Cosham Timeline
Key events from c. 700-900 AD to present
Discover the key moments that shaped Cosham. Explore the events that define our community.
c. 700-900 AD
Saxon Settlement at Cosham
The name Cosham derives from the Old English 'Cossaham', meaning Cossa's homestead or enclosure. A small Saxon farming settlement was established on t...
1086
Cosham in the Domesday Book
Cosham was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Cosseham', held by Hugh de Port as part of the lands of the Bishop of Winchester. The entry recor...
c. 1150
Wymering Manor Established
Wymering Manor, the oldest surviving building in Portsmouth, was built during the twelfth century on the site of an earlier Saxon hall. The manor hous...
1200-1500
Medieval Village Life
Through the medieval period, Cosham remained a small agricultural village on the road between mainland Hampshire and the growing town of Portsmouth on...
1848
Railway Reaches Cosham
Cosham Railway Station opened in 1848 as part of the line connecting London with Portsmouth via Fareham. The arrival of the railway transformed Cosham...
1860s
Palmerston Forts Built on Portsdown Hill
In the 1860s, a chain of forts was built along the crest of Portsdown Hill as part of the Palmerston Fortifications, a national programme of defence w...
1870-1900
Victorian Expansion
The late Victorian period saw Cosham grow from a small village into a busy suburb. The railway brought workers who could commute to the dockyard and t...
1903
Tram Service to Portsmouth
Electric tramways connected Cosham to Portsmouth city centre from 1903, running across the bridge from Cosham onto Portsea Island. The trams provided ...
1914-1918
First World War
During the First World War, Cosham's proximity to Portsmouth dockyard meant that many local men worked in the naval shipyards producing warships and m...
1920
Cosham Absorbed into Portsmouth
In 1920, the boundaries of the City of Portsmouth were extended northward to include Cosham, which had previously been part of the parish of Wymering ...
1940-1944
Second World War Bombing
Cosham suffered significant bomb damage during the Second World War, particularly during the Blitz of January 1941 when Portsmouth was heavily targete...
1944
D-Day Planning at Fort Southwick
Fort Southwick on Portsdown Hill above Cosham served as the headquarters of the Allied Naval Commander Expeditionary Force during the planning and exe...
1945-1960
Postwar Rebuilding
After the war, bomb-damaged streets in Cosham were rebuilt, with new housing replacing the destroyed Victorian terraces. The rebuilding followed the u...
1970s-1980s
Queen Alexandra Hospital Built
Queen Alexandra Hospital, known locally as QA, was built on a site just east of Cosham on the slopes below Portsdown Hill. The hospital opened in stag...
1970s
A27 Cosham Bypass
The construction of the A27 bypass through Cosham in the 1970s diverted through traffic away from the High Street, which had previously been choked wi...
1990s
High Street Pedestrianised
Cosham High Street was pedestrianised in the 1990s as part of efforts to improve the shopping environment and attract customers. The removal of traffi...
2000s
Modern Transport Hub
Cosham's role as a transport interchange continued to develop in the twenty-first century. The railway station, the A27/A3 junction and the bus routes...
2010s-2020s
Community Regeneration
In recent years, community groups and Portsmouth City Council have worked on projects to improve Cosham's environment and strengthen its identity. Imp...