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Bitterne Park – a village within a city? |
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Wednesday, 13 January 2010 |
 Fancy a visit to Bitterne Park - or thinking about moving to the area? Perhaps you already live here and are interested to find out more. We hope this work in progress offers a few pointers and comes in handy!
Apologies: for some reason this piece has decided to display in very small type. We've had a team of specialists working on sorting this out for some time. Sadly we're no nearer to resolving the issue, so please use your browser's zoom facility to enlarge the text in the meantime if it strains your eyes as much as it does ours! Ed.
Geography
 Riverside Park on the bank of the Itchen
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History
Historians
will tell you that Bitterne Park was originally part of the parkland of
Bitterne Manor. Jim Brown, in his ‘Illustrated History of Southampton's
Suburbs’, explains how the rural character of the area changed beyond
recognition when the National Liberal Land Company purchased over 317
acres of this land in 1882 for the Bitterne Park Estate, leaving some
five acres for a cricket and lawn tennis ground, with the remainder
scheduled for extensive development. For more on the history of the
area, including stories of fights with sticks on Cobden Bridge and of
times before Riverside Park, check our archive of articles and audio
clips.
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Village feel
Bitterne
Park has been described by one bitternepark.info reader as “a special
place - one of the last real villages in Southampton”. Many will tell
you that they came to Bitterne Park for the friendly ‘village feel’,
its period properties, its close proximity to schools,
the river, Riverside Park, and of course the local shops at the
Triangle – often regarded as the ‘village hub’.
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Transport and parking
And
yet it is only a short journey into either central Southampton, or, in
the other direction, to Eastleigh. From Southampton Central or Parkway
rail stations it can take just a few minutes to Winchester, and just
over an hour into London Waterloo. The M27’s junction 5 is (sometimes)
only a five-minute drive away, offering easy access to Bournemouth,
Poole and the south west, to Portsmouth and West Sussex, and the M3 to
London.
 First buses
Or to get to the top end of town mainly using roads, continue over Horse Shoe Bridge, and left again past the new bus depot on Empress Road. Turn right at Kingsbury Road, and turn right off Bevois Valley up Rockstone Lane next to the Bevois Castle pub, to arrive on the Avenue just across from London Road. From here on a bike you are just a few minutes from the city centre. For more information
about cycling in the City, see the Southampton Cycling Campaign
website.
By foot,
Portswood is a 15-20 minute walk away – unfortunately mainly along the
noisy St Denys Road - with Highfield and parts of the University of
Southampton a few minutes further. The area, though, isn't a major
favourite for students. And the city centre is a fair old hike from
Bitterne Park - so you may prefer alternative means of transport.
By
bus, First's 3 route offers a fairly frequent link from the Triangle
into town via Portswood, and the U9 Service offers an infrequent service between
Townhill Park and the Triangle to Portswood, Taunton's College and the
General Hospital.
Of
course living in Bitterne Park you also have all the advantages, and
disadvantages, of having an expanding airport right on your
doorstep; seek, and you’ll find many articles about that on this site.
If
you’re visiting be warned that on-street parking is
very limited at the Triangle. A 60-minute restriction
applies – and is often enforced. Far better to train, bus, cycle, walk
- or perhaps even boat! Or try the under-used parking spaces available off-peak on Cobden
Bridge itself. Alternatively head along Manor Farm Road and use the
free car park by Riverside Park (sharp turn by the Social Club): from
here, it’s a brief, and lovely walk back to the Triangle along the
river.
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The Triangle
 Bitterne Park Triangle
The
Triangle is often seen as the ‘hub’ of Bitterne Park. It has much to
offer locals and visitors alike. For the former, a fair amount of day
to day needs is available on your doorstep, without another tedious
trip to the supermarket; far better, many feel, to buy from – and
support – small and friendly shops on your doorstep, and to help
preserve that village feel that may have attracted you to the area in
the first place. And for visitors, the Triangle, and Riverside Park,
are pleasant destinations for whiling away some weekend time with some
mooching.
