Basingstoke is a town in northeast
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
, England. It lies across a
valleyIn geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
at the source of the
River LoddonThe River Loddon is a river in the English counties of Berkshire and Hampshire. It is a tributary of the River Thames, rising within the urban area of Basingstoke and flowing to meet the Thames near the village of Wargrave...
. It is southwest of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
, northeast of
SouthamptonSouthampton is the largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, southwest of
ReadingReading is a large town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London...
, and northeast of the
county townA county town is the 'capital' of a county in Republic of Ireland or the United Kingdom. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
,
WinchesterWinchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen...
. In 2006 it had an estimated population of 80,477. It is part of the borough of
Basingstoke and DeaneBasingstoke and Deane is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its main town is Basingstoke. Other settlements include Bramley, Tadley, Kingsclere, Overton, Oakley, Whitchurch and the hamlet of Deane, some from Basingstoke....
and part of the parliamentary constituency of Basingstoke. Basingstoke is often nicknamed "Doughnut City" or "Roundabout City" due to the number of roundabouts.
Often mistaken for a new town, Basingstoke is an old
market townMarket town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
expanded in the 1960s as part of a tripartite agreement between
London County CouncilLondon County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889-1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
, Hampshire County Council and Basingstoke Borough Council. It was developed rapidly, along with
AndoverAndover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is situated on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
and
TadleyTadley is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire.During the 1950s and 1960s, the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment , now known as AWE, became the area's largest employer, and a large number of houses were built during this period to accommodate AWRE workers...
, to accommodate part of the
London 'overspill'London overspill is the term given to the communities created - largely consisting of publicly provided housing - as a result of the Government policy of moving residents out of Greater London, England into other towns around the South East, East Anglia and beyond.-Policy development:The policy...
as perceived under the
Greater London PlanThe Greater London Plan of 1944, often referred to as the Abercrombie Plan, was a plan for the development and improvement of London commissioned by the Ministry of Works in 1942 and drawn up by Patrick Abercrombie....
, 1944.
Basingstoke market was mentioned in the
Domesday BookThe Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror...
and Basingstoke remained a small market town until the 1950s. It still has a regular market, but is now bigger than Hampshire County Council's definition of a market town.
Basingstoke is a prosperous town, with an above-average standard of living and low
unemploymentUnemployment occurs when a person is available to work and seeking work but currently without work. The prevalence of unemployment is usually measured using the unemployment rate, which is defined as the percentage of those in the labor force who are unemployed...
. It is an economic centre, and the location of the UK headquarters of
Sun Life Financial of CanadaSun Life Financial Inc. is a leading international financial services company known primarily as a life insurance company. Sun Life ranks number 187 on the Forbes Global 2000 list .-Pre-World War War II:...
,
The Automobile AssociationThe Automobile Association is a British company providing car insurance, breakdown cover, loans and motoring advice. It was a former motoring association that became a private limited company in 1999, and is owned by two private equity firms....
,
Ericsson Mobile PlatformsEricsson Mobile Platforms was the name of the company within the Ericsson group that supplied mobile platforms, i.e. the technological basis on which a cellular phone product can be built...
,
GAMEThe Game Group plc is a UK-based video games retail company. Its flagship store is in Oxford Street in London...
,
MotorolaMotorola, Inc. is an American, multinational, Fortune 100, telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It is a manufacturer of wireless telephone handsets, and also designs and sells wireless network infrastructure equipment such as cellular transmission base stations and signal...
and
Sonyis a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world's largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding ¥ 7.730.0 trillion, or $78.88 billion U.S. . Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game...
Professional Solutions (Europe). Other industries include drug manufacture,
ITInformation technology , as defined by the Information Technology Association of America , is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." IT deals with the use of electronic...
,
communicationsTelecommunication is transmission over a distance for the purpose of communication. In earlier times, this may have involved the use of smoke signals, drums, semaphore, flags or heliograph. In modern times, telecommunication typically involves the use of electronic devices such as the telephone,...
,
insuranceInsurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed and known...
and electronics.
Geography and administration
Situated in a valley through the
North DownsThe North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England that stretch for 120 miles from Farnham in Surrey to the White Cliffs of Dover in Kent. The North Downs lie within two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty , the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs...
, Basingstoke is a major interchange between
ReadingReading is a large town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London...
,
NewburyNewbury is a civil parish and the principal town in the west of the county of Berkshire in England. It is situated on the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, and has a town centre containing many 17th century buildings...
,
AndoverAndover is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is situated on the River Anton some 18.5 miles west of the town of Basingstoke, 18.5 miles north-west of the city of Winchester and 25 miles north of the city of Southampton...
,
WinchesterWinchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen...
, and
AltonAlton is a small market town in Hampshire, England, to the southwest of Farnham. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census, and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It also is home to Treloar College, the National Specialist college for Young Disabled People...
, and lies on the natural
trade routeA trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a single trade route contains long distance arteries which may further be connected to several smaller networks of commercial...
between the southwest of England and
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
Politics
The Basingstoke parliamentary constituency was formed under the 1885
ActThe Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was a piece of electoral reform legislation that redistributed the seats in the House of Commons, introducing the concept of equally-populated constituencies, in an attempt to equalize representation across...
and is currently served by
ConservativeThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
(MP) Mrs
Maria MillerMaria Frances Lewis Miller is a British politician and has been the Conservative Member of Parliament for Basingstoke since the 2005 general election...
, who was elected in the
2005 general electionThe United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect members to the House of Commons.The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a reduced overall majority of 66 and they failed to gain any new seats...
.
Basingstoke and DeaneBasingstoke and Deane is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its main town is Basingstoke. Other settlements include Bramley, Tadley, Kingsclere, Overton, Oakley, Whitchurch and the hamlet of Deane, some from Basingstoke....
Borough Council, which has its offices in the town, is a Conservative-led council, having 33 Conservative, 14
Liberal DemocratThe Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems or just Liberals, are a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by a merger of the Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party; the two parties had been in alliance for seven years, from shortly after the formation of...
, 9
LabourThe Labour Party is a centre-left political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century, it has been seen since 1920 as the principal party of the Left in England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland, where it has only recently begun to organise again...
, two Independent councillors and two former Conservatives who formed a Basingstoke First Community Party at the beginning of 2009 after the expulsion of one of them from the Conservative Party for conduct not befitting a member, rumoured to be abusive behaviour of the Party Agent. (April 2009). Basingstoke is part of a two-tier local government structure and returns county councillors to Hampshire County Council. When the cities of Southampton and
PortsmouthPortsmouth is a city located in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is the United Kingdom's only island city and is located on Portsea Island. The City of Portsmouth and Portsmouth Football Club are both nicknamed Pompey...
attained unitary authority status in 1998, Basingstoke became Hampshire's largest settlement.
Physical geography/geology
The precise size and shape of Basingstoke today are difficult to identify, as it has no single official boundary that encompasses all the areas contiguous to its development. The unparished area of the town represents its bulk, but several areas that might be considered part of the town are separate parishes, namely
ChinehamChineham is a civil parish in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. It lies about 3 miles northeast of central Basingstoke, just north of the A33 road between Basingstoke and Reading.-Demography:...
,
RooksdownRooksdown is a civil parish in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. The parish was formed on April 1, 2004. It covers a small estate in the north-west of Basingstoke which was previously part of the parish of Sherborne St...
