Portchester 4.95

Portchester is a locality and suburb 6km northwest of Portsmouth, England. It is part of the borough of Fareham in Hampshire. Once a small village, Portchester is now a busy part of the expanding conurbation between Portsmouth and Southampton on the A27 main thoroughfare. Its population according to the 2001 Census was approximately residents.NamePortchester is derived from its former Latin name Portus Adurni and the Old English suffix ceaster ("fort; fortified town").HistoryThe fort of Portus Adurni is considered the best-preserved Roman fort north of the Alps. It is sometimes identified as the Cair Peris listed by the 9th-century History of the Britons as among the 28 cities of Britain. The mediaeval Portchester Castle was built within the Roman fort.AmenitiesAs well as the castle, its parish church is listed as a Grade I protected building. There are also many historic houses in Castle Street. This suburb is well placed for waterfront leisure activities, only a short distance from the UK's 3rd-largest marina at Port Solent, from the historic city of Portsmouth, and from the market town of Fareham.