Historic Heritage on the Hampshire Coast

The Solent has provided a safe anchorage for thousands of years and in consequence the Hampshire coast has a rich heritage of commerce, defence and recreation. No other area of Great Britain can rival the Solent for its concentration and rich variety of military and naval historic features. There is a remarkable collection of over 40 castles, museums, great ships and stately homes which have played a major role in shaping the history of the country; of particular importance are the HenryVIII castles along the coastline, and the ring of Palmerston Forts around Portsmouth and Gosport.

The Solent also has several historic towns and villages such as Lymington, Hamble, Warsash, and Emsworth. The Solent and the Hamble river were popular centres for boat building in the last century, as supplies of wood were plentiful; Bucklers Hard in the New Forest provides a re-created village, to show life in past times. On the coast, especially west of Lymington, are significant remains of old Salterns (salt workings).

The Solent is of national importance for maritime archaeology primarily because it is a drowned coastline, the study of which is providing valuable information about historic changes to the coastline, and also because of the number of shipwrecks (nearly 500 known sites).

The defence of the realm website links various sites, many of which are coastal or connected to our maritime past.

Further information on historic heritage can be found on Hampshire’s general historic environment website.

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