Not to be confused with
Farnborough, BerkshireFarnborough is a small village and civil parish, amongst the Berkshire Downs north of Newbury, in the English county of Berkshire.-Famous people:*John Betjeman lived at Farnborough Rectory and he has a memorial window in the church....
or Farnborough, Kent
Farnborough is a
townA town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition...
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...
,
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and part of the district of
RushmoorRushmoor is a local government district and borough in Hampshire, England. It covers the towns of Aldershot and Farnborough.It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of the borough of Aldershot and the Farnborough urban district....
. Farnborough was founded in
SaxonAnglo-Saxons is the term usually used to describe the invading Germanic tribes in the south and east of Great Britain from the early 5th century AD, and their creation of the English nation, to the Norman conquest of 1066...
times and is 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...
of 1086.The name is formed from
Ferneberga which means 'fern hill'.
The town is probably best known as the home of the Farnborough Airshow. It is also home to
Farnborough AerodromeFarnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport is an airport situated in Farnborough, Hampshire, England....
, the
Air Accidents Investigation BranchThe Air Accidents Investigation Branch investigates air accidents in the United Kingdom. It is a branch of the Department for Transport and is based at Farnborough Airfield in Farnborough, Hampshire.-History:...
, and the international headquarters of both
BAE SystemsBAE Systems plc is a British defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire, England, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is the world's second-largest defence contractor and the largest in Europe...
and
QinetiQQinetiQ is an international defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
.
Geography
Farnborough is situated in northeast Hampshire and near the boundary with
SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford...
. The
River BlackwaterThe River Blackwater is a tributary of the River Loddon in England and, indirectly, of the River Thames. It rises at Rowhill on the outskirts of Aldershot between Aldershot in Hampshire and Farnham in Surrey and runs northwards to join the Loddon near the village of Swallowfield in Berkshire...
forms part of the boundary. It is located 55 km (34 miles) 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...
and 26 km (16 miles) east of
BasingstokeBasingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading, and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2006 it had an estimated population of 80,477...
, directly to the south of junction 4 of the M3 motorway. The town lies at the centre of the Blackwater Valley conurbation, which includes
AldershotAldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about 60 km southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
,
CamberleyCamberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles south west of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways...
,
YateleyYateley is a suburban town and civil parish in the English county of Hampshire. It lies in the north-eastern corner of Hart District Council. It includes the settlements of Frogmore and Darby Green.-Location:...
,
SandhurstSandhurst is a small town and civil parish in England of 7,966 homes and 20,803 inhabitants , primarily domiciliary in nature with a few light industries...
,
FrimleyFrimley is a small English town situated 2 miles south of Camberley, in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire. It is about 31 miles west south-west of London. It is part of the urban district Frimley and Camberley...
and
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...
.
Farnborough has incorporated several sizeable villages as it has expanded, including
CoveCove is an ancient village forming the western part of Farnborough in the county of Hampshire in the south-east of England, located 33 miles south west of London...
and Southwood, both of which are now considered suburbs. It is contiguous with the garrison town of
AldershotAldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about 60 km southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
to the south and with
FrimleyFrimley is a small English town situated 2 miles south of Camberley, in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire. It is about 31 miles west south-west of London. It is part of the urban district Frimley and Camberley...
to the north. Based in the town is the council of the local government district of
Rushmoor. The district has
borough statusBorough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
and also covers nearby Aldershot.
Farnborough's suburban areas include Southwood, Rafborough, Cove, Farnborough Park, Farnborough Street, West Heath, North Camp, South Farnborough, Fox Lane, Barningley Park.
Within Farnborough the only naturally occurring significant flowing water is
Cove BrookCove Brook is a small stream that rises near Farnborough Airfield in Farnborough, Hampshire, England and runs north before joining the River Blackwater near the M3 motorway....
.
History
Name changes: Ferneberga (xi cent.); Farnburghe, Farenberg (xiii cent.); Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough (xvi cent.).
'Parishes: Farnborough', A History of the County of Hampshire: Volume 4 (1911), pp. 15–18. Date accessed: 1 October 2008.
Tower Hill, Cove, Farnborough
There is irrefutable evidence that many years ago a large accumulation of Sarsens existed upon what later came to be known as 'Tower Hill'. To this day well over 1000 of these stones remain, sized from one or two ton down to loaf size, scattered, reused for many different purposes, but still within a short distance of their probable original site.
The town is the home of Saint Michael's Abbey. The Imperial Crypt there is the resting place of
Napoleon IIINapoleon III , Charles-Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, was the first President of the French Republic and the last monarch of France. He was also Napoleon I's nephew. Made president by popular vote in 1848, Napoleon III ascended to the throne on 2 December 1852, the forty-eighth anniversary of Napoleon...
(1808–1873),
Emperor of the French, and his wife,
Eugénie de MontijoEugénie de Montijo was the 18th Marchioness of Ardales, 18th Marchioness of Moya, 19th Countess of Teba, 10th Countess of Montijo and Countess of Ablitas...
, (1826–1920) and their son,
Louis Napoléon, The Prince ImperialNapoléon IV, Prince Imperial, often referred to as Louis Napoléon , Prince Imperial, Fils de France, was the only child of Emperor Napoleon III of France and his Empress consort Eugénie de Montijo...
, who was killed in
South AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country located at the southern tip of Africa, with a coastline on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. To the north lie Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, to the east are Mozambique and Swaziland, while Lesotho is an independent country surrounded by South Africa.Modern...
aged 23, on (1 June 1879) by the
ZuluThe Zulu are the largest South African ethnic group of an estimated 10–11 million people who live mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Small numbers also live in Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique. Their language, Zulu, is a Bantu language; more specifically, part of the Nguni...
s. The
cryptIn architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a church usually used as a chapel or burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
of St Peter's Old Parish Church is also believed to house the remains of many of the
Earls of AngleseyThe title of Earl of Anglesey was created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1623 when Christopher Villiers was created Earl of Anglesey, in Wales, as well as Baron Villiers. He was the younger brother of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham and the elder brother of John...
.
In 1922 T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was posted to Farnborough (R.A.F.) for a photography course, it is thought he lived in Farnborough for 6 weeks.
Transport
There are multiple forms of public transport, most commonly the public bus.
London can be reached by
railRail transport is the conveyance of passengers and goods by means of wheeled vehicles running along railways or railroads. Rail transport is part of the logistics chain, which facilitates international trade and economic growth...
, via the M3 motorway, via the
A325List of A roads in zone 3 in Great Britain starting west of the A3 and south of the A4 .-Single- and double-digit roads:-Triple-digit roads:-Four-digit roads :-Four-digit roads :...
and
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...
, by using a number of minor roads to avoid the traffic or by using a number of public footpaths indicated on the local
Ordnance SurveyOrdnance Survey is an executive agency of the United Kingdom government. It is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, and one of the world's largest producers of maps...
maps. The main road, named Farnborough Road, enters the town from
CamberleyCamberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles south west of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways...
to the north, and continues into Aldershot to the south.
Rail
Farnborough is served by four railway stations:
- Farnborough Main railway station for London Waterloo
Waterloo 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...
, BasingstokeBasingstoke is a town in northeast Hampshire, England. It lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon. It is southwest of London, northeast of Southampton, southwest of Reading, and northeast of the county town, Winchester. In 2006 it had an estimated population of 80,477...
, 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...
, BournemouthBournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the Borough of Bournemouth, England. The town has a population of 163,444 according to the 2001 Census, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is the largest town on the south coast and the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
and Salisbury.
- Farnborough North railway station
Farnborough North railway station is a railway station in the town of Farnborough in Hampshire, England. The station is managed by First Great Western, who operate services on the North Downs Line from Reading to Guildford, Redhill and Gatwick Airport....
for 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...
, GuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
and ShalfordShalford is a village in Surrey, England, situated on the busy A281 Horsham road immediately south of Guildford. It has a railway station which is between Guildford and Dorking on the North Downs Line....
.
- North Camp railway station
North Camp railway station is situated in the civil parish of Ash in Surrey, England. It takes its name from an area of the nearby town of Farnborough, Hampshire....
for 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...
, GuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, ReigateReigate is a historic market town in Surrey, England at the foot of the North Downs, and in the London commuter belt. It is one of the main constituents of the Borough of Reigate and Banstead. Reigate and the adjacent town of Redhill form a single urban area....
and London Gatwick AirportLondon Gatwick Airport is London's second largest international airport and second busiest in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. In 2008, it was the world's 28th-busiest airport in terms of passenger numbers and 9th busiest in terms of international passengers...
.
- Ash Vale railway station
Ash Vale is a railway station serving the village of Ash Vale in Surrey, England. It is situated at the junction of the London to Alton line and the line from Ascot to Guildford. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by South West Trains....
for CamberleyCamberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles south west of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways...
, AscotAscot is a small town within the civil parish of Sunninghill and Ascot, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Berkshire, England. It is most notable as the location of Ascot Racecourse, home of the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting...
, Aldershot, 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...
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...
.
Air
A noted airshow takes place at
Farnborough AirfieldFarnborough Airport or TAG London Farnborough Airport is an airport situated in Farnborough, Hampshire, England....
, situated between Farnborough and
FleetFleet is a town in the county of Hampshire, UK, located 37 miles southwest of London. It is part of Hart District. The 2007 population forecast for Fleet was 31,687.-History:...
and the site of the historic
Royal Aircraft EstablishmentThe Royal Aircraft Establishment England, was a British research establishment latterly under the UK Ministry of Defence .The first site was at Farnborough Airfield in Hampshire to which was added a second site RAE Bedford in 1946.The Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment was incorporated...
. Closely associated with Farnborough Airfield is Samuel Franklin Cody. Cody, or Col Sam Cody as he was known, was one of the early pioneers of aviation. He died when he crashed his plane on Ball Hill, a site which is now within
QinetiQQinetiQ is an international defence technology company, formed from the greater part of the former UK government agency, Defence Evaluation and Research Agency , when it was split up in June 2001...
's Technology Park. A monument to Sir
Frank WhittleAir Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force officer. Sharing credit with Germany's Dr. Hans von Ohain for independently inventing the jet engine, he is hailed as a father of jet propulsion.From an early age Whittle demonstrated an aptitude for...
's
prototype jet aircraftA fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets by dropping bombs. Fighters are small, fast, and maneuverable...
is sited on a
roundaboutA roundabout is one of several types of circular road junctions or intersections at which traffic is slowed down and enters a one-way stream around a central island. Technically these junctions sometimes are called modern roundabouts, in order to emphasize the distinction from older circular...
along Ively Road. The replica
GlosterThe Gloster Aircraft Company, Limited, known locally as GAC, was a British aircraft manufacturer. The company produced a famous lineage of fighters for the Royal Air Force : the Grebe, Gladiator, Meteor and Javelin. It also produced the Hawker Hurricane and Hawker Typhoon for the parent company...
E28/39The Gloster E.28/39, was the first British jet engined aircraft to fly in the United Kingdom...
(based on the prototype) was erected as a tribute to its inventor who conducted much of his research at the RAE.
Farnborough Airfield was turned into a business airport operated by
TAG AviationTAG Group SA is a private holding company based in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. At the head is Mansour Ojjeh son of the founder of the TAG Group Akram Ojjeh, who was a wealthy Saudi entrepreneur...
. In October 2005, TAG applied to double their number of flights at weekends. Opposition to the business airport has been chronicled by Blackwater Environmental Justice and FARA was formed by the local community to oppose the airport expansion. The airport's IATA code is FAB, and the ICAO code is EGLF.
In 2006, the
Airbus A380The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. The largest passenger airliner in the world, the A380 made its maiden flight on 27 April 2005 from Toulouse, France, and made its first commercial flight on 25...
flew over the town flanked by the world famous
Red ArrowsThe Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force, based at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, UK...
to open the show. The 2006 show also featured the
Mikoyan MiG-29The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a 4th generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...
as well as other aircraft.
Farnborough Airfield was featured in the 2009 James Bond film Quantum of Solace, as the Austrian airport Bond flies from following the performance of Tosca. The army barracks in nearby Aldershot provided scenery for the scenes in a snowy Russian army base at the end of the film.
Politics
Farnborough contains the following wards: Fernhill (
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...
), Grange (
Liberal DemocratsThe 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...
), Mayfield (Liberal Democrat), St. Johns (Liberal Democrat), West Heath (Conservative), Empress (Conservative), Cove & Southwood (Conservative), Knellwood (Conservative) and St Marks (Liberal Democrat). The local MP is
Gerald HowarthJames Gerald Douglas Howarth known as Gerald Howarth is a British politician in the Conservative Party. He is the Member of Parliament for Aldershot...
for Aldershot (Conservative) a shadow
defence ministerThe Secretary of State for Defence is the senior United Kingdom government minister in charge of the Ministry of Defence, chairing the Defence Council. It is a Cabinet position....
.
Farnborough's deputy mayor, Roger Kimber has recently hit the national headlines with alleged racist remarks against a schoolboy, son of local hairdresser, Barrie Phillips.
Famous residents
Napoleon III, his wife Empress Eugenie and son Louis Napoleon are buried in Saint Michael's Abbey.
Paul WellerPaul Weller is an English singer-songwriter.Starting with the very successful punk-rock band The Jam , Weller then went on to branch out musically to a more soulful style with The Style Council...
,
David MellorDavid John Mellor QC is a British politician, barrister, broadcaster, journalist and football pundit, who has long been involved with the Conservative Party.-Political career:...
and
Anne RobinsonAnne Josephine Robinson is an English television presenter and former journalist, known for her assertive views and style of presenting...
all went to school in Farnborough. Current Middlesex County Cricket Club captain
Shaun UdalShaun David Udal is an English cricketer. An off spin bowler and lower-middle order batsman, he was a member of England's Test team in 2005....
, who previously played for Hampshire and at international level for England, was born and raised here.
Arthur EnglishArthur Leslie Norman English was an English comedian from the music hall tradition.English was born in Aldershot, Hampshire. After serving in the army in World War II, reaching the rank of sergeant, English worked as a painter and decorator in his native town...
lived and passed away in Farnborough.
Fernand CabrolFernand Cabrol was a French theologian and Benedictine monk.Cabrol was born in Marseille. He became prior of St Michael's Abbey in Farnborough, Hampshire in 1896, and abbot in 1903...
, monk and scholar became prior and afterwards abbot at the Benedictine abbey.
Media
Farnborough is served by two free local
newspaperA newspaper is a publication containing news, information, and advertising. General-interest newspapers often feature articles on political events, crime, business, art/entertainment, society and sports. Most traditional papers also feature an editorial page containing columns that express the...
s, The Star Courier (published from September 18 2008 as a combination of the former Surrey Hants Star and the Aldershot Farnborough Courier) and The Rush, along with two locals available for purchase, The Farnborough Mail and the Farnborough News. The local
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
news region is
ITV MeridianMeridian Tonight is a regional television news and current affairs programme, produced by ITV Meridian , serving the South and South East of England , and usually broadcast at 6pm every weeknight, also including local sports news and local features of interest....
and the local
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
news region is BBC South.
Farnborough Aerospace Centre
Farnborough Aerospace Centre is a
business parkA business park or business estate is an area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. All of the work that goes on is commercial, not industrial or residential.-Situation:...
south of the airfield. Most of the buildings are occupied by
BAE SystemsBAE Systems plc is a British defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire, England, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is the world's second-largest defence contractor and the largest in Europe...
and form the company's headquarters. The business park was built by Arlington Securities for its then parent
British AerospaceBritish Aerospace was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. In 1999 it purchased Marconi Electronic Systems, the defence electronics and naval shipbuilding subsidiary of the General Electric Company plc, to form BAE Systems....
between 1990 and 1992. When British Aerospace merged with
Marconi Electronic SystemsMarconi Electronic Systems , or GEC-Marconi as it was until 1998, was the defence arm of The General Electric Company . It was demerged from GEC and acquired by British Aerospace on November 30 1999 to form BAE Systems...
to form
BAE SystemsBAE Systems plc is a British defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire, England, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is the world's second-largest defence contractor and the largest in Europe...
