Southampton
Southampton is the city bridge between the New Forest and the South Downs. It’s an amazing contrast that gives you a work life balance on the doorstep of a new home here.
This maritime city has been home to seafarers for centuries and it’s still one of the UK’s key south coast ports. It links up with Portsmouth, 15 miles away, along the Solent - a shared stretch of water that’s famous for seaborne trade, transport and serious sailing.
New Homes in Southampton
Living in Southampton
The city
Southampton is home to the largest retail centre on the south coast – the Westquay Shopping Centre. It’s home to some of the world’s largest cruise ships as well as being an important freight port. The Ocean Village development has created a wonderful marina and entertainment venue for the city, complementing the hard work of the port with a regeneration project to accommodate the past and the future. Two universities, a main line train station, a fast ferry service to the Isle of Wight and an airport, keep the economy of this busy city on the move.
The countryside
You can be in the heart of the New Forest in half an hour. Make Lyndhurst your first port of call and then head into the National Park that surrounds it. You can really get off the beaten track in this protected landscape, sharing the country roads and walking trails with ponies, sheep – and yes, occasionally free-range pigs. To the east of Southampton, you have all 260 square miles of the South Downs to explore, spread across Hampshire and East Sussex.
The sea
Southampton is all about the sea. Its history and heritage include the starting point for the Mayflower and the Titanic. With a direct ferry connection to the Isle of Wight, it’s all about the Solent, and the great sailing events that have given Cowes its fame. Along the coast to the west, Lymington also offers a ferry service to the Isle of Wight. To the east, Portsmouth Harbour, Chichester harbour, the Witterings, Bognor Regis, Worthing and Brighton create a varied coastline of inlets, beaches and cliffs.