, and
LychpitLychpit is now the name of a modern housing development adjacent to Old Basing near Basingstoke, Hampshire. The modern development started in the early 1980s but the area has an ancient past associated with that of Old Basing. The name derives from a wooded dell that still exists at the western end...
. The unparished area includes Worting, which was previously a separate village and parish,
extending beyond Roman Road and Old Kempshott Lane, which might otherwise be considered the town’s ‘natural’ western extremity. The ward boundaries within the parliamentary constituency are not coterminous with the parish boundaries.
Basingstoke is situated on a bed of
cretaceousThe Cretaceous , Latin language for "chalky", usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago . In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
upper chalk with small areas of clayey and loamy soil, inset with combined
clay and flintIn geology, Clay-with-Flints was the name given by W. Whitaker in 1861 to a peculiar deposit of stiff red, brown or yellow clay containing unworn whole flints as well as angular shattered fragments, also with a variable admixture of rounded flint, quartz, quartzite and other pebbles...
patches.
LoamLoam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration , considered ideal for gardening and agricultural uses...
and
alluviumAlluvium is soil or sediments deposited by a river or other running water...
recent and
pleistoceneThe Pleistocene is the epoch from 2.588 million to 12 000 years BP covering the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
sediments line the bed of the river Loddon. A narrow line of
tertiaryThe Tertiary is a term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.588 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
Reading beds run diagonally from the northwest to the southeast along a line from
Sherborne St JohnSherborne St John is a village and civil parish near Basingstoke in the English county of Hampshire.-Country estates:Sherborne is the location of two well-known country estates:...
through Popley, Daneshill and the north part of Basing. To the north of this line, encompassing the areas of Chineham and Pyotts Hill, is
London clayThe London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for the fossils it contains. The fossils from the Lower Eocene indicate a moderately warm climate, the flora being tropical or subtropical...
.
Divisions and suburbs
Basingstoke's expansion has absorbed much surrounding farmland and scattered housing, transforming it into
housing estateA housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
s or local districts. Many of these new estates are designed as almost self-contained communities, such as
LychpitLychpit is now the name of a modern housing development adjacent to Old Basing near Basingstoke, Hampshire. The modern development started in the early 1980s but the area has an ancient past associated with that of Old Basing. The name derives from a wooded dell that still exists at the western end...
,
ChinehamChineham is a civil parish in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. It lies about 3 miles northeast of central Basingstoke, just north of the A33 road between Basingstoke and Reading.-Demography:...
, Popley,
WinkleburyWinklebury is a large suburb located two miles north-west of central Basingstoke in the UK. Up until the late 1960s Winklebury was a collection of small holdings but Basingstoke's growth as a London Overspill town saw the area developed for housing.-History:...
,
OakridgeOakridge is a village in Hampshire, England, and is located in the north of Basingstoke within the ringroad.-History:The area was built with mansionettes as part of the rapid expansion of Basingstoke....
,
KempshottKempshott is an area and housing estate on the western edge of Basingstoke located to the south of Pack Lane and north of Winchester Road.The Kempshott estate dates back to the early 1700s where the Duke of Edinburgh stayed at Kempshott House and later had his honeymoon there in 1795 with...
,
Brighton HillBrighton Hill is a district of Basingstoke, England, that was formed around 1970 as part of the Town Centre Development Plan. The area is bounded to the west by the newer housing estate of Hatch Warren and by the A30. To the east of Brighton Hill, the Viables Industrial Estate and Cranbourne...
,
South HamSouth Ham is an area in the western part of Basingstoke.It takes its name from what was once the major farm in the area, South Ham farm, which was demolished in the early 1960s. Parts of the area were developed for Council Housing in both the 1930s and 1950s when Western Way, one of the principal...
, Black Dam and
Hatch WarrenHatch Warren is a housing estate to the west of Basingstoke in Hampshire. Neighbouring housing estates include Kempshott and Brighton Hill. It is primarily served by Brighton Hill Community College and two junior schools, St Mark's and Hatch Warren.It lies within the Hatch Warren & Beggarwood ward...
. The M3 acts as a buffer zone to the south of the town, and the
South Western Main LineThe South Western Main Line is a railway line from London Waterloo to Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth...
constrains the western expansion, with a
green beltA green belt or greenbelt is a policy and land use designation used in land use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighbouring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or green wedges which have a linear character and may run through an...
to the north and north-east, making Basingstoke shaped almost like a kite. As a result, the villages of
CliddesdenCliddesden is a parish in Hampshire, England located 3 miles south of Basingstoke, close to the M3 motorway. In the 2001 census it had a population of 489...
, Dummer,
Sherborne St JohnSherborne St John is a village and civil parish near Basingstoke in the English county of Hampshire.-Country estates:Sherborne is the location of two well-known country estates:...
and
OakleyOakley is a semi-rural affluent large village and parish situated 8 km west of the large town, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 5,322, verging on 'minor town' status. The village was recorded and mentioned in the Domesday book...
, although being very close to the town limits, are considered distinct entities. Popley, Hatch Warren and Beggarwood are seeing rapid growth in housing.
Nearby towns:
HookHook is a large village within the Hart district of northern Hampshire, England. It is situated east of Basingstoke and northeast of Southampton, on the A30 national route, just north of Junction 5 of the M3 motorway....
,
TadleyTadley is a town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire.During the 1950s and 1960s, the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment , now known as AWE, became the area's largest employer, and a large number of houses were built during this period to accommodate AWRE workers...
,
WhitchurchWhitchurch is a town in Hampshire, England. It is on the River Test, from Newbury, Berkshire, from Winchester, miles from Andover and miles from Basingstoke. Much of the town is a Conservation Area...
,
Nearby villages:
AldermastonAldermaston is a rural village and parish in Berkshire, South East England, with a population of 927. On the southern edge of the River Kennet flood plain, near the Hampshire border, it is located almost equidistant from Newbury, Basingstoke and Reading...
,
BaughurstBaughurst is a parish in Hampshire, England located just west of the town of Tadley, and 6 miles north of Basingstoke. In the 2001 census it had a population of 2,473. Many people think the name "Baughurst" is derived from the Old English "wood of the badger", indeed there is a pub in the village...
,
BramleyBramley is a village and parish in Hampshire, UK. In the 2001 census it had a population of 3,348. It has a village shop, baker, estate agency, pub and a railway station...
,
KingsclereKingsclere is a large village and civil parish in the county of Hampshire, England. Kingsclere is located near to Watership Down, the setting of Richard Adams' 1972 novel Watership Down.-Geography:...
,
OakleyOakley is a semi-rural affluent large village and parish situated 8 km west of the large town, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. In the 2001 census it had a population of 5,322, verging on 'minor town' status. The village was recorded and mentioned in the Domesday book...
,
Old BasingOld Basing is a village and civil parish in the north-east of the English county of Hampshire. It is situated just to the east of Basingstoke, and in the 2001 census had a population of 7,232...
,
OvertonOverton is a village and parish in Hampshire, England located west of the town of Basingstoke, and east of Andover and Whitchurch. The village of Quidhampton lies to the north of the village. The River Test rises 1 km to the east near the hamlet of Ashe....
,
RamsdellRamsdell is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. Ramsdell neighbours with Charter Alley only 1/2 mile up the road. The town of Tadley is away with the nearest shops. Ramsdell lies near other towns the largest being Basingstoke with Newbury only in the other...