, the Farnborough site remained the headquarters for the enlarged company. BAE's board meets in London.
Other tenants include Systems Union,
Johnson ControlsJohnson Controls, Inc. is a company, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It was founded in 1885 by professor Warren S. Johnson, inventor of the first electric room thermostat....
, Lockheed Martin UK,
Savi TechnologySavi Technology is a US-based company that provides real-time RFID solutions for managing and securing global supply chain assets. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Savi has offices in Farnborough, Lexington, KY, Singapore, Washington, D.C. and Melbourne, Australia...
, and
XchangingXchanging plc is an international company providing business processing services to global blue chip customers. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.-History:...
.
IQ Farnborough (Farnborough Business Park)
Adjacent to the airport, IQ Farnborough, the new name for Farnborough Business Park, is a major development which aims to have around of new office space. There are plans to make this area not only a major business centre, but also a new centrepiece for Farnborough.
When completed it will include new housing, a De Vere-run Village Hotel, symbolic office buildings, a Barons
BMW, is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company. Founded in 1916, it is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. It owns and produces the MINI brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars.-Company history:...
and
MINIMini is a British automotive brand owned by the BMW Group that has produced the successor of the original Mini in Oxford, England since April 2001...
dealership, a new aviation library, and the refurbishing of the listed
wind tunnelA wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research. It is used to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
s on the site. Current tenants include:
AgustaWestlandAgustaWestland is a helicopter design and manufacturing company based in Italy and the United Kingdom. It was formed in July 2000 when Finmeccanica S.p.A...
,
AutodeskAutodesk, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that focuses on 2D and 3D design software for use in architecture, engineering and building construction, manufacturing, and media and entertainment. Autodesk was founded in 1982 by John Walker, a coauthor of early versions of the company's...
, Blue Coat Systems, Bluhalo, Defence Strategy & Solutions,
Imagine HomesImagine Homes Ltd was at one point one of the largest purchasers of residential property in the United Kingdom. Founded by CEO Grant Bovey in 2003, Imagine Homes began operating from offices in Kew, Surrey, with a total of four employees...
, Orcare Limited and
Red HatRed Hat, Inc. is an S&P 500 company in the free and open source software sector, and a major Linux distribution vendor. Founded in 1993, Red Hat has its corporate headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina with satellite offices worldwide....
.
Also on the park is the frame of a 1910 Airship Hangar which had previously been dismantled to house wind tunnels, but is now reconstructed - minus its outer skin - to make an impressive centrepiece. The structure has now been listed and protected as a Grade II building.
There is also a luxury, 169 bedroom hotel called the '
Aviator', part of the Dakota Hotel chain on the A325 which opened on the 21st of July 2008.
Other industry
Farnborough's North Camp district is notable as being the location of Hampshire's only full-throughput abattoir, nestled between housing and a school at Peabody Road. It is licensed to kill cows, sheep & pigs, as well as goat, deer, bison and buffalo.
Retail
Farnborough has one main
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,...
divided into three areas; Kingsmead and Queensmead (which are currently undergoing redevelopment into 'The Meads') and Princesmead. There are four supermarkets in Farnborough,
AsdaAsda is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, toys and general merchandise. They also have a mobile network, called Asda Mobile....
in the town centre,
MorrisonsWm Morrison Supermarkets plc is the fourth largest chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. The company is usually referred to and is branded as Morrisons, and it is part of the FTSE 100 Index of companies...
in
SouthwoodSouthwood can be a short form for:In education:* Southwood Boys Grammar School, an independent school in Ringwood, Victoria* Southwood Middle School, a public school in Palmetto Bay, Florida...
and Wilkinsons and Sainsbury's in Kingsmead (the latter of which is to be resited in the aforementioned Meads. On the border with Frimley, there is a retail park known as Farnborough Gate, with such shops as
HalfordsHalfords Group plc is a leading retailer of car parts, car enhancements and bicycles operating in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Czech Republic and more recently in Poland. A separate company runs Halfords stores in the Netherlands and Belgium, but it only has historical ties to the UK-based...
