Langstone is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

near

Havant Havant ( ) is a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England. Nearby places include Portsmouth to the south-west, Southampton to the west, Waterlooville to north, Chichester to the east and Hayling Island to the south. The wider borough ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

in the south east of England in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. It has good railway connections to London,

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

, Portsmouth and

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, from the nearby Havant railway station. There are many large gated detached houses on the main road, "Langstone Road" and on the roads surrounding this. It has a sailing club, several

architecturally Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

unusual buildings, and several historically significant buildings, including a converted (water) millhouse and a converted 18th century windmill, the latter of which is a local landmark.

Geography

The village surrounds "Langstone Road" which leads to

Hayling Island Hayling Island is an island off the south coast of England, in the borough of Havant in the county of Hampshire, east of Portsmouth. History An Iron Age shrine in the north of Hayling Island, later developed into a Roman temple in the 1st cent ...

. There is a technology park on Langstone Road and this is due to the connections of the road. It lies just off the A27 that provides quick links to Portsmouth, Southampton and Brighton. The A3(M) to London is also nearby and the distance to the M25 is about 45 miles. It is connected by Langstone Bridge, a single-carriageway road and

footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...

, to Hayling Island to the South; this road (the A3023) is the only road connection from Hayling Island to the mainland. To the west of the road bridge the remains of the former railway bridge are visible; Langstone Harbour lies to the west of the railway bridge,

Chichester Harbour Chichester Harbour is a large natural harbour in West Sussex and Hampshire. It is situated to the south-west of the city of Chichester and to the north of the Solent. The harbour and surrounding land has been designated as an Area of Outstand ...

to the east. The historic causeway to Hayling Island known as the Wadeway still exists, however it is now completely impassable, having been cut in two by a deep channel for the Portsmouth and Chichester Canal in the 1820s, the same company having subsequently funded the old wooden road bridge, served by a toll-house situated at the northern end. There was a weight-limit and after WW2 only single-decker buses were allowed across and if they were carrying too many passengers some had to get out and walk, regardless of the weather, to reduce axle-weight. The old wooden bridge was demolished following construction of the current (2014) concrete bridge in the late 1950s. The much earlier causeway was known as the Wade Way, and was classified as a bridleway in 1988, and is shown as such on modern Ordnance Survey maps in spite of its use being considered hazardous at best. Excavation of this feature in 2006, constructed on a natural high point in the harbour, put its date in the Roman to mediaeval range but found no evidence to be more specific. The village High Street is designated as a Conservation Area (denoted by a blue plaque at the sea-end of the High Street), while the coastal path leading eastwards from the village is both part of

County Council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...

Solent Way The Solent Way is a long-distance footpath in Hampshire, southern England. For the most part, the path follows the coast of the Solent, the sea strait that separates mainland Britain from the Isle of Wight. The Solent Way forms part of the Kin ...

and the same Councils' Wayfarers Walk. Thorney Island and

Portsea Island Portsea Island is a flat and low-lying natural island in area, just off the southern coast of Hampshire in England. The island contains the majority of the city of Portsmouth. Portsea Island has the third-largest population of all the i ...

are also both clearly visible from the village coast.

Pubs In Langstone

There are two Grade II listed pubs in Langstone: * The Royal Oak * The Ship Innhttps://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101303563-the-ship-inn-havant-st-faiths-ward

Architecture

Flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

ing can be a problem in the village, on occasion with water right up to the main Langstone Road, and many buildings on Langstone High Street have slots for wooden barriers on their door frames, and stack up sandbags. However flood risk to buildings is strictly limited to the older (pre-twentieth century) properties. Houses in the terrace on Langstone High Street date back to the 18th century and a number are thatched. The other significant buildings, commonly featured in local postcards, is Langstone Towers, characterised by a large lightning conductor.

History

The village used to have rail links with Hayling Island and Havant in the form of the Hayling Billy railway, however the lines have since been torn up and the route replaced with a cycle and bridlepath. The remains of the Hayling Billy rail bridge over to Hayling Island can still be seen.

Etymology

The name ''Langstone'' comes from ''Lang'' (compare the

High German The High German languages (, i.e. ''High German dialects''), or simply High German ( ) – not to be confused with Standard High German which is commonly also called "High German" – comprise the varieties of German spoken south of the Ben ...

"lang") meaning "Long", and ''Stone'' with the same current-day usage.

Notable people

* Nevil Shute Norway, engineer and novelist, lived at the old mill owned by his friend the artist Flora Twort in 1939 prior to moving on to Hayling Island. * Flora Twort the artist owned the old mill at Langstone.

References

External links

Langstone Community Council website
{{authority control Villages in Hampshire Borough of Havant