Purbrook
Encyclopedia
Purbrook is a village
and local government sub-division located in Hampshire
, England
. Purbrook is on the outskirts
of Waterlooville
just North of the Portsmouth
city Boundary. Purbrook village is part of Purbrook Ward
which also includes Widley
and Crookhorn and has a population
of 9,281, taking up 7.7% of Havant borough's
population
.
and Cowplain
did not exist before the year 1815. Before then the area was part of the Forest of Bere
, which stretched from the border of Sussex
to Winchester
. Today Queens Inclosure at Waterlooville is one of the last remnants of the forest.
On the southern fringe of the forest was the little village of Purbrook. Its name is a corruption of Pucanbroc, which means the brook of the water-sprite.
Early in the 19th century a windmill
was built in Purbrook. Purbrook Church (St Johns) was built in 1858. In 1869 Purbrook Industrial School opened in Stakes Road.
Purbrook Park House was built in 1770. It was rebuilt in 1837. In the 1920s the house became a grammar school
and later a comprehensive school
. It is now known as Purbrook Park School. The school is a Language College
.
There is also a popular recreation ground
known as Purbrook Heath. There is a children's park
, bowls
area, tennis courts, several cricket
pitches, a football cage and a basketball
court all located in 'The Heath'. There is also The Rowans Hospice located opposite the tennis courts. There is a long road that runs right through it, which is called Purbrook Heath Road. It runs straight through and then bisects off to Southwick
and Portsdown Hill
.
Fort Purbrook is also another main attraction just located off Portsdown Hill. It is occasionally open for craft
fairs. It is home to an activity centre. Some of the activities are archery
, indoor Rock Climbing
and rifle shooting.
Fort Purbrook was used as the location for the 1st 'The Late Bay' Winter Camp. After a very successful weekend the organisation have agreed to hold an annual meeting here. HorTs
There are also many newsagents, fish and chip shops and pubs.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and local government sub-division located in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Purbrook is on the outskirts
Outskirts
Outskirts may refer to:* The outskirts of a city, also known as the rural-urban fringe* Outskirts, by the Canadian country rock band Blue Rodeo* The Outskirts, a 1933 Soviet film directed by Boris Barnet...
of Waterlooville
Waterlooville
Waterlooville is a town in Hampshire, England approximately 8 miles north of Portsmouth.The town has a population itself of about 10,000 and is surrounded by Purbrook, Blendworth, Cowplain, Lovedean, Clanfield, Catherington, Crookhorn, Denmead, Hambledon, Horndean and Widley. It forms part of...
just North of the Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
city Boundary. Purbrook village is part of Purbrook Ward
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
which also includes Widley
Widley
Widley is an area of the Greater Portsmouth conurbation in the south of England near Waterlooville and Purbrook. It is on the dip slope of the South Downs just north of the ridge called Portsdown Hill....
and Crookhorn and has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 9,281, taking up 7.7% of Havant borough's
Havant (borough)
Havant is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Havant. Other places within the Borough include Bedhampton, Cowplain, Emsworth, Hayling Island, Purbrook, Waterlooville and Widley...
population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
.
History
WaterloovilleWaterlooville
Waterlooville is a town in Hampshire, England approximately 8 miles north of Portsmouth.The town has a population itself of about 10,000 and is surrounded by Purbrook, Blendworth, Cowplain, Lovedean, Clanfield, Catherington, Crookhorn, Denmead, Hambledon, Horndean and Widley. It forms part of...
and Cowplain
Cowplain
Cowplain is a village on the northern outskirts of Waterlooville. With a population of 8775, it takes up 7.3% of Havant borough's population. The origins of the settlement grew along the old London to Portsmouth road...
did not exist before the year 1815. Before then the area was part of the Forest of Bere
Forest of Bere
The Forest of Bere lies north of Fareham. A mixture of woodland, open space, ponds, streams, heathland, farmland and downland it provides countryside access to the residents of South-East Hampshire having a number of paths and bridleways for walking and cycling...
, which stretched from the border of Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
to Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. Today Queens Inclosure at Waterlooville is one of the last remnants of the forest.
On the southern fringe of the forest was the little village of Purbrook. Its name is a corruption of Pucanbroc, which means the brook of the water-sprite.
Early in the 19th century a windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
was built in Purbrook. Purbrook Church (St Johns) was built in 1858. In 1869 Purbrook Industrial School opened in Stakes Road.
Purbrook Park House was built in 1770. It was rebuilt in 1837. In the 1920s the house became a grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
and later a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
. It is now known as Purbrook Park School. The school is a Language College
Language College
Language Colleges were introduced in 1995 as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in the United Kingdom. The system enables secondary schools to specialise in certain fields, in this case, modern foreign languages...
.
Community
There are several schools in Purbrook:- Purbrook Park School
- Purbrook Junior SchoolPurbrook Junior SchoolPurbrook Junior School is a mixed Junior Community School maintained by Hampshire County Council, situated between Portsmouth and Waterlooville in Hampshire. The school teaches around 385 pupils aged between 7 – 11 years of age....
- Purbrook Infant School
- Morelands Primary School
There is also a popular recreation ground
Recreation Ground
A recreation ground is a type of park.Recreation Ground is the name of the following stadiums in the United Kingdom:*Recreation Ground , the home ground of Aldershot Town F.C., located in Aldershot, England...
known as Purbrook Heath. There is a children's park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
, bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
area, tennis courts, several cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
pitches, a football cage and a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
court all located in 'The Heath'. There is also The Rowans Hospice located opposite the tennis courts. There is a long road that runs right through it, which is called Purbrook Heath Road. It runs straight through and then bisects off to Southwick
Southwick, Hampshire
Southwick is a village in the English county of Hampshire, situated north of Portsmouth, and is occupied entirely by tenants in the style of the Middle Ages, where the entirety is wholly owned by the Southwick Estate. Oddly, there is one exception to this and that is Church Lodge which is in...
and Portsdown Hill
Portsdown Hill
Portsdown Hill is a long chalk hill in Hampshire, England, offering good views over Portsmouth, The Solent, Hayling Island and Gosport, with the Isle of Wight beyond. The hill is on the mainland, just to the north of Ports Creek, which separates the mainland from Portsea Island, on which lies the...
.
Fort Purbrook is also another main attraction just located off Portsdown Hill. It is occasionally open for craft
Craft
A craft is a branch of a profession that requires some particular kind of skilled work. In historical sense, particularly as pertinent to the Medieval history and earlier, the term is usually applied towards people occupied in small-scale production of goods.-Development from the past until...
fairs. It is home to an activity centre. Some of the activities are archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, indoor Rock Climbing
Rock Climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
and rifle shooting.
Fort Purbrook was used as the location for the 1st 'The Late Bay' Winter Camp. After a very successful weekend the organisation have agreed to hold an annual meeting here. HorTs
There are also many newsagents, fish and chip shops and pubs.