Five miles North of Southampton on the West bank of the River Itchen. Eastleigh is called Estelei in the Domesday Book, and located in Mansbridge Hundred, its Saxon name was Eastlea in the survey attached to the charter by which King Athelstan granted land at North Stoneham to the Thegn Alfred in AD 932. The words lea, ley and leigh derive from the Old English leah meaning "a clearing in a wood" or "a glade".

The London and South Western Railway Company came to this area in the 1840s and built Bishopstoke Junction, now Eastleigh Station. This was followed in the 1880s by the removal from Nine Elms of the L.S.W.R. carriage and wagon works. From this time the town really began to grow, and in 1895 the Urban District Council was formed.

The name Eastleigh was chosen for the town by the authoress Charlotte Yonge, when the Parish was created in 1868. "East" suggesting a rising sun, a rising faith and a rising town.

Tourist and Other Information sources

Local Tourist Information	Local Information Point	Local Council
For local tourist information please contact Hamble Valley Tourism on 0906 68 22 001 or visit www.hamblevalley.com where you can find information on accommodation, places to visit, events and much more.	Eastleigh Library, Swan Centre, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO50 5SF Telephone: (023) 8061 2513	Eastleigh Borough Council, Civic Offices, Leigh Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO50 9YN Telephone: (023) 8068 8000

Parking at Eastleigh

Eastleigh has many Public Car Parks all within easy walking distance of the town centre including the Swan Shopping Centre car park and the Multi Storey. Parking available in Leigh Road within a couple of minutes of the Tourist Information Centre.

Refreshments

Very good variety of places to eat in the town including cafes, restaurants and pubs.

Access by Public Transport

Eastleigh has a BR Station (service from London, Portsmouth, Southampton and Winchester. Public Bus Service operate to Eastleigh from Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth.