Why is it called Stamshaw? Plus 4 more facts
A name that probably meant a headland marked with a post, a lake that is not a lake and a stadium where one trainer won the first four races.
Stamshaw probably meant a headland marked with a post. Early forms of the name were Stamnesho in 1236, Stampneshou in 1292 and Stampsey around 1600, from Old English for a heel of land or promontory marked with a post.
Stamshaw probably meant a headland marked with a post. The Hampshire gazetteer, citing Coates (1989), lists early forms of the name: Stamnesho in 1236, Stampneshou in 1292 and Stampsey around 1600. It comes from Old English for a "heel of land", a promontory, marked with a post. The first element, "stamn", is hypothetical and unattested, which is why we say "probably".
The name
The gazetteer entry is our source for the name detail. Wikipedia's Stamshaw article gives the area context only. If you were hoping for a colourful story, the dull truth appears to be that a post once stood on a headland and gave the place its name.
Tipner Lake is not a lake
Wikipedia's Tipner Lake entry says it is not natural. It is the north-eastern section of Portsmouth Harbour, formed by reclaiming land north of Horsea Island. The M275, built in the early 1970s, makes it look cut off, but it is still linked to Portsbridge Creek. It is tidal, and it is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Ramsar site. A walking site, Komoot, describes it the same way, as part of the harbour.
Powder magazines at Tipner Point
Land at Tipner Point was acquired in 1789 to 1791. After the invasion scare of 1779, the Board of Ordnance planned to "divide and separate the magazines". The north magazine dates from about 1796 to 1798 and is Grade II listed, according to the Historic England text on British Listed Buildings. It still stands.
The Royal Powder Works
Stamshaw Point had a Royal Powder Works, which opened in 1804 and was linked to the Tipner magazine. It had ceased by 1833, and there is no above-ground evidence of it today, according to Wikipedia.
The greyhound stadium
Portsmouth Greyhound Stadium at Tipner opened on 25 May 1931. Wikipedia says the trainer Fred Tolfree took the first four places in the opening race, a detail from a single source. A second source confirms the 1931 opening and the closure. The last meeting was on 27 March 2010 and the stadium was demolished in 2012.
The firing range
A rifle and firing range at Tipner was established in the 19th century with the Royal Navy Gunnery School, HMS Excellent on Whale Island. It closed in 2020 and has been considered for housing. That also rests on Wikipedia alone, though search results cite a Royal Navy notice of its permanent closure that we did not retrieve.
Why bother?
Stamshaw and Tipner sit by the harbour and are full of old military and sporting history. We left out a fire school story because the sources disagreed on its exact site. If you know more, tell us.
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