Eastleigh - Eastleigh

Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire that sits between Winchester and Southampton. The town has a long history associated with the railway, being the site of a large railway works that at one time was the major employer in the area.

Understand

The Point, Eastleigh

The Borough of Eastleigh contains many small villages and hamlets, with Chandler's Ford to the north, Bishopstoke, Fair Oak and Horton Heath to the east.

Perhaps the best-known piece of history associated with Eastleigh is that it is the home of the Spitfire (a World War II fighter plane designed by R. J. Mitchell). The aircraft was built, designed and first flown from what is now Southampton Airport, which is in Eastleigh. Southampton Airport was claimed to have been sunk by the German Air Force during the Second World War! During its military service, it was known as HMS Raven, and this name was announced by the German propaganda machine as a successfully sunk ship of the Royal Navy!

The town also boasts a link to one of the UK's best known comics, Benny Hill. Indeed it was his work as a milkman in the town that spawned his well known "Ernie - the fastest milkman in the west" tune. The cartoon character 'Jane' and musician Heinz Burt are both connected with the borough.

The Chamberlayne Arms at the junction of Blenheim Road and the High Street

Since the late 20th century, it has become a bit of a dormitory town, in that it has become home to many people who live here, but work elsewhere. This is mainly due to the good transport links of the M3 and M27 motorways and Southampton Airport - with direct flights to much of the UK and many points within Europe.

In 2006, Eastleigh was named as the ninth best place to live in the UK by the Channel 4 television programme The Best and Worst Places to Live 2006. The abundance of jobs and the excellent transport links were named as some of the primary reasons for this award. Nearby Winchester was named the best place to live in the UK by the same programme.

  • Bishopstoke is just one of the many small villages and hamlets inside the Borough of Eastleigh.

It has a history which stretches back to Anglo-Saxon times. It is featured in Domesday Book and has long links with Winchester Cathedral and its bishops. King John signed charters here during his visits in 1205 and 1207. William Gilbert, the novelist father of W.S. Gilbert, is stated to have been born here in 1804. During the reign of Queen Victoria Dean Garnier's garden is said to have rivalled that at Chiswick. In the early 1940s part of the village had its milk delivered by Benny Hill, who became a popular comedian after the war.

Bordering the River Itchen with a unique riverside frontage, the Angler's public house & restaurant is a favourite stopping off point for ramblers using the Itchen Way.

  • Chandler's Ford has a long history associated with the railways, being the site of a large railway works that at one time was the major employer in the area. The population of Chandler's Ford is now over 20,000 and still growing.

Get in

By train

Buildings on Station Hill
  • 1 Eastleigh railway station. Very good rail links, being on the main line between Weymouth and London. A service to London runs between half an hour to an hour. Local rail connections to nearby towns are described at Three Rivers Rail
    Frequent rail services to Eastleigh station from Southampton, Winchester, Portsmouth, Basingstoke & London. Fast services from Bournemouth/Poole, the Midlands, Scotland & London are available to Southampton Parkway station to the south.     Eastleigh railway station (Q2285305) on Wikidata Eastleigh railway station on Wikipedia (updated Dec 2020)
  • 2 Southampton Airport Parkway railway station. Southampton Airport Parkway railway station (Q4047567) on Wikidata Southampton Airport Parkway railway station on Wikipedia 
  • 3 Chandler's Ford Station. On the main line between Weymouth and London. A service to London runs between half an hour to an hour. A train that runs from Romsey to Totton, which also stops at Eastleigh, Southampton Airport Parkway and Southampton Central. Chandler's Ford railway station (Q3167842) on Wikidata Chandler's Ford railway station on Wikipedia (updated Apr 2021)

By taxi

By bus

Regular bus services to Southampton, Romsey, Winchester and areas in the surrounding borough. National Express coaches run services through the town centre.

By plane

Regular services from many airports across the British Isles to 4 Southampton Airport (SOU IATA). Southampton Airport (Q8988) on Wikidata Southampton Airport on Wikipedia (updated Dec 2020), but very few from further afield.

By car

Eastleigh is also the end point of the M3 connecting the South Coast via the M27 with the rest of the country's motorway network.

Approximate travel times:

  • London (1.5 hours via the M3 motorway)
  • Birmingham (2.5 hours via the A34)

Get around

50°57′59″N 1°21′8″W
Map of Eastleigh

By foot

Eastleigh town centre is very small and can easily be travelled on foot. It takes less than ten minutes to traverse. Eastleigh does have a large residential sprawl a-joined in the north and west known as Boyatt Wood. There are regular buses and travel time on foot to the opposite end of Boyatt Wood is only 25 minutes.

