Portal:South East England

The South East England Portal

South East England is one of the nine official regions of England that are in the top level category for statistical purposes. It consists of the nine counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex. South East England is the third-largest region of England, with a land area of 19,072 square kilometres (7,364 sq mi), and is also the most populous with a total population of 9,642,942 in 2024.

South East England contains eight legally chartered cities: Brighton and Hove, Canterbury, Chichester, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester. Officially it does not include London, which is a separate region. The geographical term for "South East England" may differ from the official definition of the region; for example, London, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex are sometimes colloquially referred to as being in the south east of England. This article only considers the South East as being the official statistical region.

In medieval times, South East England included much of the Kingdom of Wessex, which was the precursor to the modern state of England. Winchester was the capital of England after unification of the various states, including the kingdoms of Kent, Sussex and Mercia. Winchester stopped being the administrative capital of England some time in the 13th century as its influence waned while the City of London dominated commerce. The last monarch to be crowned at Winchester was Richard II in 1377, although the last monarch to be crowned by the Bishop of Winchester was Queen Mary I in 1553.

Today, the region's close proximity to London has led to South East England becoming a prosperous economic hub with the largest economy of any region in the UK, after London. The region is home to Gatwick Airport (the UK's second busiest airport). The coastline along the English Channel provides numerous ferry crossings to mainland Europe. South East England is also known for its countryside, which includes two national parks: the New Forest and the South Downs, as well as the North Downs, the Chiltern Hills and part of the Cotswolds. The River Thames flows through the region and its basin is known as the Thames Valley.

It is also the location of a number of internationally known places of interest, such as HMS Victory in Portsmouth, Cliveden in Buckinghamshire, Thorpe Park and RHS Wisley in Surrey, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, Windsor Castle in Berkshire, Leeds Castle, the White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury Cathedral in Kent, Brighton Palace Pier, and Hammerwood Park in East Sussex, and Wakehurst Place in West Sussex. The region has many universities; the University of Oxford is the oldest in the English-speaking world, and ranked among the best in the world.

South East England is host to various sporting events, including the annual Henley Royal Regatta, Royal Ascot and The Derby, and sporting venues include Wentworth Golf Club and Brands Hatch. Some of the events of the 2012 Summer Olympics were held in the south east, including the rowing at Eton Dorney and part of the cycling road race in the Surrey Hills. (Full article...)

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Clock Tower in Market Square

Chesham (/ˈtʃɛʃəm/ CHESH-əm, locally /ˈtʃɛsəm/ CHESS-əm or /ˈtʃɛzəm/ CHEZ-əm) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, 11 miles (18 km) south-east of the county town of Aylesbury, about 26 miles (42 km) north-west of central London, and part of the London commuter belt. It is in the Chess Valley, surrounded by farmland. The earliest records of Chesham as a settlement are from the second half of the 10th century, although there is archaeological evidence of people in this area from around 8000 BC. Henry III granted a royal charter for a weekly market in 1257.

Chesham is known for its four Bs — boots, beer, brushes and Baptists. In the face of fierce competition from both home and abroad during the later 19th and early 20th centuries, the three traditional industries rapidly declined. The ready availability of skilled labour encouraged new industries to the town both before and after the Second World War. Today, employment in the town is provided mainly by small businesses engaged in light industry, technology and professional services.

From the early part of the 20th century, Chesham has experienced considerable expansion, with new housing developments and civic infrastructure. Chesham has become a commuter town with improved connection to London via the London Underground and road networks. The town centre has been progressively redeveloped since the 1960s and has been pedestrianised since the 1990s. The population at the 2021 census was 23,008. (Full article...)

