Langstone is a village near Havant, Hampshire in the south east of England, between Portsmouth and Chichester. It has good railway connections to London, Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton, from the nearby Havant railway station. There are many large gated detached houses on the main road, "Langstone Road" and on the roads surrounding this. It has a sailing club, several architecturally unusual buildings, and several historically significant buildings, including a converted (water) millhouse and a converted 18th century windmill, the latter of which is a local landmark.
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Geography
The village surrounds "Langstone road" which leads to Hayling Island. There is a technology park on Langstone Road and this is due to the connections of the road. It lies just off the A27 that provides quick links to Portsmouth, Southampton and Brighton. The A3(M) to London is also nearby and the distance to the M25 is about 45 miles.
It is connected by Langstone Bridge, a single-carriageway road and footbridge, to Hayling Island to the South; as this road (the A3023) is the only road connection from the island to the mainland, rush-hour traffic is usually a major problem, with queues a kilometer long not uncommon. Langstone Harbour lies to the west of the bridge; Chichester Harbour to the east.
An historic causeway, to Hayling Island exists, however it is now completely impassible, having been cut in two by a deep channel for the Portsmouth and Chichester Canal in the 1820s, the same company having subsequently funded the road bridge. It is known as the wade way, and was classified as a bridalway in 1988, and is shown as such on modern Ordnance Survey maps[1] in spite of its use being considered hazardous at best.[1] Excavation of this feature in 2006, constructed on a natural high point in the harbour, put its date in the roman to mediaeval range but found no evidence to be more specific.[2]
The village High Street is designated as a Conservation Area (denoted by a blue plaque at the sea-end of the High Street), while the coastal path leading eastwards from the village is both part of Hampshire County Council's Solent Way and the same Councils' Wayfarers Walk.
Thorney Island and Portsea Island are also both clearly visible from the village coast.
Architecture
Flooding can be a problem in the village, on occasion with water right up to the main Langstone Road, and many buildings on Langstone High Street have slots for wooden barriers on their door frames, and stack up sandbags.
Houses in the terrace on Langstone High Street date back to the 1700s and a number are thatched. The other significant buildings, commonly featured in local postcards, is Langstone Towers, characterised by a large lightning conductor.
History
The village used to have rail links with Hayling Island and Havant in the form of the Hayling Billy railway, however the lines have since been torn up and the route replaced with a cycle and bridlepath. The remains of the Hayling Billy rail bridge over to Hayling Island can still be seen.
Etymology
The name Langstone comes from Lang (compare the High German "lang") meaning "Long", and Stone with the same current-day usage.
References
- ^ Hampshire County Council Rights of Way Sub-Committee Minutes, 14 Jan 1988, ITEM 3(b)"Accessed 25 Nov 2009"
- ^ Chichester Harbour Conservancy "Changing Landscapes" project website"Accessed 25 Nov 2009" Citing unpublished reports by Maritime Archaeology Ltd, 2005, 2006, 2007 Chichester Wadeway Investigation Phases 1, 2, 3 respectively.
External links
Pubs In Langstone
Coordinates: 50°50.349′N 0°58.859′W / 50.83915°N 0.980983°W
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