Bishopstoke is a one mile walk along Bishopstoke Road or a short taxi ride. Alternatively catch a bus from the bus station in the town centre to "The Mill" stop which is at the centre of the village and close to Riverside and the River Itchen.

By bike

Bike hire is available at 2 Cycles4all, at the Pavilion on the Park. A cycle route map can be found here.

See

Looking from Archers Road into The Crescent
  • 1 Eastleigh Museum, High Street, ☏ 44 23 8064 3026. Tu-Sa. It has files covering Bishopstoke's long history. Light refreshments are available & special exhibitions are staged on a regular basis. Eastleigh Museum (Q60775372) on Wikidata Eastleigh Museum on Wikipedia (updated Dec 2020)
  • 2 St Mary's Church, at the lower end of Church Road, Bishopstoke. John "Bilious" Bale, a medieval rector, writer & playwright, preached his infamous sermons here. Samuel Sewall, a judge in the Salem Witch Trials was baptised here. St Mary's Church, Bishopstoke (Q7594281) on Wikidata St Mary's Church, Bishopstoke on Wikipedia (updated Apr 2021)
  • 3 Marwell Zoological Park, Colden Common (On the B2177. Accessible by road or by Stagecoach bus 69 (4 buses on Su only)), ☏ 44 7626 943163. Apr-Oct: daily 10AM-6PM; Nov-Mar: daily 10AM-4PM; last admission 90 minutes before close; closed Dec 25th. The park has over 200 rare and endangered species of animals. The Marwell Preservation Trust is dedicated to conservation and increased knowledge of all living creatures. £11.50 adult; £9.50 senior or student; £8 child. Marwell Zoo (Q15249491) on Wikidata Marwell Zoo on Wikipedia (updated Dec 2020)
  • 4 The Railwayman Statue, Leigh Rd, SO50 9FF. A statue celebrating Eastleigh's railway history. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 5 Charlotte Mary Yonge Statue (also known as the Charlotte Yonge Statue), SO50 9FL (Sat on a bench outside Eastleigh train station). A statue of the novelist who named Eastleigh. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 6 Shears Mill (The Mill), Bishopstoke Rd, SO50 6LP. Old water mill turned museum. (updated Apr 2021)

Do

Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway

In the town centre

  • 1 Vue Cinemas, Swan Centre. 9-screen cinema. (updated Jun 2016)
  • 2 Hollywood Bowl Eastleigh, Swan Centre. A 20-lane bowling alley and arcade. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 3 The Point (Arts centre), Leigh Road (not far from Eastleigh town centre), ☏ 44 23 8065 2333. A variety of stage and film productions throughout the year. The Point, Eastleigh (Q7757589) on Wikidata The Point, Eastleigh on Wikipedia (updated Apr 2021)
  • 4 Partyman World of Play (formerly Gambado's), ☏ 44 23 8001 8336. Large indoor soft play area for children. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 5 Leigh Road Park, Leigh Rd. Park with bandstand, war memorial and children's playground. (updated Apr 2021)

Not in the town centre

  • 6 Lakeside Country Park, Wide Ln, ☏ 44 23 8061 7882. An area of land left behind by the gravel extraction for the M27 Motorway. The three large holes are now flooded and provide a very pleasant green belt between Southampton and Eastleigh. Fishing, walking and birdwatching are all possible at the site, and there is a miniature railway that runs during school holidays. Lakeside Country Park (Q6479080) on Wikidata Lakeside Country Park on Wikipedia (updated Apr 2021)
  • 7 Itchen Way. Ramblers can use to reach other locations along the valley of the river Itchen including Allbrook (home of Mary Beale, the artist, during the late 1660s) Brambridge (home of Maria Fitzherbert in the mid 1700s), Shawford, St Cross & Winchester. Itchen Way (Q6094287) on Wikidata Itchen Way on Wikipedia (updated Dec 2020)
  • 8 Itchen Valley Country Park, Allington Ln, West End, Southampton (approx. 2 miles south of Bishopstoke, can be accessed by car via Allington Lane, Fair Oak to the east of the village or walkers may use the Itchen Way which adjoins the western edge of the village). Woodlands and meadows with a play trail, a café and a Go Ape assault course. Itchen Valley Country Park (Q6094281) on Wikidata Itchen Valley Country Park on Wikipedia (updated Apr 2021)
  • 9 Bishopstoke Players, Memorial Hall. If your visit coincides with the staging of a performance by the talented Bishopstoke Players and you book early enough, you are in for a treat. (updated Dec 2020)
  • 10 Hiltingbury Lakes. About 17 acres of water, woodland and wildlife. Here you can enjoy walking, fishing or just watching the wildlife. (updated Dec 2020)
  • 11 Places Leisure (formerly Fleming Park), Passfield Ave, SO50 9NL, ☏ 44 23 8068 4800. Leisure centre with indoor pools, a gym, tennis and squash courts and a large park. The park contains a large playground and a paddling pool (open May-September). (updated Apr 2021)
  • 12 The Pavilion on the Park, 1 Kingfisher Rd, SO50 9LH, ☏ 44 23 8061 2710. Community venue with halls, suites and the Blackbird Café. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 13 Stoke Park Wood, Stoke Park Wood, Bishopstoke. Woodland with a car park. Great for walking and cycling. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 14 The Hub, The Hub, Bishopstoke Road, SO50 6LA, ☏ 44 23 8064 7090. Sports and recreation facility with large green area. The River Itchen runs alongside it. (updated Apr 2021)

Buy

The town centre consists of two streets (High Street and Market Street) and the Swan Shopping Centre which sits at the end of the two. Many national chains are represented as are independent shops. The main supermarket in the town centre is Tesco, which is attached to the Swan Centre. There is also a Sainsbury's, but there is a giant Asda 'Hypermarket' in nearby Chandler's Ford, and an out of town retail park alongside the M27 near Hedge End. There is a market in the town centre on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Eat

Chinese food

Indian food

Sweet food

Cafés

Restaurants

Fish and chip shops

  • 29 Sandra's Fish & Chips (formerly Golden Fry Chip Shop), 112 Chamberlayne Rd, SO50 5JF, ☏ 44 23 8061 4161. Fish and chip shop. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 30 Mikes Chippy, 12B Derby Rd, SO50 5LY, ☏ 44 23 8061 3399. Fish and chip shop. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 31 Mike's Traditional Fish & Chips (formerly Nicks Fish Bar), 8 Spring Ln, SO50 6LS, ☏ 44 23 8061 2776. Fish and chip shop. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 32 Chip Stop, 7 Falkland Rd, Chandler's Ford, SO53 3GA, ☏ 44 23 8026 0022. Fish and chip shop. (updated Apr 2021)

Pizza places

Drink

  • 1 The Good Companions, 119 Leigh Rd, SO50 9DS, ☏ 44 23 8062 9001. Family-friendly pub with outdoor patio. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 2 The Grantham Arms, Chamberlayne Rd, SO50 5HZ, ☏ 44 23 8061 2141. Family-friendly pub. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 3 Steam Town Brew Co., 1 Bishopstoke Rd, SO50 6AD, ☏ 44 23 8235 9139. M-Th 4PM-11PM, F-Su noon-11PM. Craft brewery and tap room with outside seating on the on-street terrace. They serve and sell a range of their own beers and guests by bottle, can and mini-keg. (updated Apr 2021)
  • 4 The Concorde Club, Stoneham Ln, SO50 9HQ, ☏ 44 23 8061 3989. Oldest jazz club under the same management in the United Kingdom and possibly the world. Also on-site are the Moldy Fig restaurant and the Ellington Lodge hotel. The Concorde Club (Q7727294) on Wikidata The Concorde Club on Wikipedia (updated Apr 2021)

Sleep

Connect

Eastleigh's area code for landline numbers is 023 when dialled from within the UK or 44 23 from outside the UK. Calls made from landlines within the 023 area (which covers most of South Hampshire, including Southampton and Portsmouth) do not require the area code to connect. However, a great many Eastleigh phone numbers start "023 80..." leading many to incorrectly assume that "02380" is the town's area code.

Go next

  • Southampton 5 miles (8 km) to the south has several cinemas and theatres.
  • Spend a day in Winchester, exploring the cathedral and visiting the Science Centre.
  • Romsey is a great place for children - with such attractions as Romsey Rapids and Paultons Park.
  • Bursledon has a marina and a large windmill.
  • Netley Abbey and Royal Victoria Country Park are in Netley.
  • Hamble-le-Rice was an aircraft training centre in the Second World War.
  • The New Forest contains many attractions such as the Beaulieu Motor Museum and Exbury Gardens.
Routes through Eastleigh
END ← S UK-Motorway-M3.svg N → Winchester → London
Portsmouth ← Fareham ← W UK-Motorway-M27.svg E → Southampton → New Forest
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