Stubbington is a village which is located between

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 ...

and

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 ...

, in the county of

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 ...

on the south coast of England. It is within the borough of

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 ...

History

Both Stubbington and neighbouring Crofton were 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 manusc ...

(the 11th-century UK census) as small districts belonging to the estates of

Titchfield Abbey Titchfield Abbey is a medieval abbey and later country house, located in the village of Titchfield near Fareham in Hampshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1222 for Premonstratensian canons, an austere order of priests. The abbey was a minor ...

. The earliest known

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

match to have been played in Hampshire took place in the village in 1733. During the 19th century, Stubbington engulfed Crofton and the small fishing village of

Hill Head Hill Head is a residential area and village on the coast of the Solent. It is located south of Stubbington, west of Lee-on-the-Solent and south east of Titchfield, in the borough of Fareham, Hampshire. Hill Head is in the Gosport parliament ...

. The Crofton name still remains in the name of many local facilities, such as the

Crofton School Crofton School is a coeducational foundation secondary school, located in Stubbington, Hampshire, England. The school has around 1200 students aged between 11 and 16 (years 7 to 11). The school accepts pupils from the areas of: Stubbington, Hill ...

and Crofton Old Church. At the start of the 20th century, the village still consisted of just a few dozen cottages and farms. By 1939, the population had risen to around 2,500, and a number of small shops had opened surrounding the village green. This remains the focus of the village to the present day, with a war memorial situated on the central village green.

The Church

The 'Crofton Old Church' at Crofton is one of the oldest known inhabited sites in the area. It was mentioned in the

in 1086, and it is thought to date back to the reign of King

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...

in the 9th century. It is believed to have caught the eye of

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...

in 1662, and was extensively renovated during the 13th century. A new church (Holy Rood) was built in Stubbington which took over the function of Crofton Church in 1878.

The War Memorial and Village Pump

In 1922 a wooden War Memorial was built to commemorate those from Stubbington and Hill Head who fell in the

First World War 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 ...

. Their names were carved into the roof of the memorial although over the years they have been worn away. The Memorial takes the form of a shelter over the village pump, and today it is one of few pre-war structures standing in the vicinity of Stubbington Village Centre. The names carved into the roof of the memorial have now been cleaned and can be seen clearly.

Present day

The population of Stubbington has risen to over 15,000, with new housing estates taking over a number of the surrounding fields. The town has a number of modern shops as well as a range of other facilities, including a doctor, dentist, library, community centre and seven schools. The former

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 F ...

site of HMS ''Daedalus'' lies between Stubbington and neighbouring

Lee-on-the-Solent Lee-on-the-Solent, often referred to as Lee-on-Solent, is a seaside district of the Borough of Gosport in Hampshire, England, about five miles (8 km) west of Portsmouth. The area is located on the coast of the Solent. It is primarily a resi ...

, and a small part is currently being developed, however more is scheduled for further development that could further expand the town.

Neighbouring areas

The nearest village is

Titchfield Titchfield is a village in southern Hampshire, by the River Meon. The village has a history stretching back to the 6th century. During the medieval period, the village operated a small port and market. Near to the village are the ruins of Titch ...

. Also near Stubbington is the area of

called

and the town of

Schools

(Secondary Comprehensive) *Crofton Anne Dale Infant School *Crofton Anne Dale Junior School *Crofton Hammond Infant School *Crofton Hammond Junior School

Notes

References

External links

{{authority control Villages in Hampshire Borough of Fareham