Townapedia
31-33 Park Lane, Cosham
31-33 Park Lane, Cosham · Tim Sheerman-Chase, CC BY 2.0
CharlesDickens house Portsmouth
CharlesDickens house Portsmouth · Austriantraveler, CC BY 3.0
Portchester castle 04
Portchester castle 04 · Matthew Folley from UK, CC BY 2.0
Portchester castle 02
Portchester castle 02 · scale speeder, CC BY 2.0
Nelson's Monument,portsdown hill,5-7-2018
Nelson's Monument,portsdown hill,5-7-2018 · Hunanuk, CC BY-SA 4.0
Farlington marshes april 2011
Farlington marshes april 2011 · Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0

Cosham, United Kingdom

Cosham is a town of 10,226 people in England, United Kingdom.

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Population10,226 GeoNames
RegionEngland
Elevation46 ft 14 m
Time zoneEurope/London
Nearest airportBembridge Airport (BBP) 12 mi
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Why visit Cosham

Townapedia lists 20 museums and landmarks, 7 parks and trails, 101 places to eat, 7 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Portsdown Hill, Odeon, Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum and Portchester Castle.

About Cosham

Cosham is a northern suburb of Portsmouth lying within the city boundary but off Portsea Island, in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 along with Drayton and Wymering (mainland) and Bocheland (Buckland), Frodington (Fratton) and Copenore (Copnor) on the island.

From the Wikipedia article Cosham (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Photos of Cosham

Things to do2

Odeon

Cinema and theater · 1.5 mi

Port Way, Portsmouth

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Museums and landmarks20

Charles Dickens Birthplace Museum

Museum · 2.9 mi

Museum in Landport, Portsmouth, England

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Portchester Castle

Monument and historic site · 2.3 mi

Medieval castle in Portchester, Hampshire, England, UK

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Portus Adurni

Monument and historic site · 2.3 mi

Roman fort

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The Nelson Monument

Monument and historic site · 3.2 mi

Monument on Portsdown Hill in Boarhunt, Hampshire, England, UK

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Bastion 1 Hilsea Lines

Monument and historic site · 0.9 mi

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Fort Widley

Monument and historic site · 0.6 mi

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WW1 Remembrance Centre

Museum · 1.1 mi

Airport Service Road, Portsmouth

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Bastion 4, Hilsea Lines

Monument and historic site · 0.9 mi

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Bastion 5, Hilsea Lines

Monument and historic site · 1.0 mi

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Hilsea Lines and Ramparts

Monument and historic site · 0.8 mi

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Hilsea Lines and Ramparts

Monument and historic site · 0.9 mi

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Bastion 3, Hilsea Lines

Monument and historic site · 0.8 mi

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8 more on the map.

Parks, trails and playgrounds7

Alexandra Park

Park · 1.6 mi

1907 park serving Portsea Island in Portsmouth, England, UK

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Farlington Marshes

Park · 1.6 mi

Nature reserve in Hampshire, England, UK

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Southmoor Nature Reserve

Park · 3.1 mi

Nature reserve in England

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Gatcombe Gardens

Park · 1.4 mi

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Cosham Park

Park · 0.5 mi

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Drayton Park

Park · 0.7 mi

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Portsmouth Golf Club

Golf course · 1.4 mi

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Restaurants and cafes101

Mowchak Tandoori

Restaurant · Indian · 0.8 mi

Free local delivery

270 Havant Road, Portsmouth

Mo-Th,Sa,PH 12:00-14:30,17:30-24:00; Fr 17:30-24:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 2392 375007

The Pacific

Restaurant · Thai, Sushi, Cocktails · 0.7 mi

230 Havant Road, Portsmouth

17:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 2392 384500

Harbour Lights Beefeater

Restaurant · British · 1.2 mi

This pub/restaurant is the "Harbour Lights Beefeater" pub.

