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...)
Selected article
Alton (/ˈɔːltən/ AWL-tən) is a market town and civil parish in East Hampshire, England, near the source of the northern branch of the River Wey. It is on the A31 road 8.5 miles (13.7 km) southeast of Farnham and 16 miles (26 km) northwest of Winchester.
It was an important market town: it was recorded in the 11th-century Domesday Book as having the most valuable market in England. There have been multiple historic battles in Alton, in 1001 and during the English Civil War in 1643. Alton was the site of the treaty in which Robert Curthose recognised Henry I as the King of England.
The town had an urban district council until 1974, when a civil parish was established, creating Alton Town Council. The town had a population of 17,880 at the 2021 census.
The town has connections with Sweet Fanny Adams, who was famously murdered in 1867, and Georgian novelist Jane Austen. (Full article...)
Selected pictures
Fawley Oil Refinery from the remains of Netley Hospital in the Royal Victoria Country Park (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Credit: James ArmitageHever Castle, in Kent, England (in the village of Hever), was the seat of the Boleyn family, later bestowed to Anne of Cleves following her divorce from King Henry VIII. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Credit: Sdwelch1031Rochester is a large town in Kent, England, at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway about 30 miles (50 km) from London. Construction of Rochester Cathedral, shown, began in about 1080. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Credit: Lancevortex (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Credit: Paddy BriggsSt Lawrence Ground is the home of Kent County Cricket Club and is notable as a first-class cricket ground that has a tree within the boundary. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Credit: Tony HobbsScotney Castle is a country house with gardens in the valley of the River Bewl in Kent, England. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Credit: O1iveBrockhill Country Park is dominated by a large grassy valley, bisected by the Brockhill Stream as it makes its way to the Royal Military Canal at Hythe. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Pineferous forest of the sandy Bagshot Formation spanning parts of four boroughs towards the north-west and in the far west of the county, with defensive positions for historic army training near Deepcut and Pirbright (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
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Credit: Michael RoweCanterbury is a cathedral city in east Kent and is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Waterfall at Virginia Water on the north-western (Berkshire) border (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
One of the several golf courses in Woking's borough in the mid/north-west of the county (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
Donnington Castle in Berkshire (from Portal:Berkshire/Selected pictures)
The Rose Bowl, near Southampton, home to Hampshire County Cricket Club (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Credit: LuckyStarrHops are a flower used primarily as a flavouring and stability agent in beer. The principal production centres for the UK are in Kent. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Panoramic view of Blenheim Palace (from Portal:Oxfordshire/Selected pictures)
Mermaid Street in Rye showing typically steep slope and cobbled surface (from Portal:East Sussex/Selected pictures)
Autumn at Denbies Vineyard looking across the Mole Gap to Box Hill, the steepest slopes of the North Downs (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
Credit: Oliver DixonThe Pilgrims' Way is the route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Remains of the undercroft of the lay brothers' refectory at Waverley Abbey, near Farnham, main town of the Borough of Waverley (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
Breamore House in the west of the county, north of the New Forest (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Credit: Adam MillerThe Swale refers to the strip of water separating North Kent from the Isle of Sheppey. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Trees on Southampton Common in winter (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Winter sunshine at Keyhaven (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Windsor Castle Upper Ward Quadrangle (from Portal:Berkshire/Selected pictures)
Windsor Castle, viewed from the Long Walk (from Portal:Berkshire/Selected pictures)
The seafront and beach at Lee-on-the-Solent (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Virginia Water Lake on the southern edge of Windsor Great Park (from Portal:Berkshire/Selected pictures)
Credit: Michael RoweDover Castle is situated at Dover, Kent and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Hayling Island's mainly shingle beach with Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower beyond (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Credit: XtrememachineukThe Channel Tunnel is a 31 mile long rail tunnel beneath the English Channel connecting England to France. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Credit: Hans MusilCanterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Typical interior of old pub-restaurant, semi-rural example near Reigate in the east of the county (from Portal:Surrey/Selected pictures)
Credit: C HoyleBrockhill Country Park is dominated by a large grassy valley, bisected by the Brockhill Stream as it makes its way to the Royal Military Canal at Hythe. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
Credit: Marco SinibaldiAround AD 50 the Romans built a lighthouse which still stands to its full height in the grounds of Dover Castle. (from Portal:Kent/Selected pictures)
The mill at Greywell in the north-east of Hampshire (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
Odiham High Street in the north-east of Hampshire (from Portal:Hampshire/Selected pictures)
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Selected biography
Ælfheah (c. 953 – 19 April 1012), more commonly known today as Alphege, was an Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Winchester, later Archbishop of Canterbury from 1006 to 1012. He became an anchorite before being elected abbot of Bath Abbey. His reputation for piety and sanctity led to his promotion to the episcopate and, eventually, to his becoming archbishop. Ælfheah furthered the cult of Dunstan and also encouraged learning. He was captured by Viking raiders in 1011 during the siege of Canterbury and killed by them the following year after refusing to allow himself to be ransomed. Ælfheah was canonised as a saint in 1078. Thomas Becket, a later archbishop of Canterbury, is said to have prayed to Ælfheah just before his murder in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. (Full article...)
On This Day in South East England
27 September:
1938: RMS Queen Elizabeth was launched; together with the Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth maintained a two-ship weekly transatlantic service from Southampton to Cherbourg to New York for over twenty years.
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| Berkshire |  | |
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| Buckinghamshire | ||
| East Sussex | ||
| Hampshire | ||
| Isle of Wight | ||
| Kent | ||
| Oxfordshire | ||
| Surrey | ||
| West Sussex | ||
Districts with an asterisk (*) are unitary authorities. | ||
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