Bitterne, on the eastern banks of the River Itchen and close to the city of Southampton, is a vibrant area with a strong community spirit.
Take a look at our homes in and around Bitterne
Bitterne is an ideal spot for those looking to rent close to the city or to take a step onto the housing ladder. It’s also great for family living.
The town sits on the edge of Itchen River and has plenty of green open spaces, but the Itchen Bridge provides easy access to the employment opportunities of this commercial area, as well as great shopping and bars, clubs, cinemas and nightlife.
For local shopping, there’s a pedestrianised centre offering a mix of traditional shops and cafes, with more concentrated retail therapy on offer in Southampton, where you’ll find West Quay Shopping Centre, IKEA, and flagship John Lewis, Primark and Apple Stores alongside independent shops.
There are also great bars and restaurants in the city centre and at the vibrant marina of Ocean Village.
Hampshire Farmers' Markets regularly draw locals from the edge of the city into the centre to buy local produce – everything from home-made cakes and bread to sausages, steaks and local veg.
An area with a strong community spirit, Bitterne is still known locally as Bitterne Village, and there are several community centres, a bowling club and nature preservation groups.
Riverside Park
The 80 acres of parkland running alongside the River Itchen includes footpaths and cycle routes. Designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, look out for water voles, kingfishers, dragonflies and otters, or sit at a picnic table on Riverside Park’s own shingle beach.
Chessel Bay
This was Southampton’s first Local Nature Reserve on the eastern bank of the Itchen. It’s a lovely spot for a walk and the chance to spot curlews and oystercatchers on the mud flats, as well as flowering sea aster. It has suffered in recent years with the plastic plague on our waterfronts, but a volunteer army regularly joins together to rid it of the waste while protecting the habitat of the birds and other wildlife.
Heritage and History
Bitterne is thought to be named after the bend in the River Itchen – the Old English words byht and ærn together mean "house near a bend".
In 1665, Bitterne’s population was estimated to be 75 inhabitants, across just 15 houses.
A new estate was built in 1760, known then as Bitterne Grove, and a number of workers' cottages were erected in the Mousehole area to support the estate and farming activities at Bitterne Manor.
In the 1790s, frequent royal visits to Southampton encouraged a spate of land-buying in the area, and further estates were added, including Ridgeway, Sydney Farm and Midanbury Lodge. Townhill Park House was built, and Chessel House was built in 1796 by David Lance. Aware that access to his land was poor, Lance encouraged the building of a bridge over the River Itchen linking Bitterne Manor to Northam, and another bridge over the River Hamble at Bursledon. The bridges were to be linked by a road which would join another new road to Botley. Work on the new roads and bridges – which would become an important communications route - was completed in 1801.
By the 20th century, Bitterne Village was swallowed up by fast-expanding Southampton. In the 1950s, the area underwent extensive renovation, with Victorian cottage housing areas demolished and flats and estates erected on the old farmland.
During the 1980s, work was carried out to bypass the bottleneck of the main high street by looping the A3024 from the top of Lances Hill eastwards through to a new junction with the Hedge End road. The old post office and United Reformed Church were demolished, and the completion of this work enabled the pedestrianisation of the old high street.
Bitterne office areas
Bitterne | Bitterne Park | Bitterne Manor | Sholing | Ocean Village | Woolston | Townhill Park | Chartwell Green | Midanbury | Weston
OUR BITTERNE SPECIALIST
Jodie Jones
Contact Jodie or any of our Bitterne team on 02382 022192 or at bitterne@whiteandguard.com.
