Portal:South_East_England
Portal:South East England
Portal maintenance status: (June 2018)
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The South East England Portal
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England in the United Kingdom at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Major towns and cities in the region include Brighton and Hove, Canterbury, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Portsmouth, Slough, Reading and Oxford.
South East England is the third-largest region of England, with a land area of 19,072 square kilometres (7,364 sq mi), and is also the most populous with a total population of over nine million. The region contains eight legally chartered cities: Brighton and Hove, Canterbury, Chichester, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester. The region's close proximity to London has led to South East England becoming a prosperous economic hub with the largest economy of any region in the UK, after London. The region is home to Gatwick Airport, the UK's second-busiest airport, and Heathrow Airport (the UK's busiest airport) is located adjacent to the region's boundary with Greater London. The coastline along the English Channel provides numerous ferry crossings to mainland Europe.
The region is known for its countryside, which includes two national parks: the New Forest and the South Downs, as well as the North Downs, the Chiltern Hills and part of the Cotswolds. The River Thames flows through the region and its basin is known as the Thames Valley. It is also the location of a number of internationally known places of interest, such as HMS Victory in Portsmouth, Cliveden in Buckinghamshire, Thorpe Park and RHS Wisley in Surrey, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, Windsor Castle in Berkshire, Leeds Castle, the White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, Brighton Palace Pier, and Hammerwood Park in East Sussex, and Wakehurst Place in West Sussex. The region has many universities; the University of Oxford is the oldest in the English-speaking world, and ranked among the best in the world.
South East England is host to various sporting events, including the annual Henley Royal Regatta, Royal Ascot and The Derby, and sporting venues include Wentworth Golf Club and Brands Hatch. Some of the events of the 2012 Summer Olympics were held in the south east, including the rowing at Eton Dorney and part of the cycling road race in the Surrey Hills.
In medieval times, South East England included much of the Kingdom of Wessex, which was the precursor to the modern state of England. Winchester was the capital of England after unification of the various states, including the kingdoms of Kent, Sussex and Mercia. Winchester stopped being the administrative capital of England some time in the 13th century as its influence waned while the City of London dominated commerce. The last monarch to be crowned at Winchester was Richard II in 1377, although the last monarch to be crowned by the Bishop of Winchester was Queen Mary I in 1553. (Full article...)
Selected article
All Saints' Church was a church building in Southampton City Centre, located on the corner of the High Street and East Street, a short distance south of the Bargate.
The original church on the site was named All Hallows, and was constructed in medieval times on land granted by the monarch at the time, Henry II, to the monks of St. Denys Priory. This building fell into disrepair and in the 1790s a new church building was constructed and the church renamed to All Saints. The old church was demolished in 1791 and the new building was completed in 1795, following two acts of Parliament allowing trustees of the church to raise funds from rates on property and rents in the parish. The All Hallows catacombs were incorporated into the All Saints building, and a separate graveyard was established. The church was regularly attended by author Jane Austen while she lived in Southampton and painter Sir John Everett Millais was baptised there. A new organ was installed in the church in 1861 and a substantial refurbishment programme took place in 1872. All Saints was heavily damaged in the Southampton Blitz and was subsequently demolished.
The All Saints building was designed by architect Willey Reveley and featured an arched ceiling that spanned the whole sanctuary, some 90 feet (27 m) long and 60 feet (18 m) wide, without the use of any supporting pillars. The neoclassical frontage of the church was dominated by four columns supporting Grecian pilasters and a triangular pediment.
The catacombs were the resting place of a chancellor of the Exchequer and two notable Royal Navy officers among others. In August 1944 the remains of all 403 people buried in the catacombs were transferred to a communal grave elsewhere in Southampton. (Full article...)