,
SilchesterSilchester is a village and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. It is best known for the adjacent archaeological site and Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, which was first occupied by the Romans in about AD 45 and includes what is thought to be the best-preserved Roman wall in...
, Sherfield-On-Loddon.
Early settlements
The hillfort at
WinkleburyWinklebury is a large suburb located two miles north-west of central Basingstoke in the UK. Up until the late 1960s Winklebury was a collection of small holdings but Basingstoke's growth as a London Overspill town saw the area developed for housing.-History:...
(
2 miles (3 km) west of the town centre), known locally as Winklebury Camp or Winklebury Ring dates from the
Iron ageIn archaeology, the Iron Age is the prehistoric period in any area during which cutting tools and weapons were mainly made of iron or steel. The adoption of this material coincided with other changes in society, including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles.The...
and there are remains of several other earthworks around Basingstoke including a
long barrowA long barrow is a prehistoric monument dating to the early Neolithic period. They are rectangular or trapezoidal earth mounds traditionally interpreted as collective tombs...
near Down Grange. Nearby, to the west, Roman Road and Kempshott Lane mark the course of a
Roman roadRoman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman Army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and...
that ran from
WinchesterWinchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen...
to
SilchesterSilchester is a village and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. It is best known for the adjacent archaeological site and Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum, which was first occupied by the Romans in about AD 45 and includes what is thought to be the best-preserved Roman wall in...
. Further to the east, another Roman road ran from
ChichesterChichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
through the outlaying villages of
Upton Grey-Geographic location:Upton Grey is located near to Basingstoke to the North-West. There are various other villages located in all directions around the village:*South Warnborough - to the East*Greywell and Odiham - to the North-East*Herriard - to the South...
and
MapledurwellMapledurwell is a parish and village in Hampshire, England located south east of Basingstoke. The name Mapledurwell means 'maple tree spring.'-History:...
. The
Harrow WayThe Harrow Way forms the western part of the Old Way, an ancient trackway in the south of England, dating from the Neolithic period, which can be traced from Rochester and the Channel ports in the Straits of Dover along the North Downs and through Guildford, Farnham, Andover and Basingstoke to...
is an
ancient routeAncient trackway can refer to any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity. Such paths existed from the earliest prehistoric times and in every inhabited part of the globe. The term is commonly used in the British Isles to describe the ancient trackways that already existed when the Romans...
that runs to the south of the town.
Etymology
The name Basingstoke (A.D 990; Embasinga stocæ,
DomesdayThe Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror...
; Basingestoches) is believed to have been derived from the town's position as the outlying, western settlement of Basa's people. Basing, now
Old BasingOld Basing is a village and civil parish in the north-east of the English county of Hampshire. It is situated just to the east of Basingstoke, and in the 2001 census had a population of 7,232...
, a village a few miles to the east, is thought to have the same etymology, but is considered by some to be the older settlement.
Market town
Basingstoke is recorded as being a market site in the
Domesday BookThe Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror...
, and has held a regular Wednesday market since 1214.
During the
Civil WarThe First English Civil War commenced the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War...
, and the
siegeA siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit"....
of
Basing HouseBasing House, Hampshire, was a major English Tudor palace and castle that once rivalled Hampton Court Palace in its size and opulence. Today only its foundations and earthworks remain...
between 1643 and 1645, the town played host to large numbers of Parliamentarians. During this time,
St. Michael's ChurchSt. Michael's Church is the Anglican parish church in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. It is located in the lower part of the town, near its centre, towards the northern end of Church Street....
was damaged whilst being used as an explosive store and
leadLead is a main-group element with symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal, also considered to be one of the heavy metals. Lead has a bluish-white color when freshly cut, but tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed to air...
was stripped from the roof of the Chapel of the Holy Trinity leading to its eventual ruin.
CromwellOliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader best known for his involvement in making England into a republican Commonwealth and for his later role as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland.He was one of the commanders of the New Model Army which defeated the royalists in...
is believed to have stayed in the town towards the end of the siege and wrote a letter to the
SpeakerThe term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a legislative body. The speaker's official role is to moderate debate, make rulings on procedure, announce the results of votes, and the like. The speaker decides who may speak and has the powers to discipline members who break the...
of the
House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 646 members, who are known as "Members...
addressed from Basingstoke.
The cloth industry appears to have been important in the development of the town until the 17th century along with malting.
BrewingA brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made in the home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
became important during the 18th and 19th centuries, and the oldest and most successful was May's Brewery, established by Thomas and William May in 1750 in Brook Street.
Victorian history
The
London and South Western RailwayThe London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
arrived in 1839 from London, and within a year it was connected to Winchester and Southampton. in 1848 a rival company, Sponsored by the
Great Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835, and ran its first trains three years later...
built a branch from Reading, and in 1854 a line was built to
SalisburySalisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England. It has also been called New Sarum to distinguish it from the original site of settlement to the north of the city at Old Sarum, but this alternative name is not in common use. Similarly, a native of Salisbury may be known as a "Sarumite", but...
. In the 19th century Basingstoke began to move into industrial manufacture, Wallis and Haslam (later
Wallis & SteevensWallis & Steevens of Basingstoke, Hampshire, England produced agricultural equipment, traction engines and steam and diesel road rollers.-History:...
), began producing agricultural equipment including threshing machines in the 1850s, moving into the production of stationary steam engines in the 1860s and then
traction engineA traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...
s in the 1870s.
Two traders who opened their first shops within a year of each other in the town, went on to become household names nationally: Thomas
BurberryBurberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing and fashion accessories. Its distinctive tartan pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. The company has branded stores and franchises around the world, and also sells through concessions in...
in 1856 and Alfred Milward in 1857. Burberry became famous after he invented
GabardineGabardine is a tough, tightly woven fabric used to make suits, overcoats, trousers and other garments. The fibre used to make the fabric is traditionally worsted wool, but may also be cotton, synthetic or mixed. The fabric is smooth on one side and has a diagonally ribbed surface on the other...
and Milward founded the Milwards chain of shoe shops, which could be found on almost every high street until the 1980s.
Ordinary citizens were said to be shocked by the emotive,
evangelicalEvangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s.Most adherents consider its key characteristics to be: a belief in the need for personal conversion ; some expression of the gospel in effort; a high regard for biblical authority; and an emphasis on the...
tactics of the
Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army, an international movement, describes itself as an armed evangelical movement part of the Christian Church. It has a quasi-military structure and was founded in 1865 in the United Kingdom as the East London Christian Liberation Mission by William and Catherine Booth. It is well...
when they arrived in the town in 1880, but the reaction from those employed by the breweries or within the Licence trade quickly grew more openly hostile. Violent clashes became a regular occurrence culminating on Sunday 27 March 1881 with troops being called upon to break up the conflict after the
Mayor"Mayor" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government....
had read the
Riot ActThe Riot Act was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which authorised local authorities to declare any group of more than twelve people to be unlawfully assembled, and thus have to disperse or face punitive action...
. The riot and its causes led to questions in
ParliamentThe Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. It alone has parliamentary sovereignty, conferring upon it ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories...
and a period of notoriety for the town.
In 1898
John Isaac ThornycroftSir John Isaac Thornycroft was the founder of the Thornycroft shipbuilding company. A member of the Thornycroft family, he was the son of Mary Thornycroft, the sculptress....
began production of steam-powered lorries in the town and
Thornycroft’sThornycroft was a United Kingdom-based vehicle manufacturer which built coaches, buses, and trucks from 1896 until 1977.-History:Thornycroft started out with steam vans and lorries. John Isaac Thornycroft, the naval engineer, built his first steam lorry in 1896...
quickly grew to become the town’s largest employer.
Recent history
Basingstoke was among the towns and cities targeted during the Second World War, and suffered bomb damage including St Michael's Church. After the war, it had a population of 25,000.
As part of the London Overspill plan, Basingstoke was rapidly developed in the late 1960s as an 'expanded town', along with places such as Harlow and
SwindonSwindon is a large town and unitary borough authority in the ceremonial county of Wiltshire in south west England. It is midway between Bristol, west, and Reading, east. London is east....
. Basingstoke town centre was completely rebuilt. At this time many buildings of historic interest were replaced by a large red brick
shopping centreA shopping mall, shopping centre or shopping center is a building or multiple buildings consisting of a complex of shops representing leading merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a convenient parking area – a modern,...
and
concreteConcrete is a construction material composed of cement as well as other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water, and chemical admixtures...
multi-storey car parkA multi-storey car park is a building which is designed specifically to be for automobile parking and where there are a number of floors or levels on which parking takes place...
. Many office blocks and large estates were built, including a
ring roadRing road is another term for beltway. It may also refer to:* Ring Road * Ring Road * Ring Road * Ring road of Iceland* Ring Road * "Ring Road", a song by the electronic band, Underworld....
.
The shopping centre, following money issues, was built in phases. The first phase was completed by the 1970s and was later covered in the 1980s, and was known as
The Walks. The second phase was completed by the early 1980s, and became
The Malls. The third phase was abandoned and the site was later used to build
The AnvilThe Anvil is a theatre and performing arts centre in the town of Basingstoke in Hampshire, UK.Built on a site originally set aside for the third phase of Basingstoke's shopping centre, The Anvil was built to tackle what was then seen as a 'cultural desert' in the Basingstoke area...
concert hall.
In 2003 Basingstoke was voted ninth in the
Crap TownsCrap Towns: The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK and Crap Towns II: The Nation Decides are a series of humorous books edited by Sam Jordison and Dan Kieran and published in association with UK Quarterly The Idler. Towns in the UK were nominated by visitors to The Idler Website for their...
survey, a humorous, but unscientific guide to the worst places to live in Britain though was not in the top ten of the 2004 survey.
Later that year, the
Basingstoke GazetteThe Basingstoke Gazette is a local newspaper for Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. The newspaper is published three-times weekly, on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, with the Wednesday edition branded as the "Basingstoke Extra", and distributed free of charge....
launched its "Basingstoke – A Place to be Proud of" campaign, aimed at changing people’s perception of the town. The campaign is ongoing and marked by the presentation of annual awards to individuals, organisations or businesses nominated by the public for commendable local achievement.
The central part of the shopping centre was rebuilt in 2002 and reopened as
Festival PlaceFestival Place is a shopping centre in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England which opened on Tuesday, 22 October 2002. It houses 165 shops including large department stores such as Bhs, Debenhams, and Marks and Spencer and designer stores such as Austin Reed, Kurt Muller and LK Bennett...
. This has bought a dramatic improvement to shoppers opinions of the town centre, but it is unclear if it has softened the towns overall image.
Further work to improve the image of the town continues with the latest Central Basingstoke Vision project coordinated by the Borough Council.
In the mid 1990s, numerous reports described sightings of the Beast of Basingstoke, a
big catBritish big cats, also referred to as ABCs , phantom cats and mystery cats, are Felidae which may or may not be native to Britain which are reported to inhabit the British countryside. These sightings are often reported as "panthers", "pumas", or "black cats"...
believed to be a lion or a puma, possibly two. Local legend suggests the animal was shot and killed, although no official news sources document any capture or killing of the beast.
Demographics
| Year | Population |
|---|
| 1801 |
2,589 |
| 1841 |
4,066 |
| 1871 |
5,574 |
| 1891 |
7,960 |
| 1911 |
11,259 |
| 1921 |
12,415 |
| 1931 |
13,865 |
| 1951 |
16,978 |
| 1961 |
25,980 |
| 1971 |
52,608 |
| 2009 |
96,348 |
| Basingstoke & Deane Compared |
| 2001 UK census A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
|
Basingstoke and Deane |
South East England South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. Its boundaries include Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
|
England |
| Total population |
152,573 |
8,000,645 |
49,138,831 |
| Population density |
2.41 |
4.20 |
3.77 |
| White British |
96.6% |
95.1% |
90.9% |
| Asian |
1.2% |
2.3% |
4.6% |
| Mixed race |
1.0% |
1.1% |
1.3% |
| Christian |
74.0% |
72.8% |
71.7% |
| No religion |
17.0% |
16.5% |
14.6% |
| Good health |
74.3% |
71.5% |
68.8% |
| Employed full time |
51.0% |
43.2% |
40.8% |
| Owner Occupier with mortgage or loan |
48.7% |
41.9% |
38.9% |
| Travelling less than 10 km to work |
64.2% |
63.0% |
67.5% |
The borough of Basingstoke was merged with other local districts in 1974 to form the borough of
Basingstoke and DeaneBasingstoke and Deane is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. Its main town is Basingstoke. Other settlements include Bramley, Tadley, Kingsclere, Overton, Oakley, Whitchurch and the hamlet of Deane, some from Basingstoke....
. Since then most census data has been for the larger area: before 1974, census information was published for the town as a separate entity.
Figures published for the most recent
UK census in 2001A nationwide census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census....
for the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane, give a population of 152,573 and a population density of 2.41 persons per
hectareA hectare is a unit of area equal to , or one square hectometre , and commonly used for measuring land area....
. The number of women at 50.48% slightly exceeded that of men.
96.56% of the population were
White British"White British" was an ethnic-based classification used by the 2001 census in the United Kingdom. As a result of the census, 50,366,497 people in the United Kingdom were classified as White British. In Scotland the classification was broken down into two different categories: "White Scottish" and...
, 1.22% Asian or Asian British, 1.02% mixed race, 0.58% Black or Black British and 0.61% Chinese or other ethnic group. With regard to religion, 74.02% of the population were
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
, 16.98% had no religion and 7.22% did not respond. Other religions in total accounting for less than 2%. Amongst other findings were that 74.33% felt they were in good health, 50.98% were economically active full time employees (over 10% higher than the National Average) and 48.73% were buying their property with a mortgage or loan (almost 10% higher than the national average).
Amongst the working population, 64.2% travelled less than 10 km to work. The biggest percentage of employees, 17.67% worked in real estate, renting and business activities.
Facilities
Festival PlaceFestival Place is a shopping centre in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England which opened on Tuesday, 22 October 2002. It houses 165 shops including large department stores such as Bhs, Debenhams, and Marks and Spencer and designer stores such as Austin Reed, Kurt Muller and LK Bennett...
, a new shopping centre, opened in autumn 2002, adding a huge boost to the town centre, transforming the former The Walks Shopping Centre and the New Market Square. Aside from a wide range of shops, there is also a range of cafés and restaurants as well as a large multiple-screen
VueVue is a cinema company in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The company was formed in May 2003 when SBC International Cinemas bought Warner Village Cinemas. There are now 62 Vue cinemas, with 607 screens totaling 134,413 seats, which includes the rebranded flagship Warner Village Cinema in...
cinema (formerly
Ster CenturySter Century was a cinema company in Ireland and the UK. There was one Ster Century cinema in Dublin, Ireland, and 6 in the UK: Basingstoke, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Leeds, Norwich, and Romford...
until their takeover in 2005).
Central Basingstoke has two further shopping areas:
The MallsThe Malls, Basingstoke is a shopping centre in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England built between 1978 and 1981.-History and development:Before The Malls were built, the site was occupied by a number of small residential and commercial properties and by the clothing factory of Gerrish, Ames and...
and the Top of Town. The Malls area has declined since the opening of Festival Place and the closure of its
AlldersAllders is an independent department store in Croydon, established by Joshua Allder in 1862. It is the fourth-largest department store in the United Kingdom.The Croydon store was the flagship of a large chain of department stores in the UK...
department store, though it is still home to several major retailers. The leasehold was purchased in 2004 by the St Modwen development group in partnership with the Kuwait property investment company Salhia Real Estate, with provision for redevelopment and a 55,000 square metre
PrimarkPrimark is a clothing retailer, operating in Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Portugal. It operates a total of 188 stores with 34 in Ireland, 125 in the UK, 8 in Spain and 1 in the Netherlands, Germany and in Portugal...
store opened on the previous Allders site, in the Malls shopping centre, in March 2008. The store, which employs 204 people, is in the top 25 largest Primark stores in the country.
The Top of Town is the historic heart of Basingstoke, housing the town's
Willis Museum in the former Town Hall building and the
Haymarket Theatre in the former
Corn exchangeA corn exchange was a building where farmers and merchants traded cereal grains. Such trade was common in towns and cities of the Great Britain and Ireland until the 19th century, but as the trade became centralised in the 20th century many such buildings were used for other purposes...
. There are also several locally run shops, as well as the post office, and the market place.
The town's
nightlifeNightlife is the collective term for any entertainment that is available and more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning. It includes the pubs, nightclubs, discothèques, bars, live music, concert, cabaret, small theatres, small cinemas, shows, and sometimes restaurants a...
is split between the new Festival Square, and the traditional hostelries at the Top of Town, with a few local community pubs outside the central area. The town has four nightclubs, two in the town itself, one on the east side and one
2 miles (3 km) out to the west.
In Portchester Square is the Basingstoke Sports Centre which has a subterranean swimming pool,
saunaA sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities. These facilities derive from the Finnish sauna...
,
jacuzziJacuzzi is a company that produces whirlpool bathtubs and spas. Its first product was a bath with massaging jets. The trademarked Jacuzzi name is commonly used to refer to any bath with water jets, and can thus be considered a genericized trademark...
and steam room. Above ground there is a gym, aerobics studios, squash courts and main hall. There is also a playden for young children. Basingstoke town centre is also home to a modern concert hall,
The AnvilThe Anvil is a theatre and performing arts centre in the town of Basingstoke in Hampshire, UK.Built on a site originally set aside for the third phase of Basingstoke's shopping centre, The Anvil was built to tackle what was then seen as a 'cultural desert' in the Basingstoke area...
.
Sports and leisure
Outside the town centre, there is a leisure park featuring the
Aquadrome swimming pool , which opened in May 2002. The park also includes an ice rink, Bowling Alley, Bingo club and a ten screen
cinemaA multiplex is a movie theater complex with more than three screens. The largest of these complexes are sometimes referred to as a megaplex. Definitions of what constitutes a multiplex vs a megaplex is related to the number of screens. Often the comparison is arbitrary...
, as well as a restaurant and fast food outlets. The leisure park is also home to the
Milestones MuseumMilestones Museum is a museum located in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. It is made up of a network of streets that have been recreated on those found in Victorian and 1930s Hampshire....
which contains a network of streets and buildings based on the history of
HampshireHampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a county on the south coast of England. The county borders , Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
.
Basingstoke has its own
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
team,
Basingstoke Town Football ClubBasingstoke Town Football Club are an English association football team, based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England, playing in the Conference South. Their ground, The Camrose, is named after their late benefactor, Lord Camrose...
who play in the
Blue Square Conference Souththumb|right|South Conference TrophyConference South is one of the second divisions of the Football Conference in England, taking its place immediately below the Conference National...
. The
Basingstoke Rugby Football ClubBasingstoke Rugby Football Club is a Rugby Union club based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, in southern England. The club was formed in March 1948, with two matches being played during that season, and a full fixture list for two fifteens the following season...
play in Rugby Football Union's Powergen South West League 1, and the
Basingstoke BisonThe Basingstoke Bison are an English ice hockey club from Basingstoke.- History :Formed in 1988 as the Basingstoke Beavers, the club soon became the butt of jokes when it was realised that Canadian players would not sign for a club whose name is Canadian slang for a part of the female anatomy.The...
ice hockeyIce Hockey is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a puck into the opposing team's goal. It is a fast-paced and physical sport...
team play in the
Elite Ice Hockey LeagueThe Elite Ice Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level of ice hockey competition in the United Kingdom...
until the end of 2008/2009 season. From the 2009/2010 season, the team will play in the English Ice Hockey League. Basingstoke also has a swimming team, known as the
Basingstoke Bluefins. The diversity of sporting activity in the area is illustrated by organisations such as Basingstoke Demons Floorball Club and Basingstoke Bulls Korfball Club. The home ground of Basingstoke & North Hants Cricket Club, Mays Bounty was until 2000 used once a season by Hampshire County Cricket Club. Players such as
Shane WarneShane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as the greatest leg spin bowler in the history of the game...
and
Sachin TendulkarSachin Ramesh Tendulkar is an Indian cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. In 2002, Wisden ranked him the second greatest Test batsman of all time, next to Donald Bradman, and the second greatest one day international batsman of all time, next to...
as well as Ashes winners
Michael VaughanMichael Paul Vaughan OBE is a former cricketer who represented Yorkshire and England. A classically elegant right-handed batsman and useful occasional off-spinner, Vaughan was ranked the best batsman in the world following the 2002/3 Ashes, in which he scored 633 runs, including three centuries...
,
Steve HarmisonStephen James Harmison MBE is an England cricketer, a leading Test match fast bowler and a two-time Ashes winner. He plays county cricket for Durham. With his height he can extract pace and bounce from most pitches...
and
Matthew HoggardMatthew James Hoggard MBE is an English cricketer.The 6' 2" Hoggard is a right arm fast-medium bowler and right-handed batsman. He is currently without a county, after being released by Yorkshire at the end of the 2009 season...
have graced the ground It was also where celebrated commentator and playwright
John ArlottLeslie Thomas John Arlott OBE was an English journalist, author and cricket commentator for the BBC's Test Match Special. He was also a poet, wine connoisseur and former police officer in Hampshire...
watched his first match. In August 2008 County Cricket returned to May’s Bounty with
Hampshire County Cricket ClubHampshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Hampshire. Its limited overs team is called the Hampshire Hawks...
defeating eventual County Champions
Durham County Cricket ClubDurham County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Durham. Its limited overs team is called the Durham Dynamos. Their kit colours are blue with yellow trim and the shirt sponsor was Northern Rock...
.
http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/sport/sporthome/display.var.1972615.0.august_fixture_for_county_at_bounty.php.
Plans have recently been announced for a new multi-million pound sports facility at Down Grange, which would be suitable for many sports. Proposals include a stadium for Basingstoke Town FC and Basingstoke RFC which would be up to the standard of the Football League, a new 8 lane athletics track and hockey pitch, as well as a gym, swimming pool, hotel and conference facilities.
www.basingstokekarate.com teaches fitness and martial arts in Basingstoke to both adults and children. The children's classes are split by age with classes for 4-6 year olds, 7-9 year olds and 10-15 year olds.
Media
Basingstoke has its own radio station:
Kestrel FM107.6 Kestrel FM is an FM Independent Local Radio station covering Basingstoke and the surrounding area of north Hampshire, UK. Overall, it covers more than 130,000 people.The station first broadcast on 15 May 1998. It is now owned by Tindle Radio...
. Heart Berkshire, broadcast from
ReadingReading is a large town in England, located at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London...
also provides local radio coverage. The town also has good coverage from
digital radioDigital radio describes radio technologies which carry information as a digital signal, by means of a digital modulation method. The most common meaning is digital audio broadcasting technologies, but the topic may also cover TV broadcasting as well as many two-way digital wireless communication...
; the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
, Independent National and Now Reading
multiplexesThe multiplexed signal is transmitted over a communication channel, which may be a physical transmission medium. The multiplexing divides the capacity of the low-level communication channel into several higher-level logical channels, one for each message signal or data stream to be transferred...
can be received in the town,
and the outskirts can receive London and South Hampshire stations as well.
There are three local newspapers: the
Basingstoke GazetteThe Basingstoke Gazette is a local newspaper for Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. The newspaper is published three-times weekly, on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, with the Wednesday edition branded as the "Basingstoke Extra", and distributed free of charge....
,
Basingstoke ObserverThe Basingstoke Observer is a local newspaper for the Basingstoke and surrounding areas of north Hampshire, in England. The newspaper is published weekly, and is available free for readers to 'pick up' from various shops and public outlets in and around Basingstoke...
and the Basingstoke Independent. The town is also covered by the
Hampshire ChronicleThe Hampshire Chronicle is a local, broadsheet newspaper that is circulated all over the Hampshire area. Based in Winchester UK, the Hampshire Chronicle was established in 1772 and is one of the oldest publications in the South of England. The Hampshire Chronicle is owned by Newsquest, which is the...
.
Education
Education in Basingstoke is co-ordinated by Hampshire County Council. Each neighbourhood in the town has at least one Primary school, while
Secondary schoolSecondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of compulsory schooling, known as secondary education, takes place. It follows on from elementary or primary education....
s are distributed around the town on larger campuses.
Basingstoke has two large
further educationFurther education is a term mainly used in connection with education in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is post-compulsory education , that is distinct from the education offered in universities...
colleges: a
sixth form collegeA sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels...
,
Queen Mary's CollegeQueen Mary's College is a sixth form college in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England.-The College:The majority of the college's classrooms are housed in a single, two-storey, wide spread main building with a few smaller buildings and four temporary buildings providing most of the rest of the teaching...
(QMC) and
Basingstoke College of TechnologyThe Basingstoke College of Technology is a college in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. The college's campus is located either side of Worting Road.-Courses:...
(BCOT).
Universities
The
University of WinchesterThe University of Winchester is a university with campuses in both Winchester and Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. It was given university status by the Privy Council in June 2005, having previously been known as "University College Winchester", and earlier as "King Alfred's College,...
has a Campus in Basingstoke
(Chute House Campus). Chute House Campus delivers full-time and part-time university courses for those who have otherwise busy lives and want a flexible approach to studying. Located in the centre of Basingstoke, many courses are run in the evening to meet the growing demand for this type of flexible study. The qualifications on offer range from foundation degrees, bachelor degrees, PGCE and MBA. Subjects include childhood studies, various management pathways, community development and creative industries.
Basingstoke is within
30 miles (48 km) of six
universitiesA university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, namely
Thames Valley UniversityThames Valley University is a British university based on campuses in Slough and Reading in Berkshire, and Ealing and Brentford in west London...
(TVU), the
University of WinchesterThe University of Winchester is a university with campuses in both Winchester and Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. It was given university status by the Privy Council in June 2005, having previously been known as "University College Winchester", and earlier as "King Alfred's College,...
, the
University of ReadingThe University of Reading is a red-brick university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. Established in 1892, receiving its Royal Charter in 1926, the University has a long tradition of research, education and training at a local, national and international level. It was awarded the Queen's...
, the
University of SouthamptonThe University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902 the Institution developed into the Hartley University...
,
Southampton Solent UniversitySouthampton Solent University is a university of 17,000 students based in Southampton, United Kingdom. Its main campus is located on East Park Terrace near the city centre...
and
Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University CollegeThe Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College was an art college in the United Kingdom. It merged with the Kent Institute of Art & Design on 1 August 2005 to form the University College for the Creative Arts at Canterbury, Epsom, Farnham, Maidstone and Rochester, now the University for...
in
FarnhamFarnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire. By road Guildford is 11 miles to the east, Aldershot 4 miles to the north-east and Winchester 28...
.
Road
Basingstoke is at Junction 6 and Junction 7 of the M3 motorway, which skirts the town's southern edge, linking the town to London and to Southampton and the south-west. The central area of the town is encircled by a
ring roadRing road is another term for beltway. It may also refer to:* Ring Road * Ring Road * Ring Road * Ring road of Iceland* Ring Road * "Ring Road", a song by the electronic band, Underworld....
constructed in the 1960s named The Ringway and bisected from east to west by the A3010, Churchill Way. Major roads radiate from the Ringway like spokes from a hub. The
A33The A33 is a major road in England. The road formerly ran from Reading to Southampton, but now consists of three disjoint sections:*Reading to Basingstoke*The A30 road south of Basingstoke to just north of Winchester...
runs northeast to Reading and the
M4 MotorwayThe M4 motorway is a motorway in Great Britain linking London with West Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea....
. The
A30The A30 is an old trunk road which runs from central London to Land's End, the westernmost point of the mainland of southern Great Britain , and is sometimes called the Great South West Road. At 284 miles long, it is the third longest 'A' road in the United Kingdom, behind the A1 and A38...
runs east to Hook and southwest to Winchester. The A339 runs southeast to Alton and northwest to Newbury. Basingstoke has a reputation for having a large density of roundabouts.
Rail
The
South Western Main LineThe South Western Main Line is a railway line from London Waterloo to Weymouth on the Dorset coast, in the south of England. It is a major railway which serves many important commuter areas, as well as the major settlements of Southampton and Bournemouth...
railwayThe railway system in Great Britain is the oldest in the world, with the world's first locomotive hauled public railway opening in 1825. As of 2006, it consists of of standard gauge lines , of which are electrified. These lines are single, double or quadruple track. In addition, a number of...
runs east and west through the centre of the town and
Basingstoke railway stationBasingstoke railway station, in the town of Basingstoke in the county of Hampshire in England, is on the South Western Main Line from London Waterloo, with local and fast services operated by South West Trains. It is also the terminus of First Great Western local services on the Reading to...
linking it to the
South West of EnglandSouth West England is one of the regions of England. It is the largest such region in terms of area, covering including Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. It has a population of almost five million, and includes the area often known as...
,
London WaterlooWaterloo station, also known as London Waterloo, is a major railway terminus in London, England owned and operated by Network Rail. It is near the South Bank in the London Borough of Lambeth, and in Travelcard Zone 1...
(the fastest train Basingstoke to London takes 45 minutes), Winchester, Southampton and Bournemouth, and via the
Eastleigh to Fareham LineThe Eastleigh-Fareham Line is the railway line from Eastleigh to Fareham in the United Kingdom. At Eastleigh, trains join the South Western Main Line for onward travel to Basingstoke, Reading or to London Waterloo. At Fareham trains join the West Coastway line for onward travel to Portsmouth or...
and
West Coastway LineThe West Coastway Line is a railway line in England, along the south coast of West Sussex and Hampshire, to the west of Brighton., plus the short branches to Littlehampton and Bognor Regis....
to Portsmouth and Brighton. The
West of England Main LineThe West of England Main Line is a British railway line, running from London Waterloo to Exeter St Davids. Historically, the main line continued to Okehampton and Plymouth, and competed for the lucrative Atlantic Boat Train traffic.-History:...
to Salisbury and Exeter diverges at
Worting Junction|}Worting Junction is a railway junction on the former LSWR route south of Basingstoke where the line divides to go towards Salisbury or Southampton. When the line was first opened in 1854 Worting Junction was constructed as a flat junction. This required that down trains heading west and up...
, to the west. The Basingstoke Branch runs north-east to
ReadingReading railway station is a major rail transport hub in the English town of Reading. It is situated on the northern edge of the town centre, close to the main retail and commercial areas, and also the River Thames...
, providing services to Oxford, Birmingham, the north of England and Scotland. The town was also the terminus of the defunct
Basingstoke and Alton Light RailwayThe Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway was a railway in Hampshire, UK, opened on Saturday, 1 June, 1901, with no formal ceremony.It was the first railway to be enabled by an Order of the Light Railway Commission under the Light Railways Act of 1896...
. Current rail services from Basingstoke are operated by
South West TrainsSouth West Trains is the trading name of a train operating company operating in the United Kingdom, providing train services to the south-west of London, chiefly in Greater London and the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight, the area...
,
CrosscountryCrossCountry is the brand name of XC Trains Ltd., a British train operating company owned by Arriva. The company operates a network of express and long-distance train services between a variety of towns and cities outside London.- Formation :...
and
First Great WesternFirst Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup, which operates services in the west and south west of England and South Wales....
.
Bus
Most
bus services in the town operate from Basingstoke Bus Station. The majority are provided by the
Stagecoach GroupStagecoach Group plc is an international transport group operating buses, trains, trams, express coaches and ferries. The group was founded in 1980 by the current chairman, Brian Souter, his sister, Ann Gloag, and her former husband Robin...
through their
Stagecoach in HampshireStagecoach in Hampshire is an operating sub-division of Stagecoach South, part of the Stagecoach Group and is the trading name of Hampshire Bus Company Ltd.Its main bases of operation are Andover, Basingstoke and Winchester.-Local:...
sub-division. Newbury Buses also operate over individual routes and
cangoCango is a demand responsive transport bus operator in Hampshire, UK, owned by Hampshire County Council. The services operate in the localities around main towns, using Optare Solo and Optare Alero buses.-Background:Cango services do not use set routes...
operate a service linking villages between Basingstoke and Alton.
A
Park and RidePark and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and others wishing to travel into city centres to leave their personal vehicles in a car park and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
service provided by Courtney Coaches links Basingstoke leisure park with Basing View, via Basingstoke Railway Station. This service uses distinctive purple and green
Alexander Dennis Enviro 200The Alexander Dennis Enviro200 is a midibus designed by TransBus International for the UK market, intended as the successor of the Dennis Dart SLF.-Design:...
buses,(previously using
Optare SoloThe Optare Solo is a low floor midibus manufactured by Optare in Leeds, UK since 1997. The name "Solo" is a play on the low-floor status of the bus, the manufacturer believing its vehicle having an entrance that is "so low" from the floor, namely 200 mm with kneeling suspension...
), and provides a daytime service at roughly 10-minute intervals throughout the week. The buses on this service being provided by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. Currently (2007), a complimentary peak time service is also provided by MEPC Coaches between Chineham Business Park and the railway station.
National ExpressNational Express is the brand under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are marketed, and also the company that manages this network and operates some of the services...
offers direct coach services to London and Southampton from the bus station.
Cycle
Separate provision for cyclists from other road traffic was not part of the remit of the 1960s town redevelopment, and until recently provision for cyclists was very poor. A Basingstoke Area Cycling Strategy was developed in 1999 and subsequently an extensive cycle network has been developed mainly utilising on-road routes or off-road routes that run parallel with and directly alongside roads. Basingstoke was linked to Reading on the
National Cycle NetworkThe National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
route 23 in May 2003 and the route was extended south to Alton and Alresford in April 2006. A Basingstoke Bicycle Users Group meets quarterly to discuss local cycling issues.
Air
The closest
international airportAn international airport is an airport typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle international flights to and from other countries. Such airports are usually larger, and often feature longer runways and facilities to accommodate the large aircraft commonly used for...
to Basingstoke is
SouthamptonSouthampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England.Southampton Airport is owned and operated by BAA, which also owns and operates six other UK airports, including the three busiest airports serving London, and is itself owned by...
, about
25 miles (40 km) away.
BlackbusheBlackbushe Airport , in the civil parish of Yateley in the north-east corner of the English county of Hampshire, comprises an airfield, much reduced in size since its heyday, a British Car Auctions site, a kart track owned by Camberley Kart Club, and a small business park...
(
9 miles (14 km)) and
FarnboroughNot to be confused with Farnborough, Berkshire or Farnborough, KentFarnborough is a town in northeast Hampshire, England, and part of the district of Rushmoor. Farnborough was founded in Saxon times and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.The name is formed from Ferneberga which means 'fern...
(
11 miles (18 km)) have
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)The Civil Aviation Authority is the public corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of aviation in the United Kingdom.-History:...
Ordinary Licences, allowing for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. Other
General Aviation (GA)General aviation is one of two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airfields in the area are at Popham, (
7 miles (11 km)) and
LashamLasham Airfield is located south-south-east of Basingstoke in Hampshire, England, near the village of Lasham. The airfield frequency is 131.025 MHz.The airfield is owned by one of the world's largest gliding clubs, Lasham Gliding Society...
(
5 miles (8 km)). Prior Permission Required (PPR) sites are near
BrimptonBrimpton is a small village of 200 residents and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire.- Location :It is located in the West Berkshire district, east of Newbury and to the south of the A4 road. Other villages nearby include Aldermaston, Woolhampton and an extension of Brimpton, Brimpton...
and Hook. Lasham is particularly well known for its gliding school.
Canal
Though there are no navigable waterways within the immediate area, plans to reconnect the town with the surviving section of the
Basingstoke CanalThe Basingstoke Canal is a British Canal, built to connect Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge via the Wey Navigation. From Basingstoke, the canal passes through or near Odiham, Fleet, Aldershot, Mytchett, Brookwood, and Woking. Its eastern end is at Byfleet, where it connects to the...
have been mooted several times in the past and this remains a long term aim of the Surrey and Hampshire Canal Society. The Basingstoke Canal Heritage Footpath follows the canal route for
2 miles (3 km) from
Festival PlaceFestival Place is a shopping centre in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England which opened on Tuesday, 22 October 2002. It houses 165 shops including large department stores such as Bhs, Debenhams, and Marks and Spencer and designer stores such as Austin Reed, Kurt Muller and LK Bennett...
to
Basing HouseBasing House, Hampshire, was a major English Tudor palace and castle that once rivalled Hampton Court Palace in its size and opulence. Today only its foundations and earthworks remain...
