Cosham Area Guide

History

Cosham, in Hampshire, used to be a small village but now is now a northern suburb of Portsmouth with many different styles and designs of property. The oldest properties within the village, Chalk Cottage - 1777 and the Mile Stone Cottage - 1793 were both demolished in the 1960’s and the area is now mainly residential. Cosham is situated close to Portsmouth Harbour, giving residents an opportunity to enjoy all things nautical.

Cosham is the north area on the hill slopes behind the city of Portsmouth. The area was owned by the diocese of Winchester until the 1920's / 1930's. The land was mainly orchards with six or seven major properties, some of which are reputedly used as stopping points for Admiral Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton. Others have links to local politicians like James Callaghan and during the Second World War were use by Eisenhower and Churchill to arrange the D Day landings.

The majority of properties in Cosham were built between 1920 and 1930, when the area was designated for new homes because 40% of the city itself was considered 'unliveable'. Many soldiers and sailors stayed on the south coast after the Great War so it was heavily populated. The building style of the city was Victorian and Edwardian so it was a new refreshing approach to have these Art Deco and semi detached homes built. To have a bathroom on the first floor or at all was modern to the city. There are 8600 homes in Po6 1 and Po6 2 postcodes. 5600 are 3 beds, because of the building restrictions of the era.

In 1950's the city was growing so some new homes where built and were better than suburbia. Properties in Cosham consist of many large detached properties ranging from the Art Deco style, to detached chalet style properties, some with sea views. There are also several 1930's style properties located near Portsdown Hill with its many acres of open space. This is a well established residential area and many properties have extensive and mature gardens and are of generous proportions with garages and parking space. The sea dominates this area making it an ideal place for anyone who loves sailing and messing about in boats.

There are three parts to Cosham, all different. There is the Council estate, Paulsgrove. Created on the back of the Second World War, the city council moved families out of the city into pre fabricated short term homes. The problem is people liked living on the hillside overlooking the heavily laden city and didn't want to move back. East Cosham as it is locally known was and still is a highly desirable area. It is an area of solicitors, doctors and dentists residences, with private driveways and large gardens. The road running through the middle, Havant Road, was the main link between Southampton and Chichester before the motorway was built. The north side of Havant Road is referred to at the North Hill slopes. The prices on the North Hill slopes in comparison with the South hill slopes are between 20% and 40% higher. There are pockets of extremely upmarket properties. The majority of properties in Po6 are over £500,000.

Activities and attractions

The High Street in Cosham is well stocked with high street names and local individual retail outlets and this choice can be widened by going into Portsmouth and sampling its cosmopolitan flavour. There are six public houses in Cosham and many more in the outlying districts along with a wide choice of restaurants offering food from all over the world. The nearest Michelin starred restaurant is On the Quay at Emsworth approximately 7 miles away. There is a good choice of theatres in the area with the Nuffield Theatre and the Mayflower located in Southampton and the King’s Theatre and the New Theatre in Portsmouth. The Community Centre in Cosham offers many organised events including live music, arts and crafts, table top sales and a social club and there are more such centres to choose from in the outlying districts.

Education

There are three primary schools in Cosham, Court Lane Junior School, Court Lane Infant School and Portdown Primary School with many similar educational establishments within a 2 mile radius. A number of secondary schools include Park Community School, Warblington School, Crookhorn College of Technology, Purbrook Park School and Springfield School. Oaklands Catholic School and Havant Academy Schools are academies. Further Education establishments are numerous in the area, notably Havant College. The nearest universities are Portsmouth and Southampton universities.

Transport

The A3M is very close to Cosham, leading to London and the M27 goes east and north. The A27 leads eastward as far at Eastbourne. Southwest Trains operate the services from Portsmouth Railway Station offering a frequent service to London Waterloo to the east and also a service to Exeter and Weymouth to the west. The nearest international airport is located near Southampton approximately 22 miles away.