Selected pictures
- Image 2Remains of the undercroft of the lay brothers' refectory at Waverley Abbey, near Farnham, main town of the Borough of Waverley (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 3Credit: LuckyStarrHops are a flower used primarily as a flavouring and stability agent in beer. The principal production centres for the UK are in Kent. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 5 Aerial view of Oxford city centre (from Portal:Oxfordshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 12Credit: XtrememachineukThe Channel Tunnel is a 31 mile long rail tunnel beneath the English Channel connecting England to France. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 13Typical interior of old pub-restaurant, semi-rural example near Reigate in the east of the county (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 14Great Fosters restaurant/hotel, Runnymede (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 16Credit: Michael RoweDover Castle is situated at Dover, Kent and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 17Credit: C HoyleBrockhill Country Park is dominated by a large grassy valley, bisected by the Brockhill Stream as it makes its way to the Royal Military Canal at Hythe. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 18 (from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
- Image 19Credit: Cas Liber.Leeds Castle dates back to 1119, though a manor house stood on the same site from the 9th century. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 20 The Radcliffe Camera in Oxford, as viewed from the tower of the Church of St Mary the Virgin. (from Portal:Oxfordshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 21Credit: O1iveSt Mary in Castro (or St Mary de Castro) is the church at Dover Castle.(from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 22 . (from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
- Image 23Pineferous forest of the sandy Bagshot Formation spanning parts of four boroughs towards the north-west and in the far west of the county, with defensive positions for historic army training near Deepcut and Pirbright (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 24Credit: StephenDawsonThe Channel Tunnel terminal at Cheriton near Folkestone in Kent, from the Pilgrims' Way on the escarpment on the southern edge of Cheriton Hill, part of the North Downs. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 26Slough Trading Estate plays a major part in making Slough an important business centre in South East England (from Portal:Berkshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 27Highclere Castle in the far north of Hampshire, a large country house in the Jacobethan style by the architect Charles Barry, with a large park designed by Capability Brown, used as the set for Downton Abbey. (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 29Nemesis Inferno at Thorpe Park in the north-west of the county (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 30Credit: C.HoyleEastwell Park was a British stately home at Ashford, Kent, that for a time served as a royal residence. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 31Credit: Hans MusilCanterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 32 (from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
- Image 33Credit: Michael WilmoreThe Kent & East Sussex Railway was opened by Colonel H.F. Stephens, the railway engineer, in 1900. At its fullest extent, it ran nearly 22 miles[35km] from Robertsbridge on the Tonbridge to Hastings main line to Headcorn on the main line between Tonbridge and Ashford, Kent. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 34The mill at Greywell in the north-east of Hampshire (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 36View looking east along West Street, New Alresford (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 37 Oxford skyline from the University Church of St Mary the Virgin (from Portal:Oxfordshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 38Virginia Water Lake on the southern edge of Windsor Great Park (from Portal:Berkshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 40 Oxford skyline from the University Church of St Mary the Virgin (from Portal:Oxfordshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 44Credit: Marco SinibaldiAround AD 50 the Romans built a lighthouse which still stands to its full height in the grounds of Dover Castle. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 45Autumn at Denbies Vineyard looking across the Mole Gap to Box Hill, the steepest slopes of the North Downs (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 46Credit: Michael RoweCanterbury is a cathedral city in east Kent and is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 48Credit: Oliver DixonThe Pilgrims' Way is the route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 49The church at Breamore in the west of the county, north of the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 50Mermaid Street in Rye showing typically steep slope and cobbled surface (from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
- Image 51 (from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
- Image 52Credit: CharlesdrakewThe bridge over the River Arun at Greatham. (from Portal:West Sussex/Selected pictures)
- Image 53Credit: Michael HaslamHowletts Wild Animal Park was set up as a private zoo in 1958 by John Aspinall in Canterbury, Kent. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 54 (from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
