Haslar is on the south coast of
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, at the southern tip of
Alverstoke
Alverstoke is a small settlement which forms part of the borough of Gosport, on the south coast of Hampshire, England. It stretches east–west from Fort Blockhouse, Haslar to Browndown Battery, and is centred east of the shore of Stokes Bay and ...
, on the
Gosport
Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...
peninsula,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
. It takes its name from the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
, meaning "
hazel
The hazel (''Corylus'') is a genus of deciduous trees and large shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The genus is usually placed in the birch family Betulaceae,Germplasmgobills Information Network''Corylus''Rushforth, K. (1999). ...
-landing place". It may have been named after a bank of hazel strewn on marshy grounds around Haslar Creek to make it passable and habitable in old times, or merely because hazel grew there.
Royal Hospital Haslar
The location consists principally of the former
Royal Hospital Haslar
The Royal Hospital Haslar in Gosport, Hampshire, was one of several hospitals serving the local area. It was converted into retirement flats between 2018 and 2020. The hospital itself is a Grade II listed building.
History
Formation and oper ...
site, now luxury housing. The site for Haslar hospital was bought in 1745; before that the land was Haslar Farm (though spelt Hasler Farm at the time) within the liberty of Alverstoke. The site was a slightly unusual location for a hospital because it was surrounded by the Gosport Creek, with no readily available access: such an area was chosen to prevent
press-ganged sailors from absconding.
Royal Naval Cemetery
It was primarily to serve the hospital that the Haslar Royal Naval Cemetery was laid out. It contains (June 2014)
Commonwealth war graves
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations mi ...
of 772 naval personnel of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
(two of whom are unidentified), and 611 of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
(36 unidentified), besides ten foreign sailors, and nine non-World War service burials. There is a mass grave of 42 officers and men of the
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
HMS L55
HMS ''L55'' was a British L class submarine built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Govan, River Clyde, Clyde. She was laid down on 21 September 1917 and was commissioned on 19 December 1918.
In 1919 ''L55'' was sunk in the Bal ...
, recovered from the
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
and repatriated in 1927, their names on a screen wall memorial.
CWGC Cemetery Report. Singer
Chick Henderson (singer), Chick Henderson, killed in a German flying bomb attack in
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...
,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
in 1944, is buried here under rank and real name of Sub-Lieutenant Henderson Rowntree.
CWGC Casualty Record. Also now buried here are 26 Turkish sailors of two ships of the Ottoman Navy, ''Mirat-ı Zafer'' and ''Sirag-i Bahri Birik'', anchored off the Hardway near Gosport in 1850-51, during which time some of the members of the crew contracted
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
and were admitted to Haslar Hospital for treatment, where most of them died. In addition, some other sailors died because of training accidents. They were buried in the grounds of Haslar but at the turn of the 20th century the bodies were exhumed and transferred to the Royal Naval Cemetery here.
Haslar Barracks
In 1802 an infantry barracks was built on a triangular site, on the promontory south of the Hospital, which was known as Camp Field (having served as an Army encampment in the latter part of the 18th century).
In 1864, as part of the army's medical reforms following the
Crimean War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the de ...
, Haslar Barracks was converted to serve as a garrison hospital (the
New Barracks having by then opened in nearby Gosport); it became known as Haslar Military Hospital. Thirty years later, the site reverted to barrack use: from 1892 until 1939 it was occupied by the
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
, during the Second World War an Anti-aircraft Brigade occupied the site, then the
Royal Army Ordnance Corps
The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equip ...
did so in the early 1950s.
Thereafter, the site was handed over to the
Home Office and became a prison, serving latterly as
Haslar Immigration Removal Centre
Haslar Immigration Removal Centre (formerly known as Haslar Prison) was an immigration detention centre, located in Haslar (near Gosport), Hampshire, England. The centre was operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service. The centre closed in 2016 wi ...
. The Centre closed down in 2017. Through all the various uses of the site, the original buildings had remained in use and their layout intact; in 2017 it was designated a
Conservation Area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
by Gosport Borough Council.
Haslar Gunboat Yard and the Admiralty Experiment Works
![Haslar Road - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Haslar_Road_-_geograph.org.uk_-_877451.jpg)
The strip of land between the hospital and the creek is occupied by the former Haslar Gunboat Yard, opened in 1856 to house the Royal Navy's coastal
gunboats
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to shore bombardment, bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for troopship, ferrying troops or au ...
. A single
patent slip
The patent slip or marine railway is an inclined plane extending from shoreline into water, featuring a "cradle" onto which a ship is first floated, and a mechanism to haul the ship, attached to the cradle, out of the water onto a slip. The m ...
was used to launch the boats into Haslar Creek, and to haul them out again on a
cradle which ran on railway tracks; a
locomotive
A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...
-driven
traverser then delivered the boat (still in its cradle) to its place in the row of cast iron boat sheds (ten of which still stand, parallel to the creek - at one time there were fifty in total). A small
stationary steam engine
Stationary steam engines are fixed steam engines used for pumping or driving mills and factories, and for power generation. They are distinct from locomotive engines used on railways, traction engines for heavy steam haulage on roads, steam cars ...
mounted on the traverser platform drove an
endless screw, which was then used to slide the boat back into its shed.
![Gunboat Sheds - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Gunboat_Sheds_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1174407.jpg)
After a series of expansions and contractions, as gunboats went in and out of vogue in naval circles, the Yard closed in 1906; but from 1912–1973 the site continued to provide storage and maintenance facilities for small vessels of various types. During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
it formed part of
HMS ''Hornet'', the adjacent
Coastal Forces
Coastal Forces was a division of the Royal Navy initially established during World War I, and then again in World War II under the command of Rear-Admiral, Coastal Forces. It remained active until the last minesweepers to wear the "HM Coastal Fo ...
base; and when ''Hornet'' was decommissioned (in 1957) the Yard became an adjunct of the Admiralty Small Craft Experimental Works (see below).
Haslar closed for good as a Boat Yard after the construction of a new Haslar Bridge, which prevented craft from sailing up the creek. The site is currently unused, but substantially intact; as well as the boat sheds, it contains a pair of guard houses flanking the gateway, several workshops and the former boiler house with its prominent chimney. (Steam from the boilers not only drove the
winch
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in (wind up) or let out (wind out) or otherwise adjust the tension of a rope or wire rope (also called "cable" or "wire cable").
In its simplest form, it consists of a spool (or drum) attache ...
, which hauled the boats up the slipway, but also powered the hospital laundry on the other side of the road.) The buildings are all of red brick, as is the surrounding perimeter wall, built with integrated
watch tower
A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is t ...
s to provide extra security.
![DRA Haslar Plaque](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/DRA_Haslar_Plaque.JPG)
Alongside the Gunboat Yard, within the same compound, stands the
Admiralty Experiment Works
The Admiralty Experiment Works (AEW) was the British Admiralty research establishment, responsible for improving propeller design, manoeuvrability and seakeeping in Royal Navy vessels. The Experiment Works existed from 1872 to 1977 and for most ...
(later part of the
Defence Research Agency
The Defence Research Agency (DRA) was an executive agency of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) from April 1991 until April 1995. At the time, the DRA was Britain's largest science and technology organisation. In April 1995, the DRA was combined wi ...
and now owned by
QinetiQ). It contains a 540 ft concrete
water tank
A water tank is a container for storing water.
Water tanks are used to provide storage of water for use in many applications, drinking water, irrigation agriculture, fire suppression, agricultural farming, both for plants and livestock, chemi ...
, built in 1884 to test different hull designs using wax models, and still in use today. The tank was built for the Admiralty by Robert Edmund Froude in order to carry on the pioneering work of his father,
William Froude
William Froude (; 28 November 1810 in Devon – 4 May 1879 in Simonstown, South Africa) was an English engineer, hydrodynamicist and naval architect. He was the first to formulate reliable laws for the resistance that water offers to ships (suc ...
, who had died in 1879. Over time, as the Gunboat Yard was reduced in size, the Experiment Works expanded to fill the available space.
Golf course
In the late 19th century, a 9-hole
golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
was built on the Southern tip of Haslar peninsular, and used by local military as a means of exercise. The United Services Club was established in 1885. In 1905, the club merged with the adjacent ladies of
Alverstoke
Alverstoke is a small settlement which forms part of the borough of Gosport, on the south coast of Hampshire, England. It stretches east–west from Fort Blockhouse, Haslar to Browndown Battery, and is centred east of the shore of Stokes Bay and ...
, who had founded their own 9-hole course in 1893, but they did not share a clubhouse until 1924. The club adopted the name of Gosport and Stokes Bay Golf Club in 1939 as an acknowledgement that it was no longer a service and ex-service personnel only club.
It is claimed that in 1892, secretary of Great Yarmouth Club, Dr Thomas Browne, visited the United Services Club and introduced the members to the term "the
bogey man", an invisible opponent invented by Hugh Rotherham of
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
. The members, being all officers, duly promoted the bogey man to the rank of
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
.
Other features
Also here is , which, along with Weymouth, East Cowes
East Cowes is a town and civil parish in the north of the Isle of Wight, on the east bank of the River Medina, next to its west bank neighbour Cowes.
The two towns are connected by the Cowes Floating Bridge, a chain ferry operated by the Isle ...
and Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
, is part of the Dean and Reddyhoff marina group. A large green lightship ''Mary Mouse II'' is permanently moored on the outside of the marina, by the harbour entrance. The Royal Navy Submarine Museum
The Royal Navy Submarine Museum at Gosport is a maritime museum tracing the international history of submarine development from the age of Alexander the Great to the present day, and particularly the history of the Royal Navy Submarine Service ...
is found nearby. Haslar Immigration Removal Centre
Haslar Immigration Removal Centre (formerly known as Haslar Prison) was an immigration detention centre, located in Haslar (near Gosport), Hampshire, England. The centre was operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service. The centre closed in 2016 wi ...
(formerly Haslar Prison) stands to the south-west of the former Hospital site.
References
{{Reflist
External links
BBC article on the history of the hospital
QARANC history page
Military 'March Out', and brief history
www.royalhaslar.com
Gosport