Portal:South East England

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The South East England Portal

South East England is one of the nine official regions of England in the United Kingdom at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Major towns and cities in the region include Brighton and Hove, Canterbury, Milton Keynes, Southampton, Portsmouth, Slough, Reading and Oxford.

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 over nine million. The region contains eight legally chartered cities: Brighton and Hove, Canterbury, Chichester, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester. 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, and Heathrow Airport (the UK's busiest airport) is located adjacent to the region's boundary with Greater London. The coastline along the English Channel provides numerous ferry crossings to mainland Europe.

The region is 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.

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. (Full article...)

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St Mary Magdalene's in the village centre

Oakhanger is a village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Bordon, which lies 1.7 miles (2.7 km) east, of the B3004 road. The village is part of the parish of Selborne, which covers an area of 7,915 acres (3,203 ha). The nearest railway station is Alton, which is 3.8 miles (6.1 km) northwest of the village, although Oakhanger formerly had its own military railway station, Oakhanger Halt railway station on the Longmoor Military Railway, until its closure.

A Roman road passed through Oakhanger although no traces of it remain today. The first mention of the village came from a charter dating to the early 10th century, and the lands of Oakhanger were passed on by numerous families up until the early 20th century. The village contains four Grade II listed buildings, including Oakhanger Farmhouse and its three outbuildings. Oakhanger also has one pub, The Red Lion. St Mary Magdalene's Church was built in 1873. The former Royal Air Force station, RAF Oakhanger, still retains its satellite domes, although the station is now privately run. (Full article...)

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Rodney Stephen Hull (13 August 1935 – 17 March 1999) was a British comedian and popular entertainer on television in the 1970s and 1980s. He rarely appeared without Emu, a mute and highly aggressive arm-length puppet modelled on the Australian bird. (Full article...)

On This Day in South East England

29 April:

1885: Women were admitted to University of Oxford examinations for the first time.
1952: Elizabeth II granted a royal charter to the University of Southampton.
2015: Much of Clandon Park, a National Trust property near Guildford, was severely damaged by fire.

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