Farlington is a primarily residential district of the city of Portsmouth in the county of Hampshire, England. It is located in the extreme north east of the city on the mainland and is not on Portsea Island unlike most of the other areas of Portsmouth. Farlington was incorporated into the city in 1932 and now forms a continuous development with Cosham and Drayton. To the north of Farlington is the suburb of Widley and to the east is the town of Havant. To the west is the suburb of Drayton, and to the south is Langstone Harbour.
History
Farlington was a small rural community for the majority of its existence, being part of an ancient manor and parish that also included nearby Crookhorn and Stakes (Frendstaple), places still outside the City boundary. In 1320 the manor passed to Hugh Despenser the Elder but following the forfeiture of his lands, King Edward II granted the manor of Farlington to Alice, the late wife of Edmund Earl of Arundel. Alice only held the manor for a short time, for by 1330 it had come into the king's hands, and was granted to John Montgomerie and his wife Rose for life. On the death of John Montgomerie, King Edward III gave the manor to nearby Southwick Priory. Farlington was sold to William Pound of Beaumonds in 1540. The land changed hands several times before being divided for individual dwellings in the 19th and 20th centuries.
In 1891 a racecourse, called 'Portsmouth Park', was built in Farlington, between the Havant road and the shoreline. This new course was built with all of the modern facilities available at the time, including its own railway station (built at Station Road in Drayton), with the intention of turning it into premier tracks. However race meetings were suspended during World War One and the War Office turned the course into one of the country's biggest ammunition dumps. After hostilities ceased, the War Office held control of the site and it was not released until 1929 when it was bought by Portsmouth City Council. The council then sold on the land for private housing development, eventually leading to the end of Farlington as a distinct community.
Farlington is also the site of the Portsmouth Water Company's filtration beds. In 1812 Thomas Smith built a reservoir to hold spring water from Farlington Marshes. The waterworks were built in 1908 and by 1924 there were five reservoirs and eight sand filters. Many of the local roads to the north of the Havant Road were named after senior company officers. Among these are Grant, Woodfield, Galt, Gillman and Evelegh roads.
Farlington was also home to Farlington Redoubt, part of the defence ring of forts around Portsmouth now known as "Palmerston's Folly". The redoubt was initially a camp with an Admiralty semaphore erected in 1822. However, this camp was demolished by 1867 and the area gradually developed into a full fort to protect the city from a possible French invasion. By 1891 all works has been completed, including the mounting of seven 64pdr guns. The redoubt was demolished after the Second World War when the site was excavated as a quarry and later developed as an underground gas storage area and aggregate recycling facility. Nothing of the fort remains except the outline of the pit in which it sat, however some of the other forts still remain, including Fort Purbrook, Fort Widley and Fort Southwick.
Governance
Farlington is part of the Drayton and Farlington local electoral ward of Portsmouth City Council, a unitary authority which is responsible for local affairs. The ward is represented by three city councillors.
Farlington is part of the Portsmouth North parliamentary constituency, currently represented in the House of Commons by Penny Mordaunt of the Conservative Party.
Community Facilities
Farlington has several parks and open spaces for public recreation, most of which are owned by Portsmouth City Council. These include the Farlington Playing Fields (a large area of open space with football pitches and cricket fields), East Lodge Play Area (an open space with a children's play area and ball court), Zetland field (a small triangular open space with a children's play area) and the Waterworks Field Play Area (a neighbourhood park with play area and ball court). Farlington Marshes is also open to the public for walking and birdwatching.
There are no medical facilities in Farlington; the nearest doctor's surgery is located in nearby Drayton. The nearest public library is Cosham.