Swaythling

{{Short description|Area of Southampton, England}} {{Use British English|date=October 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}} {{Infobox UK place |map_type = Southampton |country = England |official_name= Swaythling |coordinates = {{coord|50.94|-1.38|display=inline,title}} |unitary_england= [[Southampton]] |lieutenancy_england= [[Hampshire]] | post_town= SOUTHAMPTON | postcode_area= SO | dial_code= 023 | constituency_westminster=[[Romsey and Southampton North (UK Parliament constituency)|Romsey and Southampton North]] | region = South East England | postcode_district= SO16 | static_image_name = Stonehamhouse.jpg | static_image_width = 240px | static_image_caption=[[South Stoneham House]], Swaythling. | population = 13,664 | population_ref =<ref name='c2011key'>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/swaythling-e05002469#sthash.WeeKNupk.dpbs|work=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]]|title=Swaythling – UK Census Data 2011|access-date=14 March 2016 }}</ref> | area_total_km2 = 2.99 }} [[File:South Stoneham Church.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|[[St Mary's Church, South Stoneham]]]] [[File:Salmon Pool at end of Monks Brook.JPG|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.<ref name='c2011key'/>

Swaythling is predominantly residential in character, and noted for its large student population due to its proximity to the [[University of Southampton]] main campus at [[Highfield, Southampton|Highfield]]. The university's [[Wessex Lane Halls]] and City Gateway housing facilities are located within the district.

Swaythling during [[World War I]] was the location of the [[Army Remount Service|Swaythling Remount Depot]] and prior to its closure in 2013, the [[Ford Southampton plant|Ford Motor Company Southampton Assembly Plant]].

==History== ===Manor and estate of South Stoneham=== {{Main|South Stoneham}}Recorded as ''Swæthelinge'' in 909 AD,<ref name='placenames'>Mills, A. D. ''Dictionary of English Place-Names''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-280074-4}}.</ref> 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]];<ref name='placenames'/> the [[Old English]] word ''swætheling'' is believed to mean "misty stream".<ref name='placenames'/>

Swaythling originally formed part of the parish of [[South Stoneham]], which encompassed [[Eastleigh]] and almost all of the land between Swaythling and the [[Bargate]], in [[Southampton City Centre]]. The parish church was [[St. Mary's Church, South Stoneham|St. Mary's]]; the present building is one of Southampton's two medieval churches.<ref name = "Coles">{{cite book |title= Southampton's Historic Buildings|last=Coles |first=R.J. |year= 1981|publisher=City of Southampton Society |page=14}}</ref> 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 (naval engineer)|Edmund Dummer]], and is attributed to [[Nicholas Hawksmoor]].<ref>{{cite web |title=South Stoneham House| url=http://www.willisfleming.org.uk/estates/hants_and_iow/South_Stoneham_House |publisher= The Willis Fleming Historical Trust|access-date=16 October 2009}}</ref> The grounds were laid out after 1772 by [[Capability Brown]].<ref>''The Times'', 13 June 1804</ref>

[[Woodmill, Southampton|Woodmill]] is an ancient [[watermill]] site located in Swaythling at the highest tidal point of the [[River Itchen, Hampshire|River Itchen]], where it is joined by the [[Itchen Navigation]]. The industrialist [[Walter Taylor (engineer)|Walter Taylor]] moved there after 1770, but his mill burned down in 1820 to be replaced by the present structure<ref>{{cite book |title=Old Southampton Shores, Newton Abbott |last=Pannell |first=John Percival Masterman |publisher=David and Charles |asin=B0000CNGOE |chapter=Nelson's Boffins – the Taylors of Woodmill |year=1967 |pages=51–71 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lynch |first=John |author-link=John Lynch (historian) |title=Argentine dictator: Juan Manuel De Rosas, 1829–1852 |year=1981 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=0-1982-1129-5|pages=346–347, 358}}</ref><ref name="HennessyKing1992">{{cite book|author1=Charles Alistair Michael Hennessy|author2=John King|title=The Land that England lost: Argentina and Britain, a special relationship|date=15 August 1992|publisher=British Academic Press|page=32}}</ref> The local people at that time are said to have developed a taste for the Argentine beverage, [[maté]], as a result.<ref name="HennessyKing1992"/>

===20th century to present=== During the First World War Swaythling was the location of the British Army's largest remount depot; a facility for the collection, training and care of horses and mules prior to dispatch to the Western Front. Originally designed in 1914 to accommodate three squadrons (1,500 horses), the depot, located on both sides of Bassett Green Road, was subsequently expanded to provide stabling for ten squadrons (5,000 horses).<ref>{{cite book|last1=Winton|first1=Graham|title=Theirs not to Reason Why; Horsing the British Army 1875-1925|date=2013|publisher=Helion & Company|location=Solihull|isbn=978-1-909384-48-4|page=309}}</ref>

In 1924 the Hampton Park Hotel pub opened in the area.<ref name=crump /> It was later renamed to The Tanners.<ref name=crump /> With the construction of the "Flower Roads" council estate, [[St. Alban's Church, Southampton|St. Alban's]] church was erected in 1933. St Alban's remained a separate parish until 1992, when the parish of Swaythling came into being, incorporating the former parishes of St. Alban's, Southampton and South Stoneham, with both St. Alban's and St. Mary's church buildings being used for worship.

