Focus on Eastleigh

It took off in 1891 when the L&SWR railway moved its carriage works to the town and, like Swindon and Crewe, it became known for building trains and carriages. If you didn’t work for the railways, you knew someone who did. Our residents in Campbell Road, by the old works, live in homes the railway built to house its employees. The works closed in 2006. We have homes on nearby Pirelli, the site of the company’s former underground cable works.

The Spitfire first flew from Eastleigh Aerodrome

The town’s most famous ‘resident’ is the Spitfire aeroplane. Built in nearby Southampton, it first flew from Eastleigh Aerodrome, now Southampton International Airport. A replica greets visitors as they drive into the entrance. Benny Hill, the comedian, drove a horse-drawn milk float in the town that inspired his hit song Ernie, the fastest milkman in the west and Colin Firth, the actor, went to Barton Peveril College.

Outside the town centre is Hedge End which has grown from a few houses at the crossroads to become bigger than the town. Now a residential area, it was famous for strawberries as well as being part of a huge marshalling site for thousands of troops before D Day. We have homes on Dowds Farm and Grange Park and also in nearby Botley, home of famous campaigning journalist, William Cobbett. Together with Fair Oak, Chandlers Ford and Bishopstoke, we have over 900 homes in Eastleigh.

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