The area
A market town located at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, Fareham was traditionally known as a major manufacturer of bricks (which were used to build the iconic Royal Albert Hall in London) and a grower of strawberries.
Nowadays, it’s a busy commuter town with a small-scale manufacturing base, a keen focus on retail and home to the Royal Navy’s HMS Collingwood.
Fareham High Street includes many lovely and historic Georgian buildings, not to mention a range of independent shops – selling everything from fishing tackles to traditional sweets – and a good smattering of chain stores.
Markets and street events are regularly held in the pedestrianised part of Fareham high street, while Fareham Shopping Centre is a covered shopping mall with more than 80 stores, including Boots, M&S and Next.
West Street, meanwhile, is where to head for ‘speciality shopping’, being home to more than 90 shops, cafés and restaurants, most of which are independent.
Property in Fareham is a good mix of apartments, new builds, terraced homes, studio flats, retirement flats, bungalows, maisonettes and semis.
Affordability is good – you can expect to get a well-sized three-bedroom house (with garden) for around £275,000.
Flats are reasonably priced and even bigger, grander properties are far cheaper than what you’d pay for a smaller home in or around London.
Things to do
There is more than enough to do in Fareham, whether you’re a history buff, a culture vulture or a keen sports fan. Fernham Hall, first opened in 1982, is the town’s premier entertainment venue, hosting an eclectic range of comedy, music and theatre shows in front of a 700-capacity crowd.
There is also the Ashcroft Arts Centre, which has a 150-seat theatre, gallery, dance/music studio and fully licensed bar.
What’s more, festival lovers need not venture far for good music, family entertainment and, wait for it, a solar-powered cinema!
Wickham, a small village a few miles from Fareham, is home to the annual Wickham Festival, a great day out for people of all ages.
If you’re looking to keep the kids entertained at the weekend or during the school holidays, family days out don’t come much better than Portchester Castle – a medieval castle built within a Roman fort, no less – which is an equally great place for a picnic, a history lesson and an impromptu game of football/cricket.
Other places of interest include Titchfield Abbey – founded in 1222 and dissolved in 1537 by Henry VIII – Westbury Manor Museum and Fort Fareham.
Titchfield Canal, the UK’s second-oldest man-made waterway, offers plenty of walking, cycling and running routes, while leisure opportunities in Fareham are abundant. Rugby, cricket, football, swimming – you name it, Fareham caters towards it.
Fareham Town FC might not be the most glamorous footballing side in the world, playing as they do in the Wessex League Premier Division, but football fanatics may still enjoy sampling a game.
Food & Drink
If you’re looking for Italian cuisine in Fareham, look no further than Villa Romana. It might be a tad on the pricey side, but the food and service more than makes up for that. Definitely the ideal place for a special occasion dinner.
Franco & Paolo Ristorante in Locks Heath (a residential suburb of Fareham) is also fantastic, while you won’t do better than Naz Indian Cuisine for a curry.
The Wheatsheaf is the best pub in town – fresh, local, seasonal produce, great ales, stylishly revamped surroundings, fantastic service – and Lauros Brasserie offers an excellent blend of British, French and Oriental cooking.
Not to be outdone, Antonio’s is the place to go for cheap, cheerful and wonderfully tasty Spanish food.
Meanwhile, Breezes Café does the best brunches and breakfasts in Fareham, while Vintage Tea Room offers great cakes, cream teas, scones and sandwiches.
The town is also home to a wide range of excellent watering holes – with everything from chain establishments like The Slug & Lettuce to the old-fashioned and family-friendly The Golden Lion.
Transport
As you’d expect of a busy commuter hub, Fareham is well-served by both road and rail links. Fareham railway station, which sits on the West Coastway Line, has regular train services to Southampton, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Brighton and London.
Numerous bus routes serve the town, with services running as far as Winchester. The M27 motorway passes around the northern edge of the town, providing easy access to Southampton Portsmouth and, from there, London.
Also, an interesting little titbit – the Office of National Statistics named Fareham the most car-dependent in the UK in July 2014, with 538.7 cars registered to addresses in the town for every 1,000 residents. So, if you want to live in Fareham, you’ll probably need a car if you don’t want to feel left out!
At ChimneyPots we will do all we can to get your property sold whether you live in Fareham, Southampton, Portsmouth, Havant, Gosport or any of the other areas we operate in.
To find out more about what we can offer you, get in touch with us on: 01489 584298.
If you would like to know how much your property could be worth in the current marketplace, check out our free instant online valuation tool.
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