, TK Maxx and
OutfitThe Arcadia Group Limited is a British retail company that owns the high street clothing retailers Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Topman, Topshop, and Wallis, and the out of town chain Outfit, which sells lines from the other group chains...
.
Abbey
The town is home to Farnborough Abbey, located in the heart of Farnborough, which is a working abbey, currently home to six Benedictine monks, and houses the National Catholic Library, and the gothic-inspired St Michael's Church. The Abbey has a programme of events to encourage visitors, including guided tours every Saturday at 3 pm, organ recitals on the first Sunday of each month at 3 pm, and photographic workshops. Fernand Cabrol was abbot in the early 20th century.
Primary
There are ten primary schools currently in Farnborough. In order of average pupil performance at the Key Stage 2 tests in Maths, English and Science they are:
(the local authority average is 28.2 and national average is 27.8)
- St Peter's Church of England Aided Junior School (30)
- St Mark's Church of England Aided Primary School (30)
- St Patrick's Catholic Primary School (29.7)
- South Farnborough Junior School (28.3)
- Grange Community Junior School (27.8),
- Guillemont Junior School (27.7)
- Tower Hill Primary School (26.2)
- Manor Junior School (26.1)
- Fernhill Primary School (26)
- St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School (25.9)
Secondary
There are four state secondary schools. All four are non-selective, mixed comprehensives, for pupils aged 11–16 with no sixth form.
In order of the 5 GCSEs A-C score they are:
(The local authority is 50.2% and the national average is 45.8%)
- Cove School (47%)
- The Wavell School (45%)
- Fernhill School and Language College
Fernhill School and Language College is a mixed comprehensive school for 11 to 16 year olds located in Farnborough, north-east Hampshire. The school is a specialist Language College....
(43%)
- Oak Farm Community School (6%)
Surprisingly, given the good quality of state primary and tertiary education provision in the town and the affluence of the area, the state secondary provision is very weak with three of the four secondary schools scoring below the national and local authority performance average at GCSE. In fact, Oak Farm Community School has the worst GCSE point score in Hampshire, scoring ninth worst in the country and has recently come off Ofsted 'special measures'.
The poor performance of the four state Farnborough comprehensives is principally attributable to a couple of major problems:
1. Numbers of teachers: All four Farnborough comprehensives have significant problems attracting staff and retaining them. This is due to a number of factors:
a) High house prices and cost of living in the Northern Hampshire commuter belt.
b) Farnborough is surrounded on three sides by Surrey; teachers in Surrey qualify for higher salaries (Outer-London Weighting) whilst teachers in Farnborough schools do not.
c) The current poor reputation of the schools.
d) The teaching-career dead-end of being in a school which doesn't have a sixth form and therefore provides no opportunity to teach to 'A' level.
2. The shrinking number of children in Farnborough since the 1970s (Farnborough was a population boom town after WWII until the 1970s) has meant reduced pupil numbers and consequently smaller school budgets which have been unable to cope with large and dated school buildings, leaving many of them tired and tatty looking, adding to the feeling of decay and decline.
Tertiary
Tertiary education in Farnborough is excellent. The town is home to
The Sixth Form College, FarnboroughThe Sixth Form College, Farnborough is a sixth form college situated in Farnborough, Hampshire. It is also known as Farnborough Sixth Form College, or 'Farnborough Sixth' among the local population to differentiate it from Farnborough College of Technology, also situated in Farnborough. It caters...
, which draws in around 3,000 students aged 16–19 from the surrounding area. In July 2002 the College was one of the first four colleges in the country to be awarded Learning and Skills Beacon status. Ofsted has judged the college as ‘outstanding’ in all areas in its last inspection report. The college has also won three annual Beacon awards in recent years for its teaching of Physics, Mathematics and Chemistry. Currently the College has (by some measures) the best ‘A’-level results in Hampshire and is considered one of the best sixth form colleges in the country.
Farnborough College of TechnologyFarnborough College of Technology, often abbreviated to FCOT or FCT, is a college located in the town of Farnborough, Hampshire in the South East of England...
is a further-education institution specialising in BTEC, A-level and vocational courses for students aged +16.
