Interwar Suburban Expansion

1920s-1930s

Between the wars, Waterlooville experienced its first major phase of suburban expansion. New housing estates were built along London Road and the surrounding streets, with semi-detached houses in the styles typical of the period: bay windows, tile-hung upper storeys, front gardens and rear plots. The population grew significantly as families moved out from the cramped terraces of Portsmouth, attracted by the cleaner air, the open spaces and the affordable house prices. New schools, shops and community facilities followed the housing. Cowplain also expanded during this period, and the two settlements began to merge into a single urban area. The motor bus provided public transport connections to Portsmouth and Havant.