Westhaven

Westhaven
City
Central Westhaven from above
Flag
Country	Borland
Yend	Borish Lowlands
Port established	8th century
Boroughs	Seven districts Central Port Alstede Arrington/Danham Herdon/Bure Harringay/Forehall Hulborn/Cannington
Government
• Body	Westhaven Steadcouncil
• Mayor	Anthony Millfield (WPB)
Area
• Total	315 km2 (122 sq mi)
Dimensions
• Length	21 km (13 mi)
• Width	16 km (10 mi)
Elevation	7 m (23 ft)
Population  (2020)
• Total	537,000
• Density	1,700/km2 (4,400/sq mi)
Postal code	List of postal codes 0201 0202 0203 0204 0205 0206 0207
Area code	020
Website	www.westhaven.bo

Westhaven (/ˈwɛstˌheɪvən/ or ~/ˌhɑːvən/; Borish pronunciation: [ˈwɛstˌhɑːvən]) is a city in Borland. It is located by the mouth of the River Aire on the coast of the Gulf of Assonaire in the Borish Lowlands, near the border with Estmere. With a population of 537 thousand, Westhaven is the second-largest city in Borland, behind Newstead. The port of Westhaven is the primary port of Borland. It is close to Dunwich, one of the largest ports in Estmere.

The city’s history is linked to its status as a port. It was first founded as a river port on the River Aire several kilometres inland in the 8th century. In the early 9th century, it was destroyed during a Marauder raid and rebuilt closer to the coastline. Later in the 9th century, the area was under the Marauder kingdom of Dunhelm. By the end of the 10th century, the Marauder kingdom fell apart, although Marauder raids continued into the 11th century. In the Middle Ages, the city underwent a cultural shift from Hethish to Swathish and later to Estmerish. Notably, the city developed an Estmerish-speaking ruling class that became the basis of Estmerish high culture in Borland. In 1630, the Count of Dyrham moved his family’s seat to Westhaven, further cementing the city’s role in the Lowlands. During the industrial revolution, the city grew rapidly, more than tripling its population during the 19th century. It became the centre of industry and railways in southern Borland. Much of the city was destroyed during the Great War. After the War, Westhaven was the only city in the Lowlands to only narrowly vote in against Borish independence.

Today, Westhaven remains one of the primary economic centres of Borland, hosting the country’s national bank, stock exchange alongside its largest port. Within the Borish Lowlands metropolitan area, Westhaven is the main economic, political and cultural centre. Westhaven is often seen as one of the centres of the Estmerish language and culture within Borland, being the largest Estmerophone city in the country.

History

Early history

The first riverport in the area was established at some point in the 8th century several kilometres away from the coast on the River Aire, although it is possible that the settlement in that location predated the port. The name of the settlement is unknown, although it is known that it was located around Newford on the northern bank of the river.

Marauder age

At the end of the 8th century, only decades after the riverport had been established, the first Marauder raids started. There were three notable Marauder raids in the 9th century, including one early in the century during which the settlement was completely destroyed and most residents were killed. In its aftermath, the settlement of Newhaven was founded to the west of the original settlement was founded. From around 850 onward, the area came under control of the Marauder kingdom in Dunhelm, which lasted until around 980. Although the Marauder Kingdom of Dunhelm had fallen apart by the end of the 10th century, raids continued well into the 11th century, although getting increasingly rare and finally ceasing around the middle of that century.

Industrial revolution

Starting at the end of the 18th century and rapidly continuing through the 19th century, Westhaven was at the centre of the industrial revolution in Borland. Being a major pre-existing trade hub and downstream from the country’s others main industrial centres, such as Olham, Newstead and Stunhill, it experienced some of the fastest growth in the country. In 1828, the City & Port Railway, often credited as being the first railway line in Borland, was opened. Starting in 1830, Westhaven became one of the two centres of Borish railway developments alongside Newstead, with several companies building railways between the two cities via different routes. By 1850, the population of Westhaven had surpassed 100,000 and, by 1900, it surpassed 250,000 people.

Great War

In the early months of the Great War, the War’s main effects on Westhaven were economic and political in nature. More than 150,000 Westhaven men joined the Estmerish armed forces and the city became a hub of arms manufacturing.

Fighting reached the outskirts of Westhaven in May 1929 with some damage to the city itself, especially the northwestern Alstede district and the port. Throughout June and into July, there was active fighting within the city before the city fell on 6 July 1929. Resistance groups continued to fight after the Estmerish forces had retreated.

By the end of the Great War, an estimated 34% of the city’s buildings were damged or destroyed, including more than half of buildings in the port area and Alstede, but less than 5% in the south of the city.

Recent history

After the Great War, the population of Westhaven, much like in the rest of the Borish Lowlands, was generally opposed to the idea of an independent Borland. The announcement of the 1936 Borland independence referendum and the results sparked protests that at times turned violent. Although Westhaven voted against Borish independence (65% against, 28% in favour), the share of those voting in favour was significantly higher than in any other city in the Borish Lowlands. With Borland’s independence in 1938, Westhaven was made the administrative centre of the Lowlands yend.

