West Town is a village on

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 was later developed into a Roman temple in the 1st c ...

in the borough of

Havant Havant ( ) is a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England between Portsmouth and Chichester. Its borough (population: 125,000) comprises the town (45,826) and its suburbs including the resort of Hayling Island as well as Rowland's Castl ...

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 ...

, England. It is on the south coast of the island, between Sinah to the west and Eastoke to the east. The wide area between the seafront road and the sea is known as Beachlands.

History

William Padwick William Padwick, sometimes known as William Padwick the younger, was a significant figure in the development of Hayling Island in the mid-nineteenth century. By 1812 he had established himself as a lawyer. In 1814 he married Grace Taylor, the d ...

was responsible for the development of West Town in the mid nineteenth century. The name ''Beachlands'' for the common to the sea is understood to have been coined by George Henry How, the adopted son of Sophia Budd who bought Norfolk House from William Padwick's estate after his death.

Culture and community

Culture

* The ''Station Theatre'' is converted from the South Hayling Goods shed at the end of the Hayling Billy trail on the disused

Hayling Island branch line The Hayling Island branch was a short railway branch line in Hampshire, England, that connected a station on Hayling Island with the main line network at Havant. It was built by the Hayling Railway; at first the company planned to run it along ...

Community

* The Hayling Island Community Centre is situated in Hayling ParkCommunity Centre in Hayling Island – HICCA
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Landmarks

* Royal hotel, a grade II listed building now used for apartments. * The Royal Shades, a grade II listed public house.

Sport and leisure

* The

Blue Flag beach The Blue Flag is a certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) that a beach, marina, or sustainable boating tourism operator meets its standards. The Blue Flag is a trademark owned by FEE, which is a not-for-profit non-gov ...

is a suitable for safe bathing * A pitch and put and putting green is present at the west end of Beachlands near the Inn on the Beach * Funland Amusement Park, an amusement park * The southern end of the Hailing Billy trail is at Station Road, West Town. * The current western terminus of the Hayling Seaside Railway is at Beachlands.

Notable people

Lord of the Manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

of Hayling Island foresaw the development of West Town and Beachlands in the 1900s.

Transport

* West town is on the 30(anticlockwise)/31(clockwise) route operated by

Stagecoach South Stagecoach South is a bus operator providing services in South East England. It is a subsidiary of Stagecoach. It operates services in Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex with some routes extending into Brighton and Wiltshire. It operates 487 buses fr ...

that runs a circular route round the south of Hayling Island before returning to

for onward rail and bus connections.

References

Populated coastal places in Hampshire Villages in Hampshire Hayling Island {{hampshire-geo-stub