A Guide to Living in Hampshire

Hampshire is a county in the south of England that borders Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. It has some beautiful towns such as Winchester, Basingstoke and Romsey which are perfect for those who want to live near London but without all the hustle and bustle. Hampshire’s largest city is Southampton with over 200,000 people living there. With lots of green space, outdoor activities and cultural events, Hampshire offers a vibrant lifestyle for families with young children.

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Average Location Score

Excellent

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Very Good

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Average

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Disappointing

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Best places to live in Hampshire

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

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Where is Hampshire?

Hampshire is located in the South East of England. It borders Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire in the south with Dorset to its west.

Areas in Hampshire

Hampshire is divided into 12 districts including the Test Valley, Basingstoke and Deane, Hart, Rushmoor, City of Winchester, East Hampshire, City of Southampton, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, City of Portsmouth, and Havant.

Some standout areas include New Forest which has beautiful forests for walking or cycling through, and seaside resorts such as Lymington, Bournemouth and Portsmouth. With many museums covering history, culture, art and transport you can find something for everyone here!

Hampshire universities

When it comes to universities, Hampshire offers the University of Southampton, Southampton Solent University, the University of Portsmouth, and the University of Winchester.

The University of Southampton

With a strong reputation for academic excellence and world-class facilities, the University of Southampton is ranked within the top one hundred best global universities.

Southampton Solent University

Ranked in Times Higher Education’s list as being one of the UK’s most dynamic universities, Southampton Solent University offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses and has an excellent student satisfaction rating.

The University of Portsmouth

The University of Portsmouth has a strong reputation for high-quality teaching, employability success and excellent facilities. Highly ranked in a number of national league tables, it offers innovative courses and is also home to one of the top business schools in the UK.

The University of Winchester

Ranked fifth for research impact in England by Research Excellence Framework 2014, the University of Winchester is an established institution with a long history and strong links to industry and business.

Top schools in Hampshire

Hampshire is home to some great state-funded schools as well as independent schools.

Coming top of many league tables within England, The Westgate School and Winchester College both feature regularly among the best performing secondary schools across Britain.

Some of the top schools in Hampshire include:

The Westgate School

The Westgate School is a mixed all-through school, which means it caters for children from the age of three all the way through to 18 years old. The school was rated ‘outstanding’ in every category when it underwent its most recent OFSTED inspection and has been improving steadily year on year since opening back in 2012.

Thornden School

A secondary school with academy status located in Chandler’s Ford, Thornden School offers a wide range of academic, creative and leisure opportunities for students. The school has had an excellent record of pupil progress since it became an academy in 2010.

Winchester College

As one of the oldest independent schools in England, Winchester College was founded in 1382. The school is also one of the largest, with around 1300 students currently enrolled. Winchester College has an outstanding academic record and ranks very highly when it comes to exam results, both at GCSE level and A-level.

Population of Hampshire

Hampshire has a population of around 760,000 which makes it the 12th largest county in England and Wales combined. This number is set to increase by 2022 as many people move into the area because it’s such an appealing place for families and professionals alike!

Featured developments in Hampshire

Reviews in Hampshire

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Great place to live

Verified Resident

Review Date Jan 2024

Location is great, in the city center, close to all shops and amenities. Close to all Public transport, Universities. Train station is 20 min walk. With Uber being available within 3-5 min of booking.
I’m facing communal area so noise is not an issues. Private secured underground parking is available.

Please review your development:

Building is fairly new, apartments are well looked after with maintenance available. Heating in the winter, apartments don’t hold heat, which is waste of electricity, but that’s issue in most houses and building in UK. Facilities are ok, with gym, outdoor area, gathering area and study areas available, also with ongoing improvements. Property management is doing very well.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

Live in the main Bridge Court and face the communal area, not the street which can get noisy with traffic.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

Yes, they are responding via app or emails, or we can talk to them directly. All issues are attended and sorted.

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Bow Square is good to live!

Verified Resident

Review Date Jan 2024

This building is very close to city centre and shopping mall. It’s so convenient to walk around the town

Please review your development:

The facility is well managed. However the lift sometimes is out of service frequently. The communal garden is well designed. However I feel that sometimes outside cars use parking spaces without permits. Sometimes they ask me if they can park here or not.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

One of lifts is out of service very frequently. Also, bin area is not clean frequently.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

The team responds to tenants quickly and they are kind.

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I believe it is good place to live

Review Date Jan 2024

Mostly general daily wages what we used grossers self care things are very near and walkable I am vey completely agree

Please review your development:

Good facilities like party hall garbage place gym are very good and play area for kids and small age to 15 y kids can play small two office rooms can book for both adults office works and kids extra classrooms party hall for some families gathering used

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I did not know more facilities like gym party hall

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

We have tool where we can raise issues and it get fixed as per appointment we give

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Pretty good for a city centre apartment block

Verified Resident

Review Date Jan 2024

City centre location with plenty of choice for shops in the local area, lots of bars and clubs walking distance and transport links buses and trains within walking distance. Parking for residence is available for an additional monthly rent and there is parking on the street which is pay and display for visitors. Visitor spaces would be useful to have. Being in the city centre there is a fair amount of traffic noise but that is to be expected, the same goes for ASB, I havent personally been victim to any but it clearly happens around the area.

Please review your development:

The building design is great, the flats are modern and spacious, the hallways are wide which made it easy to move in. The negatives are that the lifts are constantly broken/ breaking within weeks of being fixed and the gym equipment often breaks, with months and months passing before repair. I dont personally use the communal area as it is often used by families who like to gather for meals which I don’t have a problem with and the garden is nice in the summer but again mainly used by young families.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

How noisy the halfords across the road is during the day, if working night shifts and your apartment faces halfords you wont be able to sleep during the day. Also how hot the apartments get in summer, they are warm all winter which is great but they are impossible to cool in the summer, a portable air conditioner or multiple fans are a must have.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

I raised an issue about the gym and they responded immediately to say they were waiting on a part but the piece of equipment itself was not functional for more that 12 months. I also raised concerns over the lifts and the landlord is prompt to reply but slow to fix.

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