Reconstruction started before the War had officially come to an end, with reconstruction efforts dominating the 1930s and 40s. Most of the city was rebuilt by the mid-40s. In June 1947, the city celebrated the official end of its reconstruction efforts with a parade and a two weeks long festival.

Post-War city planning policy in Westhaven was explicitly car-centric since at least 1950. In order to improve traffic, the city designated arterial roads which were to be widened and, in some cases, straightened. As this policy came into effect after the bulk of reconstruction was finished, there were a number of instances in which newly-built housing or housing that had survived the Great War were demolished to make way for car infrastructure. The arterial roads project became increasingly unpopular over the decades due to its effects on the city’s urban fabric, constant construction on major traffic corridors and exploding costs. In 1967, the project was halted, with both the inner-city ring road and the motorway ring being partially incomplete.

In the 1973–1974 winter, Westhaven was affected by the below-average temperatures and above-average percipation that was experienced by much of north-eastern Euclea, leading to intense snowfall in the city that usually does not experience such weather. A shift in temperatures in the spring of 1974 caused some minor flooding as the River Aire and other waterways in the region had high water levels. In April 1974, a rainstorm caused severe flooding in both the Borish and Estmerish Lowlands, with more than 100 deaths in Westhaven.

Geography

Westhaven is located in the Borish Lowlands in the southeast of Borland. It lies by the mouth of the River Aire on the coast of the Gulf of Assonaire. The city is bordered by Norstead, Yerham, Hull-on-Aire, Millham-Ladbatch, Tarnick, Nimmerstead and Dunhelm. It is located on the opposite side of the bay from Dunwich. The city is very flat, lying 7 metres above sea level, and most of it lies less than 5 metres above sea level. This is particularly true for the most densely-inhabited areas of the city, many of which lie between 2 to 4 metres above sea level. Burron Hill is the highest elevation in Westhaven at 65 metres above sea level.

The local climate is coastal and temperate. The city is often stereotyped as the rainiest city in Borland, although average yearly rainfall is only marginally larger than in cities in central Borland and is in fact lower than in several cities in North Hethland. Snowfall is rare, with most years only seeing a few hours of light snowfall.

Politics

Local politics

The Westhaven Steadcouncil building is located in the heart of the city.

The steadcouncil of Westhaven currently is governed by a coalition of the Worker’s Party and Centrum with support from the Democratic Party and the Green Alliance. The current mayor is Anthony Millfield (WPB).

Traditionally, the largest political party in Westhaven was the Worker’s Party (WPB), followed by the Conservative Party (CPB). Since the mid-1960s, Centrum (CN) also gets a considerable share of the vote, followed by The New Side (TNS) in the 1970s. In 2011, the New Left (nL) was founded in Westhaven, where it continues to have the highest share of votes among any Borish city.

Administrative divisions

Westhaven is divided into seven districts: Central, Port, Alstede, Arrington/Danham, Herdon/Bure, Harringay/Forehall and Hulborn/Cannington. Each distict has either one or two administrative offices. Until 1967, the districts also had their own councils ruling over local matters, although local representation no longer exists in this way. Although there are officially-set boundaries between the city’s boroughs, these do not generally hold any legal weight. In elections, Westhaven is divided into three constituencies: North, Central, South.

Economy

Historically an industrial city centred on its port, the economy of Westhaven has diversified over the past decades. Westhaven has increasingly become a destination for tourists and shoppers from both the metropolitan area and beyond.

Tourism

Leisure tourism in Westhaven dates back to the 18th century, with urban elites from other parts of Borland and Greater Estmere to Westhaven and its surroundings. At the same time, Westhaven got more important as a port, being a destination for temporary visitors, especially in the historic city centre and port district.

Industry

Westhaven is one of the few industrial cities in the Borish Lowlands that did not see a major decline in industry. The absolute number of workers in the city’s industrial sector has increased since the 1970s, while the national trend has been that work has declined in industry. However, the proportion of workers in industry has declines, as the number of workers in other sectors of the economy has increased more notably.

The main industries of the city are shipping and steel. They are concentrated in the port district as well as industrial areas along the River Aire. Some industries that have played a major role in the city historically, such as the textile industry, vehicle production or ship building, are no longer present. Industries with a notable presence in Westhaven include machinery, food processing (especially of fish and other seafoods) and light industry.

Transport

Roadways

Westhaven is one of the few cities in Borland which realised post-War plans to construct a ring road and a series of arterial roads almost fully. In addition to a multi-lane ring road around the city centre, there was supposed to be a motorway ring as well as a motorway passing through the city centre, although of these, only parts have been realised. Only the northern and eastern parts of the motorway ring have been built and the A1 that was supposed to cross the city centre in north-south direction ends on both ends of the ring road.

Railways

The first railway line in Borland was built in Westhaven from the port to the city centre in the 1820s. In the following decades, Westhaven saw itself at the centre of a railway construction boom in which several companies competed on some of the main corridors. For example, five different companies built five different railway lines between Westhaven and Newstead, which still remain in operation to this day.

Tramways and light rail

Main article: Tramways in Westhaven

A tram in Westhaven.

The first tram line in Westhaven opened in 1856. By the turn of the century, the tram network covered all corners of the city, included multiple interurban lines and had grown to one of the most extensive networks in Estmere. Between 1895 and 1904, the entire network was electrified. Until the eve of the Great War, the network was continuously expanded, with all expansion plans and most active constructionwork being halted with the outbreak of the War. Until June 1929, the trams in Westhaven remained in operation without major disruptions, although weeks of fighting within the city during June caused major damage to the network. After the War, the reconstruction of the tram network was ordered, although some lines had been replaced by motorbusses by the time the reconstruction was deemed complete in 1940. Roughly a third of tram services were replaced with busses after that point, especially between 1960 and 1970. The construction of a metro line further caused the closure of several tram lines. With the initial plans for a metro and later plans for a light rail network, the tram network was split into several parts.

Today, Westhaven operates three separate networks with only limited interoperatability: the historic metre-gauge tramway network, a high-floor standard gauge (1500 mm) network that behaves partially like a tram, partially like light rail and partially like a metro, and a low-floor standard gauge (1500 mm) network.

Busses

Busses have operated in Westhaven since the early 1920s, becoming popular during the Great War to provide replacement services for tramway lines that went out-of-service due to war damage. The popularity of motorbusses continued ever since, allowing for service to be provided to communities where rail-based transit were deemed unviable. Some tramway and commuter rail lines were replaced by bus lines in two waves, firstly immediately post-War and secondly in the 60s.

Waterways

The Port of Westhaven is the primary port of Borland.

The port of Westhaven is the largest cargo port in Borland. After having been relocated several times throughout the centuries, it has been on the coast to the northwest of the city centre since the early 19th century. Until the 1940s, the port of Westhaven was competing with the ports of Dunhelm and Norstead, although these declined after Borish independence. Since then, its most direct competitor is the port of Dunwich on the Estmerish side of the bay.

Innercity ferry services used to operate on the River Aire from the 1820s until 2010. Since then, the only ferry services in Westhaven are those operating to international destinations.

Airports

The first airfield for commercial passenger flights in Westhaven was opened between Westhaven and Dunhelm in 1935. After Borish independence, it was renamed Westhaven/Dunhelm International Aeroport as its previously regional destinations in Estmere were now classified as international flights. In 1962, it was decided to build a replacement for Westhaven/Dunhelm outside of Tarnick, as the old airport was no longer able to deal with increased demand for air travel. The Westhaven/Tarnick International Aeroport opened in 1976, although the smaller airport in Dunhelm stayed open until 1983. From its opening until 2012, the airport in Westhaven/Tarnick was consistently the second most used airport in Borland behind Newstead International. In 2012, Stunhill/Trent International overtook it.

Demographics

Languages

Primary language in Westhaven (2020)

  Estmerish (61.86%)

  Estmerish and Borish (29.79%)

  Borish (6.03%)

  Other (2.32%)

As in much of the Borish Lowlands, the main language of Westhaven is Estmerish, although the Borish language has a strong presence. The presence of Borish in education and politics is increasing since Borish independence in 1938, although the role of Borish as a primary language has only increased since the late 20th century. Since at least the 1970s, the proportion of those who actively use both Estmerish and Borish on a daily basis outside of the education system has increased from 9.5% to 29.8%. This trend is likely to continue in the future, as a majority of older people only uses Estmerish regularly, whilst a plurality of those aged 15 to 25 use both Estmerish and Borish regularly. Although most Westhaven residents speak Estmerish natively (85%), the share of Borish native speakers (16%) is rising.

The dialect of Estmerish spoken in Westhaven forms a bridge between the dialects of Estmere and the other Estmerish dialects of Borland. As in other parts of Borland, /æ/ is realised as [a] and the foot-strut split is absent (meaning that both foot and strut are pronounced with an [ʊ]) except for some higher-register speech. Uniquely within Borland, most Westhaven Estmerish is non-rhotic, with /r/ being realised as [ɹ] or [ɾ] when it is pronounced. The Westhaven dialect of Estmerish has been affected significantly more by dialect levelling than other Lowlands Estmerish dialects, with some typically Lowlander features being rare in Westhaven.

Hethish and Swathish used to be spoken in Westhaven until the mediæval period, when the Hethish language was pushed increasingly further to the east by Swathish, which eventually was replaced by Estmerish. Since the 19th century, there has been a small number of people who claim Swathish as their native language, although it is likely not a direct continuation of local dialects since the Middle Ages, but rather more recent immigration from other Swathish-speaking areas.

Sister cities

• Talbot, Satavia