A Timeline of Fareham

By Tim Lambert

6th Century The Saxons found a village on a hill. They call it Ferne ham or Fern village.

1086 At the time of the Domesday Book Fareham is a village with two watermills

1265 Fareham is a little town and port. Wine is imported and timber is exported.

1660 Fareham is a very small town with a population of about 750. Tanning is an industry in the little town.

1721 William Price leaves money in his school to found a school in Fareham

1780 Fareham is growing rapidly as many naval officers go to live there

1801 Fareham has a population of 3,000

1783-84 Henry Cort makes important inventions at his iron foundry in Funtley

1830s Fareham is described as ‘one of the most agreeable towns in the country’

1834 The first bank in Fareham opens

1835 Holy Trinity Church is built

1836 A workhouse is built in Fareham

1841 The railway reaches Fareham

1852 A lunatic asylum is built near Fareham

1870 The population of Fareham is 6,000

1878 The Church of the Sacred Heart is built

1880 The brick-making industry in Fareham thrives

1894 Fareham becomes an urban district council

1900 The population of Fareham is about 14,000

1910 The first cinema opens in Fareham

1921 A War Memorial is erected in Fareham

1932 The boundaries of Fareham are extended to include Portchester and Titchfield

1951 The first public library opens in Fareham. The population of Fareham is 45,000.

1960 Fareham Law Courts are built

1973 A new library is built in Fareham

1974 Fareham is made a borough. Prices School becomes a 6th form college.

1981 Fareham Shopping Centre is completed

1982 Ferneham Hall opens

1988 Solent Business Park opens

1990 Westbury Manor Museum opens

1993 A new bus station opens in Fareham

2001 The population of Fareham Borough is 107,000