Gosport is a town and district in Hampshire with around 77,000 inhabitants, situated on the south coast of England. Part of the South Hampshire conurbation, it lies on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour opposite the city of Portsmouth, to which it is linked by a pedestrian ferry.

Gosport is said to be the largest town in Britain without an operational railway station, though the harbour ferry goes to Portsmouth Harbour railway station, terminus of the Portsmouth Direct Line to London. Ironically, Gosport received its railway before Portsmouth, but it closed to passengers in 1953. The fine terminal building, designed by Sir William Tite, still remains.

Until the last quarter of the 20th century it was a major naval and military centre associated with the defence and supply infrastructure of Portsmouth Harbour. With the decline of these activities, many of its fortifications and installations, such as Fort Blockhouse and Palmerston forts like Fort Brockhurst, have been opened to the public as tourism and heritage sites, with extensive redevelopment of the harbour area as a marina. Stokes Bay and the Solent are popular areas for yachting. Part of the tourism in Gosport also includes the Royal Navy Submarine Museum based just outside of Fort Blockhouse, Explosion and the Gosport museum.

The Rowner area of the peninsula was known to have been settled in Saxon times (for instance, Cherque Farm) and Alverstoke (a village now within the boundaries of Gosport) was included in the Domesday Book. Settlements in the wider region date back much earlier.

The borough's name - an early name was Goseport - is believed to derive from "goose". An alternative etymology "gorse" (from the bushes growing on local heathland) is not supported by the regional name for the plant, "furze"; and that implied by the town's motto, "God's Port Our Haven", dates from the 19th century.

The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales (1870-72) gives the source of the name Gosport as God's Port to King Stephen in 1144 when he landed there in a storm.

Gosport seems to be the largest town in the British Isles to be without a railway station. A foot ferry links the town with Portsmouth Harbour station, just under a mile away across the harbour.

In 1841 a railway opened between the London and Southampton Railway at Eastleigh via Fareham to Gosport, where a terminus was built to an Italianate design of William Tite. The terminus was intended to serve Portsmouth across the water. It was sited at Gosport, however, because the railway company was not allowed to breach the Hilsea Lines, the defences at the northern end of Portsea Island protecting Portsmouth.

An extension to Royal Clarence Yard was opened in 1846, and branch lines to Stokes Bay (open from 1863 to 1915); and to Lee-on-the-Solent (open to passengers 1894 to 1931). Due to declining traffic, the connection to Fareham was closed for passenger services in 1953 and to freight traffic in 1969.

The trackbed of the former Gosport - Fareham railway is now a pedestrian walkway. Gosport station has been retained for its historical and architectural value but is presently inaccessible and in poor condition. Proposals now exist to convert the platforms and buildings into a small number of residential properties and offices with the main gate in Spring Garden Lane opened up for vehicle access. A development of six terraced homes is also proposed for the North Western end of the site linking with George Street.

The station site has been linked with the South Hampshire Rapid Transit Scheme, which would make use of the former railway route (some of which still has track because of freight services), however at present Government policy has made this scheme appear less likely.

As part of the Renaissance of Portsmouth Harbour Millennium project, a large sundial, known as the Millennium Timespace, was installed on the harbour front in 2000. Its timekeeping is partially restricted each day by shadowing caused by a large tower block nearby. The International Festival Of The Sea drew over 250,000 tourists to the Portsmouth Harbour area in 1998, 2001, and 2005. The next festival will take place in 2007

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