High Street

Street guide, Emsworth

Emsworth High Street is the principal commercial street of the town, running from the A259 junction southward towards the harbour. The street is lined with independent shops, cafes, galleries, and restaurants, occupying buildings that are predominantly Georgian and Victorian in character. The street has a human scale, with two and three storey frontages in brick and render, many with original shopfronts or sympathetic replacements. There is no chain-store dominance here; the High Street retains the kind of independent character that most English market towns have lost. A bookshop, a butcher, a delicatessen, gift shops, and art galleries make up the mix. The street is within the Conservation Area and benefits from the protections this provides against inappropriate development. On Tuesdays, a small market adds activity to the street. The High Street is the route from the railway station and the northern residential areas to the harbour, and it draws a steady flow of pedestrian traffic throughout the day.