
Hampshire is dwelling to Graduate Landscapes and lots of of our backyard design initiatives are created for gardens in Hampshire. While understanding the historical past of Hampshire might not all the time instantly affect our backyard designs, it does kind the backdrop to our design observe.
Hampshire is dwelling to spectacular landscapes of rolling chalk hills and downlands, scarps and valleys stretching over to The Solent and Isle of Wight on the coast. This magnificent county is steeped in wealthy historical past courting as far again to Neolithic and prehistoric occasions.
The Isle of Wight has an enchanting heritage with burial mounds and hill forts courting again to the Bronze Age and Iron Age. Hillforts had been constructed as safety from wars or battles and situated excessive upon hilltops to see the enemy advance and surrounded by defensive banks and ditches. There are numerous hill forts dotted round Hampshire, significantly close to Winchester and Bournemouth’s Hengistbury Head which will be found and explored as we speak.
Throughout the Roman invasion of Britain, Hampshire was one of many first invaded counties however some historic stays nonetheless stand. Silchester is one space which has largely remained untouched. After being deserted, not like different areas it was by no means constructed over. Roman partitions across the city supplied safety from assault, and the stays of those partitions nonetheless stand alongside the amphitheatre close by. Roman roads characterised by lengthy straight traces join areas like Winchester to Southampton and Chichester that are nonetheless well-liked routes for a lot of. Maybe you have got observed ditches both aspect of the street from Winchester? These additionally date again to Romans occasions.
Hampshire was invaded by Saxons and Jutes within the early fifth and sixth centuries when the Wessex kingdom was shaped. After defeating the Vikings, Hampshire gained it’s identify from one of many Shires of Wessex. Winchester turned the centre and Capital of England with King Alfred ruling Wessex until his demise in 899. The ninth century noticed energy and politics reign all through, creating Hampshire as one of the crucial highly effective early Kingdoms of its time. Wessex was the one one out of 4 kingdoms to outlive the Viking invasions. The Romans defended themselves by constructing castles alongside the shoreline between Portsmouth and Southampton, a few of these nonetheless stay similar to Porchester Citadel.
Manufacturing wool was one of many foremost medieval industries on the time, with Southampton ports serving to to determine a key function in exporting and importing supplies. Castles, monasteries and forts helped defend the harbours of Southampton and Portsmouth. Beaulieu, Netley and Odiham are dwelling to some advantageous Castles to discover, Odiham Citadel was the place the vernacular Magna Carta was produced inside two weeks of the unique doc being sealed.
Hampshire performed a elementary function throughout World Conflict II with it’s giant Royal Navy presence in Portsmouth and Aldershot’s military camp inside shut proximity to coaching ranges on Salisbury Plains. Portsmouth performed a pivotal function within the D-Day landings, the D-Day Story is a museum which tells the fascinating story and perception in to lives affected through the Allied invasion.
The Georgian interval noticed some cities decline, with agriculture present process change. Medieval open fields disappeared to make method for transport methods to ease visitors at Ringwood and lots of different locations. A steep rise in unemployment made situations powerful for Hampshire’s rural poor, while others loved prosperity with stately properties like Avington Park. It was throughout the Georgian interval, Jane Austen made the county well-known together with her idyllic drawing and romantic writing.