Hampshire
Hampshire (including Basingstoke and Deane, East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Hart, Havant, New Forest, Portsmouth, Rushmoor, Southampton, Test Valley and Winchester) is in the South East of England. It has a population of around 1,760,000 and covers approximately 377,000 hectares. Here is a list of nearby or neighbouring counties: Berkshire, Dorset, Isle of Wight, Surrey, West Sussex, Wiltshire.
Hampshire has a southern border with the English Channel and the Solent straight, which separates it from the Isle of Wight. Its county town is Winchester, which was once the capital of England and where visitors can see a statue of King Alfred. Displayed in the Medieval Winchester Great Hall is a round table which is thought to have been created around 1290 to celebrate the legend of the Round Table, around which met King Arthur and his Knights. The ports of Southampton and Portsmouth are an important part of Hampshires maritime history and the county has inspired artists such as J. M. W. Turner and L. S. Lowry. This naval history is represented by attractions such as the Historic Dockyard, where visitors can see HMS Victory, the flagship of Lord Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar in the year 1805, and The Mary Rose Museum, with the remains of the Tudor ship which was launched during the reign of Henry VIII, sank in 1545 and was salvaged in 1982. Performing arts venues in Hampshire include the Mayflower Theatre in Southampton, The Anvil in Basingstoke, the Theatre Royal Winchester and The Brook in Southampton.
Built during the 16th century, Breamore House was extensively restored during the 19th century and is set among picturesque parkland. Within the Elizabethan manor house there is period furniture, collections of ceramics, textiles and paintings and the Countryside Museum features exhibits drawn from village life and work during previous centuries. Constructed on the site of an earlier mansion during the 19th century, Highclere Castle has become famous as the location where the television series Downton Abbey is filmed. The exterior architecture is Jacobethan style (mixing Jacobean and Elizabethan architecture), the interior rooms are finely decorated and furnished and the impressive gardens and parkland were designed during the 18th century by the landscape architect Capability Brown. Other attractions in Hampshire include Winchester Cathedral, the Tudor House and Garden in Southampton, Portsmouth City Museum, Beaulieu Abbey-Palace House, Jane Austens House, Romsey Abbey, the remains of Portchester Castle and the New Forest, with its historic landscape and wildlife.
