and the title Southern Television was consistently used on-air throughout its life...
, before Meridian moved their operations to Whiteley
Whiteley
Whiteley is a community in the county of Hampshire, England, near Fareham. The development straddles the boundary between two council districts: the Borough of Fareham to the south and east, and the city of Winchester to the north and west.-Location:...
. The complex was demolished in 2009, leaving just a large, neat pile of rubble still extant throughout 2010. As well as the regional news magazine programme Meridian Tonight, the studios were originally home to the very first series of the popular game show, Catchphrase
Catchphrase (game show)
Catchphrase is a British game show based on a short-lived US game show of the same name. It ran on ITV in the United Kingdom between 12 January 1986 and 19 December 2002, originally hosted by Northern Irish comedian Roy Walker....
(before it moved to Maidstone Studios) and handled transmission of Meridian, Anglia and HTV West.
History
The Northam Railway Bridge was constructed in 1908 http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2378770 and the first Northam Road Bridge was built in 1796 http://www.itchenbridge.co.uk/history/index.html. The original bridge was made of wood http://www.localhistories.org/southampton.html. During Victorian times, much of Southampton's industry was based around the banks of the ItchenRiver Itchen, Hampshire
The River Itchen is a river in Hampshire, England. It flows from mid-Hampshire to join with Southampton Water below the Itchen Bridge in the city of Southampton. The river has a total length of , and is noted as one of England's - if not one of the World's - premier chalk streams for fly fishing,...
, and Northam was home to the Summers and Day iron works. Summers and Day launched the first iron ship to be built on the Itchen in 1842 http://www.freewebs.com/graham7760/southamptonhistory.htm.
Steamship companies (such as the White Star Line
White Star Line
The Oceanic Steam Navigation Company or White Star Line of Boston Packets, more commonly known as the White Star Line, was a prominent British shipping company, today most famous for its ill-fated vessel, the RMS Titanic, and the World War I loss of Titanics sister ship Britannic...
and the Cunard Line
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
) were major employers in the district in the early 20th century. Over 350 Northam residents died aboard RMS Titanic when it foundered off the coast of Newfoundland in 1912; 125 students at one school alone were orphaned.
In the early to mid 20th century the road bridge was rebuilt and strengthened, reopening in 1954 http://www.southampton.gov.uk/transport/roads/itchenbridge/historyoftheitchenbridge.asp. Around the same time and into the 1960s, much of the current Northam Estate was built to replace the slum conditions that had existed until that time http://www.localhistories.org/southampton.html.
In 1965, further work was undertaken on the A3024, the dual carriageway which runs through Northam, to coincide with the opening of the M27 motorway
M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983. It is however unfinished as an extension to the east was planned...
.
Aside from Millbank House, which forms part of the housing estate, one of the most dominant buildings in Northam is the Augustine Centre. The building was originally 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...
church, and subsequently home to Northam Pentecostal Church. It was purchased by Riverside Family Church in the early 1980s and given its new name http://www.riversidefamilychurch.net. The building is a Grade II listed building.
The London and South Western Railway opened a large Motive Power Depot
Motive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
at Northam in 1840, which remained the principal locomotive servicing facility in the area until 1903 when it was replaced by a new depot at Eastleigh
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough which is part of Southampton Urban Area. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
. In 2001, South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
chose Northam as the location for the maintenance facility for their new Desiro
Desiro
The Siemens Desiro is a family of diesel or electric multiple unit passenger trains. The main variants are the Desiro Classic, Desiro ML, Desiro UK and the future Desiro City and Desiro RUS. The trains are mostly used for commuter and regional services, and their rapid acceleration makes them...
fleet of trains, which replaced the last slam-door trains to run on the network. The Northam Traincare Facility was constructed by Turner & Townsend and opened in July 2003 by Brian Souter
Brian Souter
Sir Brian Souter , is a Scottish businessman. He is the co-founder of the Stagecoach Group, along with his sister, Ann Gloag. He is also widely known for his controversial public statements and for his attempt to keep Section 28 in law, which led to widespread accusations of homophobia...
.