[2] The highest point in the City of Southampton (its "county top") lies on Bassett Avenue at a height of 82 metres (269 ft) above sea level.

[3] The area broadly occupied by Bassett today was known as Stoneham Common, shown on the 1791 map by Thomas Milne on which 'Bassets Lane' also appears (without any associated village).

[5] In the late 18th century it grew as a retreat for rich people outside (and away from civic responsibilities in) the borough of Southampton.

Elliott Kenworthy-Browne (rector of North Stoneham from 1886 to 1912) observed that three-quarters of the population of 800 were poor, chiefly mechanics and labourers.

[7] In 1920 the boundaries of Southampton were extended to include Bassett, along with Bitterne, Sholing, Woolston, Weston, Peartree and Swaythling.

[1] Councillors for the ward are elected to Southampton City Council, which is a unitary authority and therefore the only tier of local government covering the neighbourhood.

Prior to Brexit in 2020, it was represented by the South East England constituency for the European Union parliament.

[9] The Bassett Hotel at 111 Burgess Road dated from before 1871 and was by that year owned by Coopers Brewery, subsequently taken over by Watney Combe & Reid.

While located at the Bassett Hotel, the club was the scene of early performances from the likes of Chris Barber,[11] Joe Cocker[12] and Manfred Mann.

The hotel was acquired by Sunrise Senior Living who demolished it and built a residential care home on the site.

The area has been used for the Millennium Youth Games, National Cyclocross Championships and to hold outdoor classical concerts.