Hill Head is a residential area on the coast of the Solent. It is located south of Stubbington, west of Lee-on-the-Solent and south east of Titchfield in Fareham, Hampshire. Hill Head has a shingle beach with fishing, sailing, windsurfing and kitesurfing being the most popular pastimes upon its shores. There is also a small harbour, located where the River Meon enters the Solent. It is next to Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve.
Hill Head has a substantial elderly population (22.45% of its 7,121 residents are over 65, compared to an English average of 15.89%).[1]
During World War II, Hill Head was one of many loading zones for the D-Day invasions and the area was inundated with allied troops. Along the coast here there are still many reminders of the war time activities including remnants of fortifications.
Hill Head's Salterns beach is one of the south coast's leading venues for watersports including windsurfing and kitesurfing, and is the home of Seafarers Sailing Club. Just to the west is Hill Head Sailing Club.
The popular pub The Swordfish at Hill Head was demolished in 2004 to make way for a small development of luxury million pound beach-front homes known as Swordfish Close. The name Swordfish is derived from the World War Two bomber the Fairey Swordfish which flew from the nearby airfield at RNAS Lee-on-Solent (HMS Daedalus). Swordfish Close has been featured in the popular BBC television series Seaside Rescue.
The Swordfish Pub was was reputedly haunted and mysteriously burnt down prior to the redevelopment of the site. Today the apartments in Swordfish Close sit on the footprint of the old pub.
Between 1985 and 1990, Hill Head's beaches featured in the popular BBC TV show Howards' Way, which was mostly filmed at nearby Bursledon, Hamble-le-Rice, Warsash and Swanwick.
The only remaining pub along Hill Head beach-front is The Osborne View.
References
- ^ "UK Census, 2001". http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=5946635&c=Hill+Head&d=14&e=16&g=450625&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&enc=1.
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