Gosport Borough, a naval town opposite Portsmouth, is situated above layers of soft sand and clay. During the various ice ages that affected Britain, rising water levels flooded the area depositing silty clay and gravel that now forms the peninsular. After the last ice age finished we entered an interglacial stage called the Flandrian, which continues to this day. 10,000 to 8,000 years ago, rising water levels, caused by the melting ice sheets, created Portsmouth harbour and what we now call Haslar and Forton creeks. As the temperatures across Europe increased, the environment started to change dramatically as well. Tundra type landscapes turned into fertile, green lands covered in trees and other flora. The Wildgrounds and Browndown still hold the remnants of the woodland from this time. A pre-historic forest can still be seen occasionally, exposed by low tides, between Browndown and Lee-on-the-Solent. New fauna, closely followed by hunter-gatherers, also migrated North across the ever decreasing land bridge that connected Britain to Europe. Britain finally became an island about 8,000 years ago.

Mesolithic, (mid stone age), man left behind some of their stone tools and these have been found at Lee-on-the-Solent, Browndown and Portsmouth harbour.

During the Neolithic period, (late stone age), farming became the new way of life for many people and it is starting with this era that a lot of the forests were cut down to make way for farmland.

An Anglo-Saxon deed of 956 AD is said to contain the names of Rowner, Elson and Gomer.

Both Rowner and Alverstoke, (alwarestock), were mentioned in the Domesday book of 1086 .

Gosport‘s medieval name was Goseport, meaning port of geese. Story has it that in the 12th Century the Bishop of Winchester, Henry de Bois who was also the brother of King Stephen, found himself caught in a terrible storm in the Solent. He was apparently rescued by some of the local fishermen and took shelter in the village. Upon asking where he was and of course duly told "Goseport/Gosport" he supposedly suggested it should infact be called "God's Port".

In the 16th Century Gosport was described as a fishing village although shipbuilding and sailmaking also took place in the area. Gosport ultimately remained a small market town and port until the 17th Century.

During the civil war, starting in 1642, Gosport supported Parliament, along with Southsea, and Portsmouth supported the King. Gosport lay siege to Portsmouth by firing cannon shots from behind log defenses that were positioned roughly in the area that is now the bus station. Portsmouth surrendered soon after but the Kings forces returned later and sacked Gosport in 1645

In 1665 Charles II issued formal instructions for the building of defensive ramparts around Gosport town to defend it from land borne attack. These "Gosport lines" were surrounded by a dry moat. Some of the lines were removed in the 18th Century but rebuilt between 1797 and 1803. Bastion number one from this later period still exists in the Southern section. These remained the main defenses until Palmerston's folly's were built from Portsdown hill down through to Gosport. King Charles II also had a fort built on burrow island, also know as rats island, and another was built around the area that is now harbour towers near the ferry gardens.

Gosport grew rapidly in the 18th and 19th Centuries due to the war against the French and became an important naval town, a position held till this day. Portsmouth was the main port, (although Gosport was originally considered for its replacement in about 1627), but Gosport was very important for the supply of armaments and equipment for the navy.

Land was bought from Elizabeth Priddy in the 1750's by the board of ordnance and was known as Priddy's Hard. This was used as the main site for the navy's powder magazines and ammunition.

In 1828 the navy purchased a site at weevil and it became the Royal Clarence victualling yard providing beer and biscuits for the navy.

Robert Cruikshank, a local entrepreneur, had a "seaside spa" crescent designed that was intended to allow Gosport's seafront to rival Brighton. Unfortunately it was never completely finished but the buildings that did make it past the design stage are still there in their Georgian elegance for all to see.

Gosport gained it's first railway line in 1841 with the main station being at Spring Garden lane. The station is still there in ruin today. Additional lines to Stokes Bay and Lee on Solent were built later.

Starting in the 1850's a new defensive ring of forts were built from Portsdown hill down through Gosport incase the French attacked England and tried to invade Portsmouth via land. These effectively took over from the now old Gosport ramparts and were known as Palmerston's Folly's after the Prime Minister responsible for their commission.

Gosport became a Borough incorporating Alverstoke in 1922 annexing Rowner at the same time. Lee on Solent was added in 1930.

During the 2nd World War Gosport played a pivotal role in ensuring allied victory. Local airfields trained pilots and HMS Daedalus housed  Swordfish torpedo bombers and other aircraft. As D-day drew nearer there were over 39 centres of activity across the Borough. Fourteen of the caissons needed for the floating Mulberry Harbours were made in Stokes Bay.  Hardway, Lee on Solent, Gosport town and Stokes bay were used as embarkation points for some of the D-Day forces.

During the 1960's the town unfortunately suffered badly due to redevelopment and a large amount of our heritage was swept away to make way for new buildings. Thankfully the Borough has learnt from this period and there are now 15 conservation areas and a "Heritage Strategy" to protect buildings of special interest.

Gosport today is an ever changing town. With the threat of naval establishments closing and the inevitability of more houses as a result, the future of Gosport is in the balance. Gosport is a historically rich and extremely delightful place when you know where to look. Lets just hope that the people in charge of it's future keep it that way.