Wallington, Hampshire

Wallington
Wallington  Wallington shown within Hampshire
OS grid reference	SU585065
District	Fareham
Shire county	Hampshire
Region	South East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Dialling code	01329
Police	Hampshire
Fire	Hampshire
Ambulance	South Central
EU Parliament	South East England
UK Parliament	Fareham
List of places UK England Hampshire

Wallington is a village in Hampshire, part of the borough of Fareham. It is situated between Portsmouth and Southampton near where the River Wallington enters Portsmouth Harbour.

The name Wallington probably means 'settlement of the Welsh' (or Britons) – Weala-tun / Walintone (Old English) and not 'walled town' as might be inferred.

Industry

The village is now an affluent residential suburb of Fareham, but was once a separate entity with a brewery and tannery as its main industries. Wallington was also important in brickmaking and pottery. The bricks known as "Fareham reds" were made locally – the most famous use of which is the Royal Albert Hall. Wallington also boasts the largest collection of Fareham pots – chimney pots.

Fort Wallington

File:Fort Wallington 1 - geograph.org.uk - 763968.jpg

The remnants of Fort Wallington

In the 1860s the Royal Commission on the Defences of the United Kingdom recommended that a line of forts be built along Portsdown Hill. The western end of this line was Fort Wallington. Building of the fort was started in 1861 and completed in 1874. Following its sale to Mr J. Sullivan of the Southern Counties Trading Company the fort has been used as an industrial depot, and much of the old fort has been demolished – little now remains. What remains is now a Grade II Listed Building.

Wallington Village Community Association

The WVCA is an active organisation based in the Village Hall. It is involved in many areas of village life. It began in the late 1970s initially in response to the threat of demolition to the bridge over River Wallington as it was seen as the cause of flooding.

WVCA organises a number of social events throughout the year:

• Summer fête on Wallington water meadows
• Horticultural Show
• Tree and daffodil planting programme
• Christmas carols and pantomime

2012 River Wallington Flood

In December 2012, Wallington made national headlines after residents were ordered to evacuate by the Environment Agency due to potential heavy flooding from a breakdown in flood defences. The breakdown of flood defences according to the BBC has led to heavy flooding in the area leading to six people so far having to be rescued by Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service from submerged vehicles in addition to two persons who had to be rescued by a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) from their submerged car which had become stranded in a ford in Sway, Hampshire.

References

• WVCA's website
• Wallington Once in a Millennium – commemorative edition of Once in a While – Arthur Hackney.
• Village Evacuation As Flood Alerts Spread

External links

• Victorian Forts data sheet

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons