A western neighbourhood of Havant below Portsdown Hill, with a historic village core, the Old Mill and its John Keats connection, and its own railway station.
Bedhampton is a residential area on the western side of Havant, sitting below the slopes of Portsdown Hill and running down towards the shore of Langstone Harbour. It divides broadly into Old Bedhampton — the historic village core around Bedhampton Road and Mill Lane — and the larger 20th-century housing that spread west towards Portsmouth.
## Old Bedhampton and the Keats Connection
Old Bedhampton is known for its Old Mill on the Hermitage Stream, fed by the springs that made the area attractive to millers and, later, to the parchment trade. The poet John Keats is recorded as having stayed at the Old Mill house in 1820, shortly before he left England for Italy — a literary link the village still marks today. The Church of St Thomas à Becket stands nearby.
## Everyday Bedhampton
Bedhampton has its own railway station on the West Coastway line, with services towards Portsmouth and Southampton, and is closely tied to Havant town centre a short distance to the east. Local shops, a fish-and-chip shop and everyday services line Bedhampton Road, and the area has good access to the A3(M) and A27 for commuters.
## Green Space and Water
The southern edge of Bedhampton meets the mudflats and nature reserve of Langstone Harbour, a Site of Special Scientific Interest important for overwintering birds. To the north, the chalk ridge of Portsdown Hill gives wide views across Portsmouth, the harbour and, on clear days, the Isle of Wight.