Cuckmere Lane (uniquely named being the only one in Great Britain) is located in the ward of Redbridge with a population of approximately 14,500, located 3.1 miles (5.0 km) to the west of the city centre of Southampton.

Much of Redbridge’s history is linked to its position at the tidal part of the River Test and, later, as the terminus of the Andover Canal. The settlement was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Rodbrige, within the Manebrige (possibly Mansbridge) Hundred in Hantscire (Hampshire). In 1575 and 1607, it was shown on maps as a small hamlet, it was shown as being within the “Redbridg Hundred” in the latter.

Because of its strategic position, the settlement became a substantial trading post for commodities such as coal, timber and corn,  and a shipbuilding centre, with many merchant and Royal Navy vessels being constructed in Redbridge in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Work began on converting the Andover Canal to a railway, which was to become known as the Sprat and Winkle Line, in 1859. The line opened in 1865, with a new course being laid twenty years later. This meant that a level-crossing was installed in front of the Anchor public house so that carts and later motor cars could cross the railway line. In 1930 the bypass and bridge were completed which took 4 years at a cost of £100,000. Another carriageway was added to the ‘flyover’ over the River Test parallel to the mainline railway in the 1970s.

In 1975 the M271 motorway was opened terminating at the Redbridge Roundabout, where it meets the dual carriageway A35 trunk road. It is these transport structures, together with industrial and high-density residential developments, that dominate Redbridge today.