[[File:City Gateway Swaythling.jpg|thumb|City Gateway, Swaythling]]In 1931 Connaught Hall was built, to accompany South Stoneham House as a hall of residence for the university. The university acquired South Stoneham House in 1921 and subsequently in 1964 added a 17-storey residential tower block that dominated the Wessex Lane area until its demolition in 2022.

Much of the Swaythling landscape and its architecture was captured in the 1950s and 1960s by local artist [[Eric Meadus]].

In 1990 Whitbread brewery closed The Tanners pub.<ref name=crump /> It was then purchased by Devonshire Breweries who re-opened it in 1991 under the name The Old Black Cat until 1996 when it closed before being sold to McDonald's.<ref name=crump>{{cite news |last=Crump |first=Ian |date=15 May 2025 |title=Iconic Southampton pubs of the 1980s featured in photos |url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/25161845.iconic-southampton-pubs-1980s-featured-photos/ |work=Southern Daily Echo |publisher=Newsquest Media Group Ltd |access-date=15 May 2025}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite news|title=London's Walkie Talkie judged UK's worst building|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34116610|access-date=2 September 2015|publisher=BBC News|date=2 September 2015}}</ref>

==Geography== {{unreferenced section|date=December 2013}} Swaythling is a northern suburb of the city of Southampton and borders (clockwise from South) [[Portswood]], [[Highfield, Hampshire|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 [[River Itchen, Hampshire|Itchen River]]. The northern section of the Swaythling district is bisected in part by the [[M27 motorway]].

[[File:Ethelburt.jpg|thumb|left|[[Herbert Collins]] houses in Ethelburt Avenue]] [[Monks Brook|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.<ref name='c2001key'>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=5939873&c=swaythling&d=14&e=16&g=412445&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1197295560728&enc=1 |title=Key Figures for 2001 Census: Census Area Statistics – Area: Swaythling (Ward) |access-date=10 December 2007 |work=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=[[Office for National Statistics]] }}</ref> 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]].<ref name='c2001key'/> 70.5 per cent of Swaythling's population are in good health, a figure which is above the averages for [[Southampton]] and England. A further 21.9 per cent are in fairly good health, while 7.56 per cent are classified as "not good".<ref name='c2001key'/>

There are 4,727 households in Swaythling, of which 17.9 per cent are [[owner occupied]] and owned outright, 25.1 per cent are owner occupied with a mortgage or similar loan, 1.6 per cent are shared ownership, 18.4 per cent are rented from the council, 13.8 per cent are rented from a [[housing association]], 20.1 are rented from a private landlord or letting agency, and 3.1 per cent rented from elsewhere.<ref name='c2001key'/>

==Economy== ===Ford=== {{Main|Ford Southampton plant}} [[File:Ford Motor Company Southampton Assembly Plant - geograph.org.uk - 1168893.jpg|thumb|right|[[Ford Southampton plant]]]] [[File:Fleming Arms (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|The Fleming arms public house]] The [[Ford Southampton plant]] was a motor vehicle assembly plant, located in Mansbridge. It was the western European home to the production of the [[Ford Transit]] van.<ref name=FactTour/> The plant, purposefully located on a {{convert|44|acre|m2|adj=on}} site near to [[Southampton Airport]], was built as a [[shadow factory]] to assemble aircraft components for engineering firm [[Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft]], opened by the Mayor of Southampton on 2 February 1939.<ref name=BBC8652000/> At the outbreak of [[World War II]], its whole supply chain was switched to produce parts for the [[Supermarine Spitfire]]. Recognised as an important part of the British war effort, it was bombed on a number of occasions by the [[Nazi]] [[Luftwaffe]], the first in September 1940.<ref name=BBC8652000/> In the latter years of the war, the site was used to assemble the Spitfire.<ref name=BBC8652000/>

After Cunliffe-Owen was placed in receivership in 1947, the factory was bought in 1949 by [[Briggs Motor Bodies]], who supplied [[Ford of Britain]] with bodies for their vehicles. In 1953 Ford acquired Briggs, and hence gained control of the {{convert|630000|ft2}} Southampton plant.<ref name=BBC8652000/> From 1965, Ford had started to produce the Ford Transit in Great Britain, with bodies from Swaythling shipped up the [[M3 motorway (Great Britain)|M3 motorway]] to be mated with chassis at the [[Langley, Berkshire]] factory, near [[Slough]]. In 1972, Ford of Britain invested £5M in the Southampton plant, enabling it to make the complete Transit van. The first Transit rolled off of the production line in the same year, given to the mayor to be used as a gift for a local charity.<ref name=BBC8652000/> From this point until the mid-1980s was the height of production, with the factory employing 4,500 workers.

