Swaythling - WikiHQ

thumb|upright=1.25|[[St Mary's Church, South Stoneham]]

thumb|upright=1.25|Salmon Pool, Swaythling (showing WWII-era [[Dragon's teeth (fortification)|dragon's teeth anti-tank defences in the left foreground)]]

Swaythling is a suburb and electoral ward of the city of Southampton in Hampshire, England. The ward has a population of 13,664. the origins of the name Swaythling (or prior to 1895, more commonly referred to as Swathling village) are uncertain. It is widely thought that the name originally referred to the stream that runs through the area, now known as Monks Brook; It is accessible from Wessex Lane, down a short track between Connaught Hall and South Stoneham House (both now halls of residence serving the University of Southampton).

South Stoneham House was built in 1708 for the Surveyor of the Navy, Edmund Dummer, and is attributed to Nicholas Hawksmoor. The grounds were laid out after 1772 by Capability Brown.

Woodmill is an ancient watermill site located in Swaythling at the highest tidal point of the River Itchen, where it is joined by the Itchen Navigation. The industrialist Walter Taylor moved there after 1770, but his mill burned down in 1820 to be replaced by the present structure which is now used as a water sports and outdoor activity centre.

Following his exile to Britain in 1852, the deposed Argentine dictator, Juan Manuel de Rosas, rented Burgess Street Farm in Swaythling, where he spent the rest of his days until his death in 1877. The local people at that time are said to have developed a taste for the Argentine beverage, maté, as a result.

In 1924 the Hampton Park Hotel pub opened in the area.

The University of Southampton's City Gateway hall of residence, opened in 2015, was included in the runners-up list of the Carbuncle Cup, a competition by Building Design magazine to identify the ugliest building in the United Kingdom completed in the previous 12 months. Designed by Fluid Design and Stride Treglown, the building provides accommodation for 375 students and features a 15-story elliptical tower and two adjoining six story rectangular accommodation blocks at the fork of two major roads.

Geography

Swaythling is a northern suburb of the city of Southampton and borders (clockwise from South) Portswood, Highfield, Bassett Green, Eastleigh, Mansbridge and Townhill Park. Predominantly low-lying in terms of elevation, the ward boundary to the east is defined by Monks Brook and the Itchen River. The northern section of the Swaythling district is bisected in part by the M27 motorway.

thumb|left|[[Herbert Collins houses in Ethelburt Avenue]] The stream that gave the area its name is largely hidden from view as it runs through Swaythling, although it can still be seen next to the Fleming Arms pub.

The historical village of Swaythling is now extensively suburban in character with much of the area used for residential housing. High Road, which was the village's High Street, has waned in popularity recently with several established businesses, such as Dunning's grocery store, having shut down. High Road today is dominated by take-away food outlets and a couple of newsagents. The Old Black Cat (The Hampton Park Hotel) pub was turned into a McDonald's restaurant in the late 1990s.

Demography

The ward has a population of 13,394, consisting of 6,835 males and 6,559 females. 63.4 per cent of the population of Swaythling are Christian, 22.7 per cent have no religion, 2.6 per cent are Muslim and 1.3 per cent Buddhist.

Employing 500 workers, the factory produced up to 35,000 Transit chassis/cab variant vehicles annually, of which 50% were exported.

The Ford Southampton plant closed on 26 July 2013.

B&Q

The very first branch of the DIY chain B&Q was opened in Swaythling in 1969. The shop was owned by Messrs Block and Quayle.

Transport

Swaythling railway station is on the main line between London and Bournemouth, and was opened in 1883. Originally Swathling Station, the "Y" was added in 1895 at the request of the squire, Sir Samuel Montagu, who became the first Baron Swaythling in 1907.

On 24 August 1988 Swaythling was the scene of a Guinness Book of Records attempt for the largest street party when the A335 (Thomas Lewis Way, named after Tommy Lewis) was first opened. This route allows traffic to bypass Swaythling and the neighbouring suburb of Portswood when travelling from the M27 to Southampton's city centre. Around 3000 people were present at the event, which failed to beat the record of 5,500 people held by Oxford Street in London.

Sport

Swaythling Athletic Football Club was established in 1946 in the Fleming Arms public house and played its early games on the field at Walnut Avenue. In 1957, the club moved to Ten Acres in North Stoneham and in 1980 became known as Eastleigh F.C..

The Ford Southampton plant had a long running works football club called Ford Sports, which ran numerous teams from 1949 to 2001.

The Swaythling Cup, an international table tennis competition, was set up in 1926 by Baroness Swaythling's two sons, Ivor and Ewen Montagu.

Notable residents

Juan Manuel Rosas, Argentine dictator, lived in exile in Swaythling where he had a farm, dying in 1877.

Professor Martin Glennie, developer of the promising cancer immunotherapeutic drug CHiLOB7/4 currently undergoing clinical trials, lives in Swaythling.

References

Brown, Jim. The Illustrated History of Southampton's Suburbs. Breedon. .
Lynch, John (2001). Argentine Caudillo: Juan Manuel de Rosas (2 ed.). Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources. .
Mann, John Edgar. The Book of The Stonehams. Halsgrove. .
Meadus, Eric. Not a Day Wasted: An Eric Meadus Sketchbook, (Southampton: First Gallery, 1991)