 Swanmore was originally set up to provide homes for workers in local brickworks.As such, the houses in the village are mainly early- and mid-Victorian brick buildings, although there are some older houses, especially in the hamlet of Upper Swanmore 1/4 mile north of the main village.The village continued to thrive after the closure of these brickworks, and at one time had many shops and services in the village, however many of these closed with the advent of easier transport to nearby towns, but Swanmore does still have a village shop, post office, butcher and hairdresser.