Historic England: Hampshire

This illustrated history portrays one of England’s finest counties. It provides a nostalgic look at Hampshire’s past and highlights the special character of some of its most important historic sites.

The photographs are taken from the Historic England Archive, a unique collection of over 12 million photographs, drawings, plans and documents covering England’s archaeology, architecture, social and local history. Pictures date from the earliest days of photography to the present and cover subjects from Bronze Age burials and medieval churches to cinemas and seaside resorts.

The two largest cities in the county of Hampshire, lying on the south coast of England, are the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth, but the county is also known for its smaller ancient towns and villages and the cathedral city of Winchester. Many visitors also come to the former royal hunting forest of the New Forest, to the South Downs that cross the county, and to coastal resorts. Hampshire has long been associated with the armed forces, such as at Aldershot and Andover. The area around Southampton and Portsmouth was a major embarkation point for D-Day in the Second World War and suffered heavily from aerial bombardment, but today it is one of the most densely populated conurbations in the country.