| Bitterne | |
|---|---|
| Suburb | |
 The pedestrianised area of Bitterne Road is a popular shopping precinct. This is the old junction of the Hedge End and Portsmouth Roads looking east. | |
  Bitterne Location within Southampton | |
| Area | 2.47 km2 (0.95 sq mi) |
| Population | 13,800 (2011 Census. Ward)[1] |
| • Density | 5,587/km2 (14,470/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | SU451129 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SOUTHAMPTON |
| Postcode district | SO18 |
| Dialling code | 023 |
| Police | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Fire | Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| UK Parliament | |
Bitterne is an eastern suburb and ward of Southampton, in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, England.
Bitterne derives its name not from the similarly named bird, the bittern, but probably from the bend in the River Itchen; the Old English words byht and ærn together mean "house near a bend" or possibly bita ærn; "house of horse bits",[2][3] either most likely a reference to Bitterne Manor House. A reference from the late 11th century spells the name Byterne.[3]
Bitterne Ward comprises the suburbs of Bitterne and Thornhill, and had a population of 13,800 at the 2011 census.[1] The ward borders Sholing Ward and Harefield Ward to the west and north.
- ^ a b "Bitterne (Ward) — Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics" (PDF). Office for National Statistics. 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Bitterne". Key to English Place-Names. English Place-Name Society. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ a b Mills, A.D. (1998). Dictionary of English Place-Names (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-280074-4.