Unitary authority Country England Postcode district SO15 Dialling code 023 Post town Southampton | Region South East Sovereign state United Kingdom Police Hampshire Ceremonial county Hampshire UK parliament constituency Southampton Test | |
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Freemantle is a suburb and electoral ward in Southampton, UK.
Contents
- Map of Freemantle Southampton UK
- History
- Christ Church Freemantle
- Freemantle Common
- Civil Service Sports Ground
- Around Southampton
- References
Map of Freemantle, Southampton, UK
There are similarly named places in Hampshire: notably Henry II's hunting lodge in Kingsclere; a suburb of Hannington; and Freemantle Common in Bitterne. These were formerly thought to be French names meaning "cold cloak", but are now known to derive from the word fromental, meaning a wheat-field.
History
Freemantle was originally a large house and estate within the parish of Millbrook and before that was a farm house and land within that same parish. In 1851 it was deemed a separate parish, although some sources still refer to Freemantle as being part of Millbrook. The Freemantle House and Estate was sold by its last owner, Sir George Henry Hewett in 1852, and was bought by Sampson Payne, a local property developer. Sampson Payne was not only a merchant and local property developer, he was a town councillor of many years standing, and also was Mayor of Southampton from 1854–1856. He disposed of the land in smaller parcels ranging in value from £20 to £100 to various property developers and building societies. Within a short time, he had also intersected the park by nearly twenty roads.
Freemantle began to be built up in the 1850s and is still mostly small Victorian semi detached and terraced houses. The school was built in 1857 and the Church was completed in 1865. From 1880 to 1895, it was administered jointly with Shirley by the Shirley and Freemantle Urban District Council, initially set up as a Local Board of Health.
Christ Church Freemantle
The parish church for Freemantle is Christ Church. The origins of a church community begin however in 1856, when a church meeting took place in the Bailiffs House, and then later church services took place in the school rooms. On 25 July 1861, the foundation stone of the church was laid by Archdeacon Jacob and on 27 July 1865 the church was consecrated by Dr Sumner, Bishop of Winchester. On 19 April 1866 the Ecclesiastical Commission of England agreed that Freemantle would be a separate district from Millbrook, and declared the new Church of the Parish of Christ Church, Freemantle. The tower and spire were added in 1875.
Freemantle Common
Rather confusingly perhaps, there is also a Freemantle Common in Southampton, although this is a considerable distance from Freemantle itself, in the suburb of Bitterne.
Civil Service Sports Ground
The main patch of green space in Freemantle is the former Civil Service Sports Ground. Since the 18th century this 8-acre (32,000 m2) field has been used for sports and community gatherings. Between 1888 and 1905, it was the home of Freemantle F.C., who were rivals to Southampton F.C., who briefly considered a merger and move to the ground in 1897.
The land was owned by the Atherley family who sold it to the Civil Service with a covenant for sports use. In the last few years the land fell into disrepair, there were problems of fly-tipping and at one stage travellers took up residence. After footing the bill for every cleanup operation, the City Council investigated compulsory purchase of the site.
During 2004, the then owners of the land (Civil Service Property Holdings Ltd) put the site out for sale by closed bid informal tender. At this time local residents, councillors (supported by local MP Alan Whitehead) attempted to negotiate with the owners but to no avail.
The vast majority of the site has now been sold to Bovis Homes but the council has not agreed any planning permission. There is strong local and political support to ensure the site can be used for the community.