HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Leigh Park is a large suburb (population 27,500) of Havant, in
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 ...
,
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 ...
. It currently forms the bulk or whole of four
electoral wards The wards and electoral divisions in the United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors. The ward is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil parishes and borough and distr ...
: Battins, Bondfields, Barncroft and Warren Park (generally referred to as 'The Warren').
Staunton Country Park Staunton Country Park is a listed Regency era, Regency landscaped parkland and forest encompassing approximately in Hampshire, England. An ornamental farm, ornamental lake, Folly, follies, maze, walled garden and greenhouse, glasshouses can be ...
lies on the northern edge of Leigh Park, also within the Havant boundary.


History

Leigh Park existed before becoming a post Second world war housing estate,


Early history

As early as 1750 mention was made of a farm on the site in a will of that year and local historians consider it likely that a farm existed there around 100 years earlier.


Leigh park estate

Leigh Park Estate may have been formed with the building of Leigh House by the then owner Samuel Harrison some time before 1791. The stables, walled garden and coach house of the house survived as part of
Staunton Country Park Staunton Country Park is a listed Regency era, Regency landscaped parkland and forest encompassing approximately in Hampshire, England. An ornamental farm, ornamental lake, Folly, follies, maze, walled garden and greenhouse, glasshouses can be ...
. The estate encompassed decorative planting, lakes and follies and was described as "one of the most beautiful spots in the county" in 1826. In 'The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales' Leigh is described as a tything of Havant parish two miles to the north west of Havant with a population of 547.


Second world war

Leigh Park was re-developed as a new suburb for those made
homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...
in
Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
by bomb damage which occurred during
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
and to enable the new roads and parks of Portsmouth to be built.


Post war

The land for the estate was purchased by Portsmouth
City council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
from the Fitzwygram family in 1944; work started on building in 1947 and the first residents moved in during 1949. The first shops opened in 1952 (in Stone Square) and the main shopping centre of Park Parade / Greywell Shopping opened in 1955. The majority of homes in Leigh Park were built by Portsmouth City Council, not Havant Borough Council through a financially underwritten cooperation with the former Havant and Waterloo Urban District Council. Most Leigh Park tenants of social housing pay rent to the properties' owners
Guinness Partnership The Guinness Partnership is one of the largest providers of affordable housing and care in England. Founded as a charitable trust in 1890, it is now a Community Benefit Society with eight members. Bloomberg classify it as a real estate owner an ...
(formerly Hermitage Housing) or Portsmouth City Council which has an office near Park Parade. Residents are liable in
council tax Council Tax is a local taxation system used in England, Scotland and Wales. It is a tax on domestic property, which was introduced in 1993 by the Local Government Finance Act 1992, replacing the short-lived Community Charge, which in turn re ...
to Havant Borough Council who provide local services and collect the Hampshire County Council proportion. Construction of the estate was not fully completed until the early 1970s, although most of the houses in the area were built by 1960. Hermitage Housing commissions most new housing in Leigh Park. Barratt Homes is currently building on the former
Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...
site in the centre of Leigh Park. Leigh Park was one of the largest wholly council estates in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
however following the ongoing
right to buy The Right to Buy scheme is a policy in the United Kingdom, with the exception of Scotland since 1 August 2016 and Wales from 26 January 2019, which gives secure tenants of councils and some housing associations the legal right to buy, at a large ...
many of the properties are privately owned. In 2004, Leigh Park made the news when a gang stole more than £100,000 from the
Nationwide Building Society Nationwide Building Society is a British mutual financial institution, the seventh largest cooperative financial institution and the largest building society in the world with over 16 million members. Its headquarters are in Swindon, England ...
and a man sleeping on a bench was set on fire, in a separate incident.


Governance

The suburb of Leigh Park comes under the remit of the local government district and borough of Havant and within the boundary of Hampshire County Council. the area is broadly covered by the
electoral wards The wards and electoral divisions in the United Kingdom are electoral districts at sub-national level, represented by one or more councillors. The ward is the primary unit of English electoral geography for civil parishes and borough and distr ...
of Barncroft, Battins and Warren Park while some northern section of Bedhampton ward might be considered within what might be commonly thought of Leigh Park. Leigh Park is part of the parliamentary constituency of Havant. it is served by MP Alan Mak, a
Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
.