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Image 1Watercress beds in Warnford near the River Meon (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 2
Credit: C.Hoyle
Eastwell Park was a British stately home at Ashford, Kent, that for a time served as a royal residence.
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(from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Image 3The mill at Greywell in the north-east of Hampshire (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 4
Credit: Craig Bass
Ramsgate Harbour constructed between 1749 and 1850, has the unique distinction of being the only Royal Harbour in the United Kingdom.
More about Port Ramsgate...
(from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Image 5
Credit: Marco Sinibaldi
Around AD 50 the Romans built a lighthouse which still stands to its full height in the grounds of Dover Castle.
More about Dover...
(from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Image 6Hurst Castle seen from The Needles (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 7The seafront and beach at Lee-on-the-Solent (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 8Virginia Water Lake on the southern edge of Windsor Great Park (from Portal:Berkshire/Selected pictures)
Image 9Twyford Post Office and stores, between Winchester and Southampton (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 10The Rose Bowl, near Southampton, home to Hampshire County Cricket Club (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 11
Credit: LuckyStarr
Hops are a flower used primarily as a flavouring and stability agent in beer. The principal production centres for the UK are in Kent.
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(from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Image 12Great Fosters restaurant/hotel, Runnymede (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
Image 13A zebra grazing at Marwell Zoological Park (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 14The West window of Romsey Abbey (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 15McLaren Technology Centre, Woking (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
Image 16The Itchen Bridge in Southampton (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 17Hovercraft passing the mixed architecture, public gardens and shingle beach at Southsea, Portsmouth (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 18The grandstand at Ascot Racecourse (from Portal:Berkshire/Selected pictures)
Image 19Windsor Castle Upper Ward Quadrangle (from Portal:Berkshire/Selected pictures)
Image 20A sunset near Horton Heath, Hampshire (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 21 The Radcliffe Camera in Oxford, as viewed from the tower of the Church of St Mary the Virgin. (from Portal:Oxfordshire/Selected pictures)
Image 22The lower end of the Staines-upon-Thames reach of the Thames, showing typical trees of the next reach and Penton Hook Island, a small nature reserve. (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
Image 23
Credit: Pireotis
Rochester is a large town in Kent, England, at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London.
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(from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Image 24Seven reservoirs. View of four in Spelthorne with small lakes of lower elevation, from aggregate extraction, in the south of the borough to the right. Beyond three reservoirs in Elmbridge. The flattest areas of the far north of the county. Staines road and rail bridges span the Thames into Runnymede in the right of the photograph. (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
Image 25A train on the Watercress Line (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 26Portsmouth Cathedral (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 27
Credit: Michael Haslam
Howletts Wild Animal Park was set up as a private zoo in 1958 by John Aspinall in Canterbury, Kent.
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(from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Image 28The River Wey in Guildford, Surrey (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
Image 29Breamore House in the west of the county, north of the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 30
Credit: Michael Wilmore
The Kent & East Sussex Railway was opened by Colonel H.F. Stephens, the railway engineer, in 1900. At its fullest extent, it ran nearly 22 miles[35km] from Robertsbridge on the Tonbridge to Hastings main line to Headcorn on the main line between Tonbridge and Ashford, Kent.
More about the Kent & East Sussex Railway...
(from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Image 31
Credit: Michael Rowe
Canterbury is a cathedral city in east Kent and is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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(from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Image 32Hayling Island's mainly shingle beach with Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower beyond (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 33
Credit: Charlesdrakew
The bridge over the River Arun at Greatham.
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(from Portal:West Sussex/Selected pictures)
Image 34Heathland in the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 35Landscape near Horton Heath, Hampshire (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 36Donnington Castle in Berkshire (from Portal:Berkshire/Selected pictures)
Image 37Chichester Cathedral (from Portal:West Sussex/Selected pictures)
Image 38A Bentley in the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 39Odiham High Street in the north-east of Hampshire (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 40Credit: Lancevortex (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Image 41Large red damselfly in Swinley Forest, Berkshire (from Portal:Berkshire/Selected pictures)
Image 42Trees on Southampton Common in winter (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 43A boat on the Basingstoke Canal (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 44West End Fire Station, near Southampton, designed by Herbert Collins (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 45The seafront and beach at Lee-on-the-Solent (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 46
Credit: Michael Wilmore

View of Steam Train on the Kent & East Sussex Railway.

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(from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
Image 47
Credit: StephenDawson
The Channel Tunnel terminal at Cheriton near Folkestone in Kent, from the Pilgrims' Way on the escarpment on the southern edge of Cheriton Hill, part of the North Downs.
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(from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Image 48The church at Breamore in the west of the county, north of the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 49The interior of Portsmouth Cathedral (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Image 50Typical interior of old pub-restaurant, semi-rural example near Reigate in the east of the county (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)

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Firth at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con

Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the "Brit Pack" of rising young British actors before gaining leading roles as well as numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Film Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Volpi Cup as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and three BAFTA TV Awards. In 2011, Firth was appointed a CBE for his services to drama, and appeared in Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world.

For his portrayal of King George VI in the historical drama The King's Speech (2010) he earned the Academy Award for Best Actor. He was previously Oscar-nominated for playing a grieving gay man in the romantic drama A Single Man (2009), which earned him the BAFTA Award and the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. Firth is also known for his roles in A Month in the Country (1987), Tumbledown (1988), Valmont (1989), The English Patient (1996), Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), and Love Actually (2003).

Firth portrayed Mark Darcy in the Bridget Jones film series (2001–2025), Harry Bright in the musical comedy Mamma Mia! (2008) and its 2018 sequel, and secret agent Harry Hart in Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and its 2017 sequel. He also took roles in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Mary Poppins Returns (2018), 1917 (2019), The Secret Garden (2020), Operation Mincemeat (2021), and Disclosure Day (2026).

On television, he earned stardom and acclaim for his portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the BBC television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice (1995). He was Primetime Emmy Award-nominated for his portrayals of Dr Wilhelm Stuckart in the BBC film Conspiracy (2001), and Michael Peterson in the HBO limited series The Staircase (2022). In 2012, he founded the production company Raindog Films, under which he served as a producer for Eye in the Sky (2015) and Loving (2016). His films have grossed more than $3 billion from 42 releases worldwide. (Full article...)