Redbridge is a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

with a population of 14,432, to the west of the city centre of

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 ...

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 ...

. The settlement is positioned at the mouth of the

River Test The River Test is a chalk stream in Hampshire in the south of England. It rises at Ashe near Basingstoke and flows southwards for to Southampton Water. Settlements on the Test include the towns of Stockbridge and Romsey. Below the village of ...

and is the southern terminus of the former

Andover Canal The Andover Canal was a canal built in Hampshire, England. It ran from Andover to Redbridge through Stockbridge and Romsey. The canal had a fall of through 24 locks, and for much of its length paralleled the River Anton and River Test. I ...

and Sprat and Winkle railway line, and the modern

M271 motorway The M271 is a motorway near Southampton in Hampshire, England. It is long, and is one of the shortest motorways in the country. Construction began in 1973 and it opened in 1975.

. Because of its strategic position, the settlement became a substantial trading post and shipbuilding centre, with many merchant and

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

vessels being constructed in Redbridge in the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, the area is mainly residential and industrial, with a large

council estate Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

and a

tower block A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, residential tower, apartment block, block of flats, or office tower is a tall building, as opposed to a low-rise building and is defined differently in terms of height depending on the jurisdicti ...

situated within the ward and

Southampton Docks The Port of Southampton is a passenger and cargo port in the central part of the south coast of England. The modern era in the history of the Port of Southampton began when the first dock was inaugurated in 1843. The port has been owned and op ...

close by. The

A35 road The A35 is a major road in southern England, connecting Honiton in Devon and Southampton in Hampshire. It is a trunk road for some of its length. Most of its route passes through Dorset and the New Forest. It originally connected Exeter and So ...

crosses the River Test at Redbridge, as does the

South West Main Line The South West Main Line (SWML) is a 143-mile (230 km) major railway line between Waterloo station in central London and Weymouth on the south coast of England. A predominantly passenger line, it serves many commuter areas including south we ...

railway. It has a small

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

Etymology

Redbridge has been known by several names, all derived from its position as a crossing point over the

– originally as a ford and later with the bridge that gives the area its current name. Other than the type of crossing, the meaning of the name has not changed significantly, with the first syllable meaning "

reed Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * ...

". Previous names and spellings include:

History

Much of Redbridge's history is linked to its position at the tidal part of the

and, later, as the terminus of the

. The first bridge was constructed in

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

times Just north of the ford located 1/2 mile up river from the Pack and Pass 5 Arch Bridge, The five arches was constructed in the early 1700s and was paid for by the merchants of Redbridge. The settlement was mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

of 1086 as Rodbrige, within the Manebrige (possibly

Mansbridge Mansbridge is a suburb on the northern perimeter of Southampton, England. The area is named after the Mans Bridge which spans the River Itchen. For a considerable time, this was the southernmost crossing point of the river, before the constru ...

)

Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

in Hantscire (

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

). In 1575 and 1607, it was shown on maps as a small

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

, although in the latter it was shown as being within the "Redbridg Hundred". In 1610

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Ann ...

described the village and its history to date thus: This indicates that a monastery and a church were already established in the hamlet of Redbridge. The location of the monastery is unknown but some accounts suggest it was located in what is now Eling or Nursling rather than the area known today as Redbridge. Redbridge again appeared on maps in 1611 and 1645 as a small hamlet within the Redbridge Hundred. The Ship Inn was built in 1654. A further map in 1695 shows the hamlet as being within the Waltham hundred. The settlement was never a

market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rural ...

, but gained considerable status as a shipbuilding centre, for both merchant shipping and the

. It was recorded in 1724 and again in 1738 that, along with

Bursledon Bursledon is a village on the River Hamble in Hampshire, England. It is located within the borough of Eastleigh. Close to the city of Southampton, Bursledon has a railway station, a marina, dockyards and the Bursledon Windmill. Nearby village ...

on the other side of

, King William III's Navy built ships at Redbridge "besides nabundance of large merchant ships". Redbridge Causeway and 1793 bridge

Redbridge was again shown as a small hamlet on a 1788 map, back within a hundred named after Redbridge itself, although this time recorded as "Bedbridge Hundred". In 1793, a second, single-span bridge was constructed at Redbridge, paid for by the county council, allowing boats to pass through from

Southampton Water Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point, where the estuaries of the River Test and River Itchen meet. Along its salt marsh-fringed wes ...

to the

, which opened the following year.Andover Town Central (2000–2006).
The Andover Canal
''. Retrieved 16 November 2007. By 1815 Redbridge was well established as a village, albeit within the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of Millbrook. Located on the tidal estuary of the River Test, and acting as the terminus of the

, the village was a considerable trading post for commodities such as coal, timber and corn, as well as a centre for ship building. Work began on converting the

to a railway, which was to become known as the

Sprat and Winkle Line The Sprat and Winkle Line was the common name of the Andover to Redbridge railway line which ran between Andover and Redbridge in Hampshire, England. In the Romsey area it joined, and then left, the Salisbury to Southampton line. It was built by ...

, in 1859. The line opened in 1865, with a new course being laid twenty years later. This meant that a level-crossing was installed in front of the Anchor public house so that carts and later motor cars could cross the railway line. In 1930 the bypass and bridge were completed which took 4 years at a cost of £100.000. Another carriageway was added to the 'flyover' over the

parallel to the

main line railway The Main Line is a railway line in South East Queensland, Australia. It was opened in a series of sections between 1865 and 1867. It commences at Roma St Station in Brisbane and extends west 161 km to Toowoomba. It is the first narrow gau ...

in the 1970s. The

M271 motorway The M271 is a motorway near Southampton in Hampshire, England. It is long, and is one of the shortest motorways in the country. Construction began in 1973 and it opened in 1975.

was opened in 1975; the motorway terminates at the Redbridge Roundabout, where it meets the dual carriageway A35 trunk road. It is these transport structures, together with industrial and high density residential developments, that dominate Redbridge today.

Governance

Falling within the boundaries of the City of

, which is a

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governmen ...

, there is only one tier of local government covering Redbridge. Three of the 48 councillors on Southampton City Council are elected for the Redbridge ward. As at June 2015, one of Redbridge's councillors is an Independent (Andrew Pope) and two (Catherine McEwing and Lee Whitbread) represent the Labour Party. On a national level Redbridge is part of the Southampton Test parliamentary constituency. This seat is currently held by Alan Whitehead, also of the Labour Party. Prior to

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...

in 2020, it was represented by the South East England constituency for the European Union parliament.

Demography

At the 2001 census, Redbridge

had a population of 14,432, and a population density of 36.03 persons per hectare.

Transport

Redbridge is served by

Redbridge railway station Redbridge railway station is a small station in the Redbridge area of Southampton, England. The station is located at the junction of the Wessex Main Line, towards and the South West Main Line towards . It is from . The station is operate ...

which offers hourly services into

Southampton City Centre Southampton City Centre is the commercial and organisational centre of the City of Southampton, and the transport hub of the city. Because Southampton is on the South Coast of England, the city centre is not at the geometric centre of the city, ...

Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census. The town lies on the River Itchen, ...

, Romsey,

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of ...

and Chandlers Ford. The area is also served by a number of

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...

operators, predominately

First Hampshire & Dorset First Hampshire & Dorset is a bus operator providing services in the counties of Hampshire and Dorset. It is a subsidiary of FirstGroup. History First Hampshire & Dorset was created out of various different smaller companies which were merged o ...

and Bluestar. The area is easily accessible by car with

M271 motorway The M271 is a motorway near Southampton in Hampshire, England. It is long, and is one of the shortest motorways in the country. Construction began in 1973 and it opened in 1975.

and

both running through Redbridge.

Education

Schools in the area include Redbridge Primary School in Redbridge Road, which has a capacity of 803. and Redbridge Community School which is a specialist sports college in Cuckmere Lane with a capacity of 1,050,

Redbridge Wharf Park

Redbridge Wharf Park () is a park overlooking the tidal reaches of the

. It was formerly an area of railway sidings. It consists of grassy areas, areas of bushes and a pathway which leads to a riverside walk. There is only one access point – across a footbridge from Redbridge railway station.

MP3 Project

A sports pavilion and community centre was opened in Mansel Park on 18 March 2008. The Mansel Park Pavilion (MP3) project was funded by direct government grant (via SEEDA and Sport England) with additional funding provided by the City Council. The new pavilion houses the Golden Ring Boxing Club, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Youth Options, and Millbrook Towers & District Community Association. The three groups worked closely with the city council and local residents to develop the proposals and secure funding. Together they formed the Mansel Park Pavilion project group to champion the project, overseeing its development from drawing board to completion, and the future management of the facility. The building is now managed by Hampshire Youth Options.

References

External links

1690s map of Redbridge Hundred1855 engraving of Redbridge
{{Buildings in Southampton Wards of Southampton Housing estates in Hampshire