Paulsgrove is an area of northern
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
,
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. Initially a small independent hamlet for many centuries, it was admitted to the city limits in 1920 and grew rapidly after the end of the Second World War.
History
Paulsgrove existed as a small hamlet on the old Portsmouth to
Southampton
Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
road for many years. During the early twentieth century Paulsgrove
Racecourse
A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also use ...
was built north of the village on the slopes of
Portsdown Hill
Portsdown Hill is a long chalk ridge in Hampshire, England. The highest point of the hill lies within Fort Southwick at 131m above sea level. The ridge offers good views to the south over Portsmouth, the Solent, Hayling Island and Gosport, wit ...
and a railway
halt built to cater for raceday traffic. The area was incorporated into the city of Portsmouth in 1920.
Towards the end 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 ...
it became clear that to the City Council that a massive programme of house building was needed to replace those homes destroyed by bombing. As part of this programme, land in Paulsgrove was purchased and building began in 1945. The initial housing was
prefabricated
Prefabrication is the practice of assembling components of a structure in a factory or other manufacturing site, and transporting complete assemblies or sub-assemblies to the construction site where the structure is to be located. The term is u ...
but later houses were built more conventionally.
In August 2000, Paulsgrove made the national and international news as mobs of local residents attacked residences of suspected and convicted
child sex offender
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (wheth ...
s and other sex offenders. These disturbances came shortly after the ''
News of the World
The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling En ...
'' put pressure on the government to give parents the right to know if their children are living close to a convicted sex offender, in response to the
murder of Sarah Payne
Sarah Evelyn Isobel Payne (13 October 1991 – c. 1 July 2000), was the victim of a high-profile abduction and murder in West Sussex, England in July 2000.
Her disappearance and the subsequent investigation into her murder became a prominent c ...
.
''Paulsgrove Lake'', a navigable water channel to the south of Paulsgrove in Portsmouth Harbour was named after Paulsgrove. However, an eastern section of ''Paulsgrove Lake'' was reclaimed during the 1970s and later developed into the
Port Solent
Port Solent is the commercial business name of a housing and leisure development located in the Paulsgrove suburb of the English city of Portsmouth, Hampshire, comprising a marina, a housing estate, shopping and leisure facilities.
The Port S ...
residential estate and marina basin, which opened on 29 July 1988.
The population of the Paulsgrove Ward at the
2011 Census was 14,010.
Roads
Southampton Road was built in 1958, replacing Medina Road as the main route between
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
and
Fareham
Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufact ...
.
A strip of open land was left throughout the estate during its construction in the 1950s to make way for the subsequent
M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs between Cadnam and Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983, providing the largest two urban areas in Hampshire (Southampton and Portsmouth) with a direct mot ...
.
Churches
*St Michael and All Angels, the parish church of Paulsgrove was established as a mission centre in 1947, whilst work commenced on building a new parish church. St. Michael and All Angels was formerly constituted as an ecclesiastical parish of the Church of England in the Diocese of Portsmouth when the new parish church was consecrated in July 1957. The parish stands in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England. There have been seven Vicars of the parish since 1957.
*The Baptist church was built in 1954. It was the members of Kent Street Baptist Church, Portsea, which had been destroyed in the blitz, who decided to plant a church on the new Paulsgrove estate being built in the post-war years. Prior to its building, a Sunday School was run at (then) Paulsgrove Secondary Modern School and there was a regular attendance of about 500 children on a Sunday afternoon. When the Baptist Church opened it was decided to integrate it into the church. Some, if not all of the Sunday School leaders became founder members of the church.
*St Paul's church was built in 1970. It is a Roman Catholic church which is situated next to St. Paul's Primary School. The school and church are connected through the Roman Catholic religion, with the schools choir often performing at the church. In the late '90s the school collected awards and trophies for both its sporting achievements as well as several awards for its musical achievements through its choir.
Education
![Paulsgrove Primary School P1010029](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Paulsgrove_Primary_School_P1010029.JPG)
Paulsgrove Secondary Modern School opened in 1952 – it became King Richard School in 1975. In 2007 the school officially became an arts college. This means it is now a performing arts specialist. King Richard has also won and been runners up in the Rock Challenge. In 2006 students from King Richard School won Rock Challenges' stage crew of the year. In 2018 the school was renamed
Castle View Academy
Castle View Academy is a Mixed-sex education, co-educational secondary school located in the Paulsgrove area of Portsmouth in the English county of Hampshire.
History
Established in 1952 as Paulsgrove Secondary Modern School – it was renamed ...
.
Paulsgrove Primary School opened in the early 1950s to serve a new housing development made necessary by the number of people made homeless through bombing 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 was opened by the Lord Mayor of
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
(
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 ...
), Sir Denis Daley on 24 October. In January 2013 it changed its name to Beacon View Primary Academy, and had a remodelled exterior look.
Sport
Paulsgrove F.C. was formed in 1987, and currently play in the Hampshire Premier league at Paulsgrove Social Club, Marsden Road. In October 2007 the club gained a bye in the Hampshire Cup under somewhat unusual circumstances: drawn at home to play Kingston Arrows (a side composed entirely of long-stay prisoners), their opponents were unable to fulfil the fixture.
['']Southern Daily Echo
The ''Southern Daily Echo'', more commonly known as the ''Daily Echo'' or simply ''The Echo'', is a regional tabloid newspaper based in Southampton, covering the county of Hampshire in the United Kingdom. The newspaper is owned by Newsquest, o ...
'', Saturday 13 October 2007
Etymology
Paulsgrove is believed to be named for St. Paul who, according to apocryphal legend, landed at the site at the start of his visit to Britain when it was part of the
Roman empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
. However a more likely explanation is revealed by certain old maps which show the area as PALS GRAVE, and is probably a reference to the last resting place of a (perhaps Saxon) local chief.
Notable people
*
Syd Rapson
*
Joe Jackson (musician)
David Ian "Joe" Jackson (born 11 August 1954) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Having spent years studying music and playing clubs, he scored a hit with his first release, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?", in 1979. It was follo ...
*
Raji James
Rajesh Kumar Jhanji (born 24 February 1970), known professionally as Raji James, is an English actor, known for his roles as Ash Ferreira in '' EastEnders'', DS Vik Singh in ''The Bill'' and Ali Shahzad in ''Hollyoaks''. He also played Abdul ...
*
Kevin Russell (footballer)
Kevin John Russell (born 6 December 1966) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), striker for Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., Brighton & Hove Albion, Portsmouth F.C., Portsm ...
*
Bobby Stokes
Robert William Thomas Stokes (30 January 1951 – 30 May 1995) was an English footballer, best known for scoring the winning goal in the 83rd minute of the FA Cup Final for Southampton against Manchester United in 1976.
Early career
Stokes w ...
*
Alan Pascoe
Alan Peter Pascoe (born 11 October 1947) is a British former athlete who gained success in hurdles. After his athletics career, he has been successful in events marketing and consulting.
Early life and education
Pascoe was born in Portsmouth, ...
References
External links
Photographs of the construction of the estatePaulsgrove Baptist ChurchPaulsgrove.net community portal
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Areas of Portsmouth
Housing estates in Hampshire