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Shopping
As
well as boasting our own bakery, butcher, toy shop and Co-operative
store, you can browse the bric-a-brac in Barnardo’s, see what’s new in
Something Nice, and buy pet and fishing supplies and DVDs(!) in Alphapet. You can
even buy a Persian rug at the Triangle. Sadly the art scene in Bitterne Park is somewhat depleted
since the closure of Spice Art Studios in the lovely old pharmacy shop - now run by Vineyard Church as offices and community space (hear an audio feature from this link) - although there is still a picture
framing shop near the clock tower. Antiques are thin on the ground too,
since the closure of various outlets over the last few years.
 But
you will find various options for preening, with barbers, hairdressers,
tattooists, tanning facilities and even aqua massage
facilities on hand, for just when you need them.
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Food and drink
 Il Picchio
 Food to Suit
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Boom or bust?
 It’s
not all a bed of roses at the Triangle: businesses come and go, and ‘to
let’ signs are all too familiar. The names the buildings are known by say it all: there is an 'Old Chemist' and an 'Old Post Office', but you won't find Triangle outlets where you can pick up a prescription or get a parcel weighed.
 Health centre: a steep climb
 Old post office
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 Witts Hill shops
Witts Hill
As
well as the post office, there are various other shops at Witts Hill,
Midanbury, including a couple of small supermarkets, a baker, takeaways and a Boots chemist, in a small
parade next to the Castle pub. The summit offers a fine view towards the
airport runway. Do your time on the Council waiting list, and you could one day even be rewarded with your very own key to the Witts Hill allotments (other allotments are available - close to our area over Bitterne Road West you could also look at Athleston Road allotments, which offer stunning views across the river).
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Bitterne Road West
Other
retail outlets are dotted around the crossroads at the bottom of Bullar
Road as it intersects with  the busy Bitterne Road West. It's as hard as
it is unpleasant to negotiate on foot - or by using any other
transport! It marks a boundary between Bitterne Park and Bitterne wards.
Some businesses are positioned in the middle of what is affectionately
known as the “Bullar Road
gyratory”
Around
this area you'll find a bed store, carpet shop, gym, hairdresser,
barbers, garage, takeaways, a newsagent and others. There's also a
recycling point on the approach to Bitterne railway station - and here
too you'll find The Station pub.
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Schools
 Bitterne
Park is mainly served by Bitterne Park Infant School, Bitterne Park
Junior School – both on Manor Farm Road, and Bitterne Park Secondary
School on Copeswood Road, which will soon also include a sixth form
centre. St Denys Primary School is a stone's throw away over Cobden
Bridge. Further afield are Highfield C of E and Portswood Primary
Schools. See our listings of schools
- the links lead to schools' websites and to their Ofsted reports.
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Politics
 Civic Centre
Contact details are in this section.
Over the
Itchen, Porstwood Ward, which includes St Denys, is currently
represented by two Liberal Democrat councillors and one Tory. It falls
under the Southampton Test constituency; Alan Whitehead is the Labour
MP.
Bitterne Park Residents' Association operates in Bitterne Park; according to e.VOLve - a database of voluntary and community organisations serving
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight - BPRA aims: "To sustain/improve the environmental quality of Bitterne Park and to encourage a cohesive and supportive community." e.VOlve also says BPRA "holds 1-2 public meetings a year"; if you find out when they are, do let us know.
The Townhill action group formed in
2009; It aims is to improve the lives of those living and working in
the Townhill Park and Midanbury areas. Their website is here Over the river, a group of residents has formed Saltmead Residents’ Association (SRA) to "make Saltmead a better
place for all" and "boost community spirit"; more info here on the Hyde Housing site. If you know of other residents' groups operating in the area, please contact us.
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Community
 Cobett Road Library
 The Junction in St Denys
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Feel there's essential information missing – or would you like to add a section? Then contact us.
The
Triangle’s most famous landmark is the clock tower, which was moved to
its current spot from New Road in 1934, and which apparently leans
towards Cobden Bridge by several inches.
Or is it by more than that?
©
Bitterne Park's local website - bitternepark.info
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 22 August 2010 )
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