Locks Heath

Coordinates: 50°51′43″N 1°16′08″W / 50.862°N 1.269°W / 50.862; -1.269

Locks Heath is a western residential suburb of Fareham, in the south of Hampshire, England. It lies to the southeast of Sarisbury and north of Warsash, to the west of Titchfield, and to the south of Park Gate and west of Swanwick. The population in 2003 was 7,170 and encompasses 1089 hectares.

Origin of name

The heathland surrounding Locks Farm.

History

In the late 19th and early 20th Century, the most important local activity in this area was Strawberry growing. The industry developed as a result of the 1866 Enclosure Acts which allowed the common land to be split into a large number of small plots. The new plot owners needed a crop that would give them a quick income from a small outlay. The combination of suitable soils and a mild climate, free from spring frosts, proved ideal for the production of early cropping strawberries. Their early ripening made them desirable in markets across the country. Swanwick railway station opened on 2 September 1889 and helped to facilitate the transportation of large quantities of strawberries to customers all over the country.