In 1983 with construction of the [[M27 motorway]] starting, the site was permanently cut off from Southampton Airport.<ref name=BBC8652000/> In 2002, Ford stopped producing passenger cars in the UK, leaving the Southampton made Transit as their only British-made vehicle.<ref name=FactTour/> In 2009, with the new [[Kocaeli Province|Kocaeli]], [[Turkey]], plant in full production, Ford reluctantly halved production at Southampton and reduced the workforce to just over 500.<ref name=BBC8652000>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/local/hampshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8652000/8652172.stm|title=How Southampton became 'home' to the Ford Transit van|author=Matt Treacy|publisher=BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight|date=30 April 2010|access-date=15 May 2012}}</ref>

Employing 500 workers, the factory produced up to 35,000 Transit chassis/cab variant vehicles annually, of which 50% were exported.<ref name=FactTour>{{cite web|url=http://www.factorytour.co.uk/southampton/|title=Ford Transit Southampton|publisher=factorytour.co.uk|access-date=15 May 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314155752/http://www.factorytour.co.uk/southampton/|archive-date=14 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thisishampshire.net/news/9256684.Ford_plant_given_good_news_over_future/|title=Ford Transit plant in Southampton given good news over future|author=Glynn Williams|publisher=ThisIsHampshire.net|date=16 September 2011|access-date=15 May 2012}}</ref>

The [[Ford Southampton plant]] closed on 26 July 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-23432322 |title=BBC News – Last shift at Ford's Transit van factory in Swaythling |publisher=BBC |access-date=26 July 2013}}</ref>

===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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/templates/content_lookup.jsp?content=/aboutbandq/2004/company_information/history.jsp&menu=aboutbandq |title=B&Q Website – Company History |publisher=Diy.com |access-date=26 July 2013}}</ref>

==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, 1st Baron Swaythling|Samuel Montagu]], who became the first [[Barons Swaythling|Baron Swaythling]] in 1907.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/13491400.swaythling-book-looks-at-the-past-and-future/ |title=Swaythling book looks at the past and future|publisher=Southern Daily Echo|date=22 July 2015|access-date=31 October 2021}}</ref>

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 (trade unionist)|Tommy Lewis]]) was first opened. This route allows traffic to bypass Swaythling and the neighbouring suburb of [[Portswood]] when travelling from the [[M27 motorway|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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ever wondered how Thomas Lewis Way got its name? |url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/19041432.life-thomas-lewis-1873-1962/ |access-date=2023-03-29 |website=Daily Echo}}</ref>

==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 [[Gladys, Baroness Swaythling|Baroness Swaythling]]'s two sons, [[Ivor Montagu|Ivor]] and [[Ewen Montagu]].

==Notable residents== [[Juan Manuel Rosas]], Argentine dictator, lived in exile in Swaythling where he had a farm, dying in 1877.<ref>Lynch, 343-7, 358.</ref>

Professor [[Martin Glennie]], developer of the promising cancer immunotherapeutic drug CHiLOB7/4 currently undergoing clinical trials,<ref name=":3">{{cite web|title=New Immunity Boosting Drug Helps Body Kill Cancer|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10235296/New-immunity-boosting-drug-helps-body-kill-cancer.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814001319/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10235296/New-immunity-boosting-drug-helps-body-kill-cancer.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=14 August 2013|access-date=12 December 2014}}</ref> lives in Swaythling.<ref name=":4">{{cite web|title=192.com electoral roll |url=http://www.192.com/atoz/people/glennie/martin/so16/1159886533/|access-date=12 December 2014}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}} * Brown, Jim. ''The Illustrated History of Southampton's Suburbs''. Breedon. {{ISBN|1-85983-405-1}}. *Lynch, John (2001). Argentine Caudillo: Juan Manuel de Rosas (2 ed.). Wilmington, Delaware: Scholarly Resources. {{ISBN|0-8420-2897-8}}. * Mann, John Edgar. ''The Book of The Stonehams''. Halsgrove. {{ISBN|1-84114-213-1}}. * Meadus, Eric. ''Not a Day Wasted: An Eric Meadus Sketchbook'', (Southampton: First Gallery, 1991) {{ISBN|0-9512947-2-5}}

==See also== {{Commons category|Swaythling, Southampton}} {{Portal|Hampshire}} * [[Swaythling and Bassett Covenant of Churches]]

{{Geographic location |Centre = Swaythling |North = [[Eastleigh]] |Northeast = [[Southampton Airport]] |East = [[Mansbridge]] |Southeast = [[Townhill Park]] |South = [[Hampton Park, Southampton|Hampton Park]]<br />[[Portswood]] |Southwest = [[Highfield, Southampton|Highfield]] |West = [[University of Southampton]] |Northwest = [[Bassett Green]] }}

{{Districts of Southampton}}

[[Category:Wards of Southampton]]