town and borough (district), administrative and historic county of Hampshire, England, adjoining Portsmouth in the southeastern corner of the county. The small medieval town of Havant, apart from its 12th-century church, was destroyed by fire in 1760. A township called Waterlooville grew on the London road nearby after troops returning from the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 passed through the neighbourhood. Growing subsequently around the modern town of Havant, a suburb of Portsmouth, the area has accommodated the overspill of homes and factories from the congested island that is the nucleus of that city. A variety of light-engineering and plastics industries are carried on in Havant, and yachting is important. The borough also includes the seaside resort of Hayling Island. Area, borough, 21 square miles (55 square km). Pop. (2001) town, 45,435; borough, 116,857.