The Hill Head Fishing Community

1800

By the nineteenth century, a small fishing community had established itself at Hill Head, centred on the natural harbour at the southern end of what is now Hill Head Road. The harbour, formed by a break in the low cliffs and a sheltered inlet, provided a base for small boats working the Solent waters. Fishermen from Hill Head caught fish and shellfish, including sole, plaice, bass and lobster, selling their catch locally and in the markets at Fareham and Gosport. The fishing community was never large, but it gave Hill Head its first distinct identity as a settlement separate from Titchfield and Crofton. A handful of cottages grew up around the harbour, and the fishermen's families formed the nucleus of what would later become the village. Boat building and repair were carried out at the harbour, and the slipway that still exists today dates from this period. By the late nineteenth century, the fishing community was in gradual decline as larger, more commercially viable fishing ports attracted the trade. However, a small number of boats continued to work from Hill Head harbour well into the twentieth century, and recreational fishing remains part of the harbour's life today.