Hamble-le-Rice, commonly known as Hamble, is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. It is best known for being a flying training centre during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and is a popular yachting location. The village and the

River Hamble The River Hamble in south Hampshire, England, source (river), rises near Bishop's Waltham and flows for through Botley, Hampshire, Botley, Bursledon, and Lower Swanwick before entering Southampton Water between Hamble Common and Warsash. The ...

also featured in the 1980s

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television series '' Howards' Way''. The village centre, known as The Square, Hamble, has a more traditional English village aesthetic which differentiates it from the small industrial areas (mostly marinas) close to the village.

Location

Hamble-le-Rice is on the south coast of England, south-east of

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

at the tip of the Hamble peninsula, bounded by Netley, Butlocks Heath, Bursledon, Southampton Water and the

History

Although previously known as "Hamble", "Hamelea", "Hammel", and "Ham-en-le-Rice", the village's official name is now Hamble-le-Rice. The name "Hamble" is still in common usage. On 27 April 1992, the civil parish was renamed from "Hamble" to "Hamble-le-Rice". To the south of the village, lies the site of an

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

promontory

hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

, Hamble Common Camp. The place-name 'Hamble-le-Rice' is first attested in a French document of 1147, where it appears as ''Amle''. It appears as ''Hamele'' in 1270, and as ''hamele in the Rys'' in 1404. The village takes its name from the

; the ''Rice'' is the

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

''hrīs'' meaning 'brushwood' or perhaps by extension 'scrubland', and of which the modern form is the word '' rushes''. Thus a modern form of the name might be 'Hamble-in-the-Rushes'. An alternative explanation for the "-le-Rice" ending is that this derives from the Norman French "en le rys", meaning "on the hill". The area is home to the remains of a defensive structure dating to the reign of King

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

. Known as St Andrew's Castle, investigations suggest that it consisted of a rectangular structure fronted by a gun platform with a semi-circular layout. The structure was protected by a moat, with a two gun platforms mounted on the counterscarp. The structure was intact as late as the early 17th century.

Aerospace

Hamble-le-Rice was the home of a major flying school before and during the Second World War for aircraft including the

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

, the Lancaster and the

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

. Over 500 aircraft were built there including the prototype

Armstrong Whitworth Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. With headquarters in Elswick, Tyne and Wear, Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth built armaments, ships, locomot ...

Ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

and Albemarle, which were first flown in 1938 and 1940. In 1960 the Air Corporations Joint Training Scheme (later, British Airways) fixed wing and helicopter training school was established there, as the Hamble College of Air Training. The south airfield has long since disappeared and the north airfield has been partially developed as housing; the remainder is overgrown and owned by property developers

Persimmon The persimmon () is the edible fruit of a number of species of trees in the genus '' Diospyros''. The most widely cultivated of these is the Chinese and Japanese kaki persimmon, ''Diospyros kaki''. In 2022, China produced 77% of the world's p ...

. The aviation industry retains a large interest in Hamble-le-Rice, with the Hamble Aerostructures factory, now a subsidiary of the Spanish company Aernnova, in Kings Avenue. The following units were here at some point: * No. 1 Basic Air Navigation School RAF * No. 2 Air Experience Flight RAF * No. 3 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF * No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School RAF * No. 11 Air Observers Navigation School RAF * No. 14 Reserve Flying School RAF * No. 15 Ferry Pilots Pool ATA * 780 Naval Air Squadron * No. 2706 Squadron RAF Regiment * Southampton University Air Squadron

Industrial areas

Hamble-le-Rice is home to three main marinas offering marine services and goods to the boating industry. In addition, large factories and smaller industrial units off Ensign Way and Hamble Lane are used by CooperVision, Qioptiq Photonics Ltd., BP, Hoyer, GE and others. Some of these businesses are 24-hour operations with large numbers of staff who commute to work. The fuel terminal itself is not visible from the B3397: there was extensive development in the early 2000s when wartime hangars were demolished and high-density housing built next to the road, near the terminal. The Royal Yachting Association (RYA), a non-profit organisation, has its offices in Hamble.

Schools

There are two schools in Hamble-Le-Rice: * Hamble Primary School * Hamble School, a secondary school (formerly Hamble Community Sports College)

The river and environment

Hamble-le-Rice is a boating mecca: the nearby

is often packed with marine traffic and, during the summer, the whole village is crowded with people out enjoying the water, local restaurants and many pubs. The village and its river is one of the many locations that made up the fictional village of Tarrant, in the BBC television series '' Howards' Way'', shown weekly on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

in the late 1980s. Hamble-le-Rice is home to Hamble Common, a variety of

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime enviro ...

wildlife, and other scenic walks.

Fuel terminal

Hamble fuel terminal was opened by

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

in 1924, whilst BP was still afloat using a converted passenger liner as a fuel tender. In 1930 the two companies formed a joint venture and BP moved to Hamble. This partnership was dissolved in 1976, with the Hamble terminal passing to BP. A 2016 attempt to sell off the terminal was unsuccessful; however Hoyer now handles BPs bulk fuel road transport operation. A pipeline runs under Southampton Water from the Fawley

oil refinery An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial processes, industrial process Factory, plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refining, refined into products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, Bitumen, asphalt base, ...

which supplies the BP fuel terminal at Hamble. This fuel terminal was used to supply

PLUTO Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of Trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Su ...

, during the invasion of Europe in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.Hampshire and D-Day. Martin Doughty. 1994. The

pipeline started at

Shanklin Shanklin () is a seaside resort town and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England, located on Sandown Bay. Shanklin is the southernmost of three settlements which occupy the bay, and is close to Lake, Isle of Wight, ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

and was supplied by ship from Hamble. The jetty at this fuel terminal was extended in 1943/44 so that more ships could be loaded simultaneously. Fuel is transported from this depot both day and night, in particular early mornings (between 3am and 6am), by 44 tonne road tankers along the B3397, as well as by pipeline to major industry and airports. Markers showing the route of the pipeline can be seen at various points in neighbouring Botley. A now disused branch line ran from the terminal to the

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

railway. This is now the scenic Strawberry Trail.

Transport links

The Hamble Peninsula has one main access road, the B3397, Hamble Lane, which is approximately long and goes straight through the village from the junction with the A27 Portsmouth road. Hamble Lane has had numerous incidences of traffic accidents. and at its intersection with Portsmouth Road an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) exists to monitor

nitrogen dioxide Nitrogen dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula . One of several nitrogen oxides, nitrogen dioxide is a reddish-brown gas. It is a paramagnetic, bent molecule with C2v point group symmetry. Industrially, is an intermediate in the s ...

traffic pollutants. The B3397 is a very high volume road; a traffic count in March 2003 showed around 16,300 vehicles in a 24-hour period. Daily traffic congestion and slow moving queues are due to the large number of inbound and outbound commuters, on staggered work shifts. Many businesses supply local companies as BP Oil UK, CooperVision and GE Aviation and minor industry and services within the four marinas and industrial areas off Ensign Way. Road oil and petrol tankers form the bulk of the heavy goods vehicles along this road, numbering a few hundred vehicle movements per day. The village is served by Hamble railway station, about two miles from the centre of the village, which provides hourly services to both Southampton Central and

Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a / biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it ...

. It is also linked by a pedestrian

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

to Warsash, and has frequent bus services to Southampton - the '15' provided by Bluestar, via Netley and Woolston. There is also a service, the '49h', to Hedge End, provided by

Stagecoach South Stagecoach (South) Limited, trading as Stagecoach South, is a bus operator providing services in South East England as a subsidiary of Stagecoach Group, Stagecoach. It operates services in Hampshire, Surrey, and Sussex with some routes extendin ...

People

*Sir Sam Fay, General manager of the

Great Central Railway The Great Central Railway in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its Great Central Main Line, London Extension. On 1 January 1923, the company ...

1902–22, was born here in 1856. * Michael S. Robinson, naval art historian, was born here in 1910. *Boat builder W.S. Luke and his sons Albert Luke and Walter Luke came here in the late 1880s to establish their boatyard. * Ronnie and Reggie Kray had a cottage in the Village] * Tracy Edwards, Skipper of ''Maiden'', the first all-female round-the-world crew, lived in the village for a while. * Robert Greenhalgh,

Volvo Ocean Race The Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three or four years since 1973. Originally named the Whitbread Round the World Race after its initiating sponsor, British brewing company Whitbread, in 2001 it became the Volvo Ocean Rac ...

veteran and four times sailing world champion, lived in the village * Dani Rowe, née King - cyclist (Women's Team Pursuit World Champion 2011, 2012 and 2013; Women's Team Pursuit Gold Medallist at

London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

) the cycle path into the village is named in her honour and she is the reason for the village post box being painted gold by the

Royal Mail Royal Mail Group Limited, trading as Royal Mail, is a British postal service and courier company. It is owned by International Distribution Services. It operates the brands Royal Mail (letters and parcels) and Parcelforce Worldwide (parcels) ...

to commemorate her success at the home olympics. * Basil Lubbock, sailor, soldier and historian lived in the village.

Sport and leisure

The main sporting activity in the village is sailing with it being the centre of UK offshore sailing and a hub for inshore yacht and keelboat racing. This is partly due to its mainland location and closeness to Cowes on the Isle of Wight. There are three sailing clubs within the village: * Hamble River Sailing Club was founded in 1919 * RAF Yacht Club open its Hamble club house in 1952 * Royal Southern Yacht Club opened in the 1930s, with the club one of the oldest in the world being established in 1837 In addition Warsash Sailing Club based on the other side of the river also contributes significantly to sailing activities within the village hosting the annual spring series championship and other regattas. Together with offshore racing primarily organized by the

Royal Ocean Racing Club The Royal Ocean Racing Club is a club in London with a further clubhouse and office in Cowes, Isle of Wight. It was established in 1925 as the Ocean Racing Club, as a result of a race to the Fastnet Rock from Cowes, finishing in Plymouth. It re ...

and the Junior Offshore Group. The Royal Yachting Association, the sport's national governing body, has had its headquarters in the village since the early 2000s, when it moved from Eastleigh to a new purpose-built building. The village has two

non-league football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...

clubs; Folland Sports and Hamble Club, both of which play in the Wessex League. A speedway training track used to operate at Hamble in the early 1950s. There is now a sports college in Hamble to provide recreation and leisure.

References

External links

Hamble-le-Rice Parish Council WebsiteWalks in the Hamble ValleyHamble.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamble-Le-Rice Villages in Hampshire Borough of Eastleigh