1 Southampton Road, Portsmouth

Open in Google Maps · +44 2392 321122

Spice Village

Restaurant · Indian · 0.7 mi

165 Havant Road, Portsmouth

Su-Th 12:00-14:30,17:30-23:30; Fr-Sa 12:00-14:30,17:00-24:00

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Starbucks

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.7 mi

Lakeshore Drive, Portsmouth

Mo-Fr 07:00-19:00; Sa, Su 08:00-17:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 2392 006245

The First Post

Bar and pub

42 High Street, Portsmouth

Open in Google Maps · +44 2392 210331

Costa

Cafe · Coffee Shop

43 High Street, Portsmouth

Mo-Sa 07:30-18:00; Su 08:30-17:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 2392 382014

Marjorie's Tearooms & Bistro

Cafe · Coffee Shop

They are licensed for functions and to serve alcohol and do breakfasts, lunches, afternoon teas etc.

22 Wayte Street, Portsmouth

Mo-Sa 09:30-15:30; PH Mo 10:00-15:00; Fr,Sa 19:00-23:00 "by bookings only"

Open in Google Maps · +44 7854 259673;+44 1428 727867

Cafe 100 Prazeres

Cafe · Portuguese

Cafe and Portuguese deli

85 High Street, Portsmouth

Mo-Fr 07:00-19:00; Sa 07:00-18:00; Su 10:00-18:00

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Costa

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.4 mi

Portsmouth Retail Park, Portsmouth

Mo-Fr 07:00-18:00; Sa 08:00-17:00; Su 09:30-16:00

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Costa

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 0.4 mi

As you walk through the North Entrance this small cafe is on the right hand side.

Southwick Hill Road, Portsmouth

24/7

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Golden Boat

Restaurant · Chinese

Northern Road, Portsmouth

17:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +44 2392 376163

89 more on the map.

History

King Æthelred the Unready lay terminally ill in Cosham when King Cnut of Denmark began his invasion of the south coast of England in 1015.

In later centuries, extensive suburban growth expanded around the village and both east and west along the slopes of Portsdown Hill. It has been for many years a local route centre as a pinch point for buses travelling in and out of Portsmouth and offers three railway routes to London. Cosham railway station was until 1935 the terminus for City trams and trolleybuses from the south and Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway trams to the north. The High Street is a significant local shopping centre. Few traces of the original village now remain; the oldest houses (Chalk Cottage of 1777 and Mile Stone Cottages of 1793) were demolished in the 1960s and replaced by a car park, but the old milepost showing mileage to London, Petersfield and Portsmouth remains. The interior of St Philip's Church (1938) in Highbury is cited as a fine example of Ninian Comper's work. Indeed, England's 1000 Best Parish Churches (by Simon Jenkins) regards St Philip's as the only parish church within Portsmouth worth visiting on architectural merit.

From the History section of Cosham on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

More about Cosham

Economy

Cosham was once home to the UK headquarters of IBM UK Ltd. The site formerly known as 'North Harbour' was built in the 1970s. It is now known as Lakeside Business Park.

From the Wikipedia article Cosham, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Notable people from Cosham

Born in Cosham, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.

Where to stay7

Churches and places of worship18

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Shopping17

Gas and EV charging5

Schools, colleges and libraries19

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Healthcare10

Map of Cosham

206 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Bembridge Airport (BBP) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 12 miles away.

  • Portsmouth 4 mi south, about 6 min by car
  • Emsworth 6 mi east, about 9 min by car
  • South Hayling 6 mi southeast, about 9 min by car
  • Ryde 9 mi southwest, about 15 min by car
  • Cowes 12 mi southwest, about 19 min by car
  • Petersfield 12 mi northeast, about 20 min by car
  • Fair Oak 13 mi northwest, about 21 min by car
  • Newport 14 mi southwest, about 23 min by car
  • Sandown 14 mi south, about 23 min by car
  • Southampton 15 mi west, about 25 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Towns near Cosham

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Page built November 10, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.