Local history
A Brief History of Eastleigh
Eastleigh – known as East Leah (79AD), Eastleie (1086), Eastley (pre 1868) and finally Eastleigh. It is generally believed to have been born as a Railway town but its history goes back much earlier than when the first Southampton to London rail line was built in 1838. The name East Leah means clearing in a forest east of an early settlement.
Early History
Flints, axe and arrowhead Stone Age tools have been unearthed in the Bishopstoke area and a piece of metal was identified as Bronze Age. The modern town of Eastleigh lies on the old Roman road from Southampton to Winchester built in AD79 with evidence of Roman occupation which includes gold coins and two coffins, one was dug up by a gang of railway workmen in January 1864 between Twyford Road and the Railway line. A Saxon village has been recorded as having existed in the Baddesley area since 932AD but the area of modern Eastleigh was more of a hamlet along with the hamlet of Barton.
During this period Bishopstoke was a more substantial village with a long history. More archaeological evidence of late Iron Age to early Roman has been found very recently during recent developments off Church Lane. The village was mentioned when King Alfred’s grandson King Eadred granted Stohes/Stokes to Aelfric in 948AD and in the Domesday Book 1886 as being part of the Bishopric of Winchester which also included Stoke Park and Fair Oak.
Later History
Eastley, Barton and Bishopstoke lie on the River Itchen and, until the 19th century, was a collection of farms and small settlements mostly owned by wealthy landowners, the river was navigable from Southampton to Winchester in the 13th century transporting goods of all sorts. However, by 1452 it was noted to be in poor condition after the wool and leather trade declined and it was not until 1710, when a newly-formed Itchen Navigation Company built the addition of a canal to the areas which were unnavigable, that the waterway came back into commercial use and the barges were able to reach Southampton and the docks.
The other means of transporting goods was via the old Roman Road, parts of which had developed into the main route from Southampton to Winchester, passing through Eastley.
Victorian History
Major changes came to the area in 1838 when plans were made to build a railway line between London and Southampton passing through the hamlet of Barton, just to the east of Eastley. A station was built in 1842 after a rail line to Portsmouth was added but as Barton was so small it was called Bishopstoke Junction. (Bishopstoke was the nearest place of any importance). An additional rail line to Salisbury was added in 1847.
The Railway Company began to build cottages by the new station for its employees. By 1851 Barton had a population of 194 and Eastley 213. In 1852 a cheese market was opened by the railway station and soon became Hampshire’s leading cheese market.
In 1868 the town had grown considerably and the two small villages of Barton and Eastley were combined into one parish. A larger parish church was required and the Church of the Resurrection was built. Charlotte Yonge from Otterbourne donated £500, of her earnings as a novelist, towards the building cost. As a consequence of her generous gift she was invited to decide whether the new parish should be called Eastley or Barton. She chose to call it Eastleigh changing the spelling to make it more modern!
In 1884 the railway company decided to build a wagon and carriage works at Eastleigh and many workers and their families, from Nine Elms in London, moved to Eastleigh. They began building in 1889 and this new industry meant that Eastleigh boomed. In 1909 locomotive works were also built at Eastleigh bringing a further influx of families. Eastleigh the Railway town was born.
Eastleigh/Southampton Airport – Spitfire
The first aircraft to take off from the meadows of North Stoneham Farm belonged to Edwin Moon who made and tested a single seater monoplane in 1910. In 1917, during the First World War, the farm was requisitioned by the War Office and given to the US Navy to develop as an assembly area. After the war ended the Air Ministry gave approval to set up a civil air transport system to serve both International and Domestic routes.
Southampton Corporation purchased Atlantic Park in 1932 and renamed it Southampton Municipal Airport and the Hampshire Aeroplane Club moved its operation to the airport from Hamble shortly afterwards. One famous member of this club was R J Mitchell the aircraft designer responsible for the development of the iconic Spitfire fighter plane. Spitfire aircraft were designed and built at Woolston but assembled and tested at the airport.
During the Second World War the airport was recommissioned as HMS Raven a shore based training establishment. In an attempt to disrupt the assembly of the spitfire, sporadic raids were made on the airport. However, German propaganda did not quite get it right when reporting HMS Raven had been sunk!
After the war, regular air services resumed and it was one of the busiest airports outside of London.
Ann Beeching
Local History Group
Eastleigh District
2021