- Image 58Georgian hotel/restaurant typical of many larger Surrey villages and its oldest towns. (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 59The lower end of the Staines-upon-Thames reach of the Thames, showing typical trees of the next reach and Penton Hook Island, a small nature reserve. (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 60St John the Baptist Church, Boldre in the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 61Credit: Paddy BriggsSt Lawrence Ground is the home of Kent County Cricket Club and is notable as a first-class cricket ground that has a tree within the boundary. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 63Painshill Park in Cobham has follies on natural, but landscaped slopes by part of the Mole disguised as ornamental lakes and the Great Cedar thought to be the largest Cedar of Lebanon in Europe. In the mid-north of the county. (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 66Credit: Adam MillerThe Swale refers to the strip of water separating North Kent from the Isle of Sheppey. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 67Breamore House in the west of the county, north of the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 68A Bentley in the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 70Seven reservoirs. View of four in Spelthorne with small lakes of lower elevation, from aggregate extraction, in the south of the borough to the right. Beyond three reservoirs in Elmbridge. The flattest areas of the far north of the county. Staines road and rail bridges span the Thames into Runnymede in the right of the photograph. (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 76Credit: O1iveDover is a major channel port in the English county of Kent (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 77Credit: Ian Dunster(from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
Looking up at the East Hill Cliff Railway in Hastings, the steepest funicular railway in the country. - Image 78Credit: Sdwelch1031Rochester is a large town in Kent, England, at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London. Construction of Rochester Cathedral, shown, began in about 1080. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 79A 1959 view of South Street in Dorking, Surrey. (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 80Credit: James ArmitageHever Castle, in Kent, England (in the village of Hever), was the seat of the Boleyn family, later bestowed to Anne of Cleves following her divorce from King Henry VIII of England. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 82One of the several golf courses in Woking's borough in the mid/north-west of the county (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 83Credit: Tony HobbsScotney Castle is a country house with gardens in the valley of the River Bewl in Kent, England. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 84The Rose Bowl, near Southampton, home to Hampshire County Cricket Club (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 86View of the Vale of Holmesdale and Winterfold Forest from Newlands Corner, near Clandon and Albury, east of Guildford (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 89Walton Bridge built in the 2010s is a landmark of the northerly Spelthorne and Elmbridge boroughs (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 90Credit: Dave Bushell.A Eurostar on High Speed 1 going through the Medway Towns (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 91Waterfall at Virginia Water on the north-western (Berkshire) border (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 93Hayling Island's mainly shingle beach with Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower beyond (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 96Epsom Downs, a racecourse which hosts The Derby annually. One of four in the county. (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 97West End Fire Station, near Southampton, designed by Herbert Collins (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 99 (from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
- Image 100Beachy Head and lighthouse, Eastbourne, East Sussex (from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
- Image 102The town of Dorking and its section of the Vale of Holmesdale from Box Hill in the North Downs, with more heavily wooded Greensand Hills beyond. These sets of hills make up the Surrey Hills AONB. (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
- Image 103Credit: Baryonic BeingChartwell, located two miles south of Westerham, Kent, England, was the home of Sir Winston Churchill. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 104Hovercraft passing the mixed architecture, public gardens and shingle beach at Southsea, Portsmouth (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 105Twyford Post Office and stores, between Winchester and Southampton (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 106Credit: Craig BassRamsgate Harbour constructed between 1749 and 1850, has the unique distinction of being the only Royal Harbour in the United Kingdom. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 107 (from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
- Image 109Credit: O1iveBrockhill Country Park is dominated by a large grassy valley, bisected by the Brockhill Stream as it makes its way to the Royal Military Canal at Hythe. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
- Image 110Fawley Oil Refinery from the remains of Netley Hospital in the Royal Victoria Country Park (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
- Image 111Credit: PireotisRochester is a large town in Kent, England, at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Selected biography
Frederick McCarthy Forsyth CBE (born 25 August 1938) is an English novelist and journalist. He is best known for thrillers such as The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Fourth Protocol, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative, The Fist of God, Icon, The Veteran, Avenger, The Afghan, The Cobra and The Kill List. Forsyth's works frequently appear on best-sellers lists and more than a dozen of his titles have been adapted to film. By 2006, he had sold more than 70 million books in more than 30 languages. (Full article...)
On This Day in South East England
27 April:
1945: Footballer Martin Chivers was born in Southampton.
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