Fareham History

Fareham's Early Years

The Saxons founded Fareham on a hill by the Church of St Peter and St Paul. They called the village Ferne Ham, which means the village by the ferns. It was easy to defend a village if it was situated on a hill and it was close to Fareham creek, which could be used by ships and boats.

By the time of William the Conqueror Fareham was a flourishing village. It had two watermills, which ground grain to flour. In the 12th century Fareham became a little market town. It had weekly markets and it was also a small but busy port. Fishermen sailed from Fareham and timber from the nearby forest was exported from the town. Wine from France was imported into Fareham.

However if we were to visit Fareham at that time it would seem no more than a little village to us with only a few hundred inhabitants.

Nevertheless Fareham Creek impressed a visitor and he called it an 'absolutely good and safe place to moor ships'. He also said it was 'as convenient and safe a harbour as Chatham'.

During the 17th century Fareham continued to thrive (although it was still only a very small place with less than 1,000 inhabitants). It had a tanning industry. Oak bark was brought to Fareham and used to tan leather.

Yet in the 18th century Fareham grew into a much bigger town. By the end of the century it had 3,000 inhabitants. Again it would hardly seem big to us but towns were very small in those days. Many naval officers went to live in Fareham as it was a pleasant town near to Portsmouth if you needed to travel there but far enough away to be quiet and peaceful. In 1721 William Price left money to found a school in Fareham.

From 1775 an inventor called Henry Cort (1740-1800) owned an iron foundry in Funtley by Fareham. In 1783 and 1784 Cort invented new ways of processing wrought iron. His new methods had a tremendous effect on the British iron industry.

Fareham In The 19th And 20th Centuries

During the 19th century Fareham grew rapidly. At the beginning of the century it only had 3,000 inhabitants. By the end it had 14,000. During the 19th century Fareham was known for its industries of brick making and tanning. Bricks were taken by sea from Fareham to other parts of Britain. So were chimney pots and clay pipes. Bricks from Fareham were used to build the Albert Hall.

Amenities in Fareham improved in the 19th century. The first bank opened in 1834 and Holy Trinity Church was built in 1834. In 1841 the railway connected Fareham to Gosport and Southampton. A lunatic asylum was built in the town in 1852 and in 1878 the Church of the Sacred Heart was built. In 1894 Fareham was made an urban district council.

On the other hand in 1836 a workhouse opened in Fareham. 19th century workhouses were horrid places where life was made as unpleasant as it could be to discourage 'idlers' from seeking help.

Nevertheless visitors were impressed by Fareham . In the 1830s one called Fareham 'one of the most agreeable towns in the country'. Furthermore the author William Thackeray called Fareham a 'Dear little old Hampshire town'. It was he said a place where the wives and daughters of naval officers lived.

During the 20th century Fareham continued to grow especially when the boundaries were changed in 1932 to include Portchester and Titchfield. By then the population of Fareham had risen to 22,000. During the 1930s the population of Fareham continued to grow rapidly and by 1939 it was 37,000. After the Second World War the population rose further and by 1965 it was about 65,000. In 1974 Fareham was made a borough.

Amenities in Fareham continued to improve. The Law Courts were built in 1960. The first library opened in 1951. A new library was opened in 1973. Fareham Shopping Centre was built in 1975 and extended in 1981. In 1974 Prices School was made a6th form college. Ferneham Hall was opened in 1982. Westbury Manor Museum was opened in 1990. It was followed by a new bus station in 1993.

Meanwhile the industries of Fareham changed. Fareham creek silted up and it gradually ceased to be used by commercial vessels. However Fareham Creek became popular with the owners of leisure vessels.

Furthermore the traditional Fareham industries of tanning and brick making faded away but new industries came and industrial estates were built. Fareham Industrial Park was built in 1979 and extended in 1984. Solent Business Park was built in 1988.

Today Fareham is a flourishing town famous for its 18th century buildings. The population of Fareham is 107,000.