Geography

The modern estate is bordered to the east by the Havant to Petersfield railway line excluding perhaps some industrial units by the railway which would not be considered part of the estate. The Northern extent is approximately defined in line with the A3M and B2150 junction.
Staunton Country Park Staunton Country Park is a listed Regency era, Regency landscaped parkland and forest encompassing approximately in Hampshire, England. An ornamental farm, ornamental lake, Folly, follies, maze, walled garden and greenhouse, glasshouses can be ...
and Leigh Park Gardens may or may not be considered part of the estate, as might the Southleigh House area which lies to the east of the Railway. The western edge is bounded but excluding houses around B2150 road from Old Bedhampton to Waterlooville. To the south, the boundary lies broadly just to the north of the B2149 road. Leigh Park is broadly flat gradually rising to the North with some sharper rises at fringes around the northern parts. The Hermitage Stream and tributaries run through parts of Leigh Park while the Lavant stream runs down the left side of the settlement. Both run into Langstone Harbour which is approximately to the south at the nearest point.


Culture and community

There was a Bowling alley beside park parade that was converted to a bingo hall and opened by Diana Dors in 1984.


Transport

The main shopping precinct is served by Stagecoach South bus routes 20, 21, 23, 37 and 39, which provide links with central Havant (with some services continuing to Portsmouth and the main area hospital). First Hampshire & Dorset operates the 27 service through the estate between Rowlands Castle, Havant and Emsworth. Havant railway station is the nearest major train station, smaller stations Bedhampton and Rowlands Castle are near parts of Leigh Park. The
A3(M) motorway The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road or London Road in sections, is a major road connecting the City of London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classi ...
and A27 Havant bypass are the areas' major links to the rest of the country,


Education

Leigh Park contains several primary schools: Front Lawn, Trosnant, Riders, Sharps Copse, Park House, Warren Park, Barncroft School and St Albans C of E. Leigh Park is currently served by three secondary schools: Havant Academy (known as Wakefords Secondary School when it opened in 1970 and latterly Staunton Community Sports College until 2009),
Park Community School Park Community School is a coeducational community secondary school, located in the Leigh Park area of Havant in the English county of Hampshire. It is administered by Hampshire County Council which coordinates the schools admissions. The sc ...
(known previously as Broomfield Secondary School, when it opened in 1958, and Broomfield Comprehensive School until 1988) and Prospect School, built in 2008, an education centre for children with learning and social disabilities. The West Leigh area was also served by Oak Park Secondary School on Leigh Road (close to the junction with Crosland Drive - now demolished), from its opening in 1957 to its closure in the late 1980s. Pupils from that area then attended Warblington Comprehensive School situated some distance from the area on Southleigh Road, Denvilles. Between 1958 and 1960 Havant Grammar School had shared the Broomfield Secondary School site on Middle Park Way until it moved to its own, new buildings on the corner of Barncroft Way and New Road. The title Havant Grammar School disappeared with the arrival of the comprehensive school system and it became Havant College a sixth-form college in 1974.


Sport

The suburb's main non-league football side is Havant & Waterlooville who currently play in the Conference South, two divisions below the
Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
. The team's main claim to fame is reaching the
FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
fourth round in the 2007-08 season when they twice took the lead against Liverpool at
Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 189 ...
before finally losing 5-2. Havant Hockey Club play at Havant College on Barncroft Way (just on the outskirts of Leigh Park). The team were National and European Champions in the 1990s. The street High Lawn Way just beyond the Crown Bingo Hall also offshoots onto a bowls club, two tennis courts and a common playing fields and children's play area. Leigh Park boxing club is based at the community centre.


See also

*
List of places of worship in the Borough of Havant There are more than 50 current and former places of worship in the Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough of Borough of Havant, Havant in Hampshire, England. Various Christian denominations own and use 42 churches, chapels and meeting ...


Notes


References


Sources

* * * *


External links


Local history society publications relating to Leigh Park


{{Havant Housing estates in Hampshire Havant