.
Nearest places
Cultural references
In the 1887
Gilbert and SullivanGilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian era partnership of librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
comic operaComic opera, or light opera, denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
RuddigoreRuddigore; or, The Witch's Curse, originally called Ruddygore, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan...
, the word "Basingstoke" is used as a code word by Sir Despard Murgatroyd to soothe his new wife, Mad Margaret, when she seems in danger of relapsing into madness. Margaret suggests this course of action herself:
Well, then, when I am lying awake at night, and the pale moonlight streams through the latticed casement, strange fancies crowd upon my poor mad brain, and I sometimes think that if we could hit upon some word for you to use whenever I am about to relapse—some word that teems with hidden meaning—like "Basingstoke"—it might recall me to my saner self.
First published in 1895,
Thomas HardyThomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet of the naturalist movement, although in several poems he displays elements of the previous romantic and enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural. He regarded himself primarily as a poet and composed novels...
referred to Basingstoke as "Stoke Barehills" in
Jude the ObscureJude the Obscure is the last of Thomas Hardy's novels, begun as a magazine serial and first published in book form in 1895. The book was burned publicly by William Walsham How, Bishop of Wakefield, in that same year. Its hero, Jude Fawley, is a working-class young man who dreams of becoming a...
– Part Fifth, Chapter 5
- "There is in Upper Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest of...
an old town of nine or ten thousand souls; the town may be called Stoke-Barehills. It stands with its gaunt, unattractive, ancient church, and its new red brick suburb".
- "The most familiar object in Stoke-Barehills nowadays is its cemetery, standing among some picturesque mediaeval ruins beside the railway; the modern chapels, modern tombs, and modern shrubs having a look of intrusiveness amid the crumbling and ivy-covered decay of the ancient walls."
Carl BarâtCarl Ashley Raphael Barât is an English musician and most recently, actor. He was the frontman and lead guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things and the co-frontman with Peter Doherty of the indie rock band The Libertines.-Early life:...
, co-founder of
The LibertinesThe Libertines were an English rock band. Formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty , the band also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
rock band, was born in Basingstoke and responded to a request for a description of the town with the question: "Have you seen
The OfficeThe Office is a British television comedy that first aired in the UK on BBC Two on 9 July 2001.Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough, Berkshire branch of the fictitious Wernham Hogg Paper Company...
?".
In
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the GalaxyThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the title of the first of five books in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comedy science fiction series by Douglas Adams. The novel is an adaptation of the first four parts of Adams's radio series of the same name...
by
Douglas AdamsDouglas Noel Adams was an English writer, dramatist, and musician. He is best known as the author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which started life in 1978 as a BBC radio comedy before developing into a "trilogy" of five books that sold over 15 million copies in his lifetime, a...
, just after Ford Prefect has explained to Arthur Dent that they hitched a lift on a spaceship Arthur replies: "Are you trying to tell me that we just stuck out our thumbs and some green bug-eyed monster stuck his head out and said, Hi fellas, hop right in. I can take you as far as the Basingstoke roundabout?".
The character
Rodney TrotterRodney Charlton Trotter is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses, played by Nicholas Lyndhurst.-Date of birth:...
in the sitcom
Only Fools And HorsesOnly Fools and Horses is a British television sitcom, created and written by John Sullivan, and made and broadcast by the BBC. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991, with sporadic Christmas specials until 2003.Set in Peckham in south London,...
studied at an art college in Basingstoke.
Basingstoke is mentioned in a skit from Episode 42 of Monty Python's Flying Circus as the site of a World War I battle. When the General (sitting as president of a court martial) asks "Basingstoke, Hampshire?" he is told no, the battle occurred in Basingstoke, Westphalia (which can only be located on a map produced by Cole Porter).
Recorded in Hunter Davies' contempary biography of The Beatles, Paul McCartney offers John Lennon "some amazing cake from Basingstoke."
Filmography
The 1998 film
Get RealGet Real is a 1998 British drama film directed by Simon Shore, based on the play What's Wrong With Angry? by screenwriter Patrick Wilde...
was filmed at various locations around the town.
The British sitcom
BlessedBlessed was a BBC television sitcom written by Ben Elton and starring Ardal O'Hanlon as Gary, a record producer, who is struggling to bring up two small children. The series was broadcast on BBC One on Friday evenings at 9.00pm between October and December 2005.It featured the lullaby "morningtown...
referred to Basingstoke in an episode that aired during the last quarter of 2005. When the main character met an upper-class couple who had named their children "India" and "Ireland" to reflect their supposed mystical natures, he ironically replied that he had named his own children "Basingstoke" and "
Milton KeynesMilton Keynes , often abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is also the principal town of the Borough of Milton Keynes. It was formally designated as a new town on 23 January 1967...
".
Basingstoke’s
North Hampshire HospitalThe North Hampshire Hospital, formerly Basingstoke District Hospital, is a 450 bed National Health Service Hospital in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England...
was one of two hospitals used for the filming of
Channel 4Channel 4 is a UK public-service television broadcaster which began working on November 2, 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station owned now and operated by the Channel Four Television...
's hit comedy
Green WingGreen Wing is an award-winning British sitcom set in the fictional East Hampton Hospital Trust. It was created by the same team behind the sketch show Smack the Pony, led by Victoria Pile, and stars Tamsin Greig, Stephen Mangan and Julian Rhind-Tutt....
.
An episode of
Top GearTop Gear is a BBC television series about motor vehicles, primarily cars. It began in 1977 as a conventional motoring magazine show. Over time, and especially since a relaunch in 2002, it has developed a quirky, humorous style. The show is currently presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond...
was filmed in Festival Place in November 2008. The episode was broadcast on BBC2 at 8:00pm on 7 December.
Jeremy ClarksonJeremy Charles Robert Clarkson is an English broadcaster and journalist who specialises in motoring. He is best known for his role on the BBC TV show Top Gear along with co-presenters Richard Hammond and James May...
was testing the new
Ford FiestaThe Ford Fiesta is a small front wheel drive supermini car designed by the Ford Motor Company and built in Europe, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, China, India and South Africa...
in the town in the early hours of the morning.
Basingstoke was referenced to in the second series of Skins, where Chris' father claims to have relatives as far as Basingstoke attending his son's funeral.
In the first series of
Ultimate ForceUltimate Force is a British television drama series that was shown on ITV, which deals with the activities of the fictional Red Troop of the SAS...
, episode 2 "Just a Target", the assassination attempt towards the end of the episode was set in Basingstoke.
See also
- :Category:Basingstoke: listing of Basingstoke-themed articles
- List of famous residents of Basingstoke
- Basingstoke Canal
The Basingstoke Canal is a British Canal, built to connect Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge via the Wey Navigation. From Basingstoke, the canal passes through or near Odiham, Fleet, Aldershot, Mytchett, Brookwood, and Woking. Its eastern end is at Byfleet, where it connects to the...
External links