Independent Secondary Schools
There are two independent Roman Catholic secondary schools in Farnborough. Both are single-sex, selective and include sixth forms.
1. Farnborough Hill (Girls). Currently the best GCSE results in Hampshire with a 5 GCSE A-C pass rate of 100%
2. Salesian College(Boys) in South Farnborough. Currently joint best GCSE results in Hampshire with a 5 GCSE A-C pass rate of 100% in 2008.
Higher Education
There are no higher education institutions in Farnborough. The town is nevertheless well-served by several relatively local universities, all of which lie with 30 km (19 miles) of the town :-
- University for the Creative Arts, Farnham campus (9 km / 6 miles south)
- University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
, GuildfordGuildford is the county town of Surrey, England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
(20 km / 13 miles southeast)
- Royal Holloway, University of London
Royal Holloway, University of London is a constituent college of the University of London. The college has around 7,345 undergraduate and postgraduate students from over 120 different countries...
, EghamEgham is a small town in the Runnymede borough of Surrey, in the south-east of England. It is part of the London commuter belt, and about southwest of central London on the River Thames and near junction 13 of the M25 motorway....
, SurreySurrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire, and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford...
(20 km / 13 miles northeast)
- University of Winchester
The 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,...
, Basingstoke campus (25 km / 16 miles west)
- University of Reading
The 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...
(30 km / 19 miles northwest)
- Thames Valley University
Thames Valley University is a British university based on campuses in Slough and Reading in Berkshire, and Ealing and Brentford in west London...
, Reading campus (30 km / 19 miles northwest)
Town Centre
The centre of Farnborough, comprising the Kingsmead, Queensmead and Princesmead shopping precincts, was described as an abomination by local councillors and the town itself has been described as "kind of dull". The central business district has suffered from an array of outdated buildings and retail precincts dating from the late-1960s to the mid-1980s. In February 2007, in a bid to address these perceptions, Rushmoor Borough Council unveiled plans to radically alter the centre over the next two decades. The town centre study outlines major changes to the council offices, Farnborough's main railway station, the local road network and the continuation of the improvements to Farnborough's town centre, including the development of a Discovery Centre (a Hampshire County Council initiative aimed at improving libraries in the county).
Work is underway to construct a new retail area with entertainment complex. Several new blocks of apartments have been built adjacent to the town centre and in new builds and building refurbishments on the airfield itself.
One much-mooted idea is for the development of a major National Air Museum to be situated there, taking advantage of the town's aviation heritage.
Football
The
football teamA football team is the collective name given to a group of players selected together in the various team sports known as football.Such teams could be selected to play in a against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-star team or even selected as a...
, Farnborough F.C. (known as Farnborough Town FC until 2007), play in the
Southern Football LeagueThe Southern League is an English football competition featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs from the South West, South Central and Midlands of England and South Wales....
,
Premier DivisionThe Premier Division is the top league competition for bandy clubs in the United States. The winners of the play-off at the end of the season are awarded the Gunnar Cup....
. As Farnborough Town F.C., the team came to national prominence in 2003 when they reached the 4th round of the
FA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after The Football Association. The name "FA Cup" usually refers to the English men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held...
, where they played the previous season's Cup winners
ArsenalArsenal Football Club are an English professional football club based in Holloway, North London...
at
HighburyArsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
. They were drawn to play the tie at home but was switched on police advice. The match was won 5-1 by Arsenal.
As Farnborough F.C they have won the British Gas Business South and West and got to the final of the Hampshire Senior cup against Basingstoke but lost. The town's other two clubs are
CoveCove Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Cove near Farnborough in Hampshire, England. The first team play in the Combined Counties Football League Premier Division, which is a league below the Isthmian Football League and three promotions of the Conference National...
and
Farnborough North EndFarnborough North End F.C. are a football club based in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. In 1998, they changed their name from Covies to their present name. They are currently members of Wessex League Division One.-History:...
. The former play in the Southern Counties League with the latter playing in the
Wessex LeagueThe Wessex League is an English association football league formed in 1986, with its premier division currently at the fifth step of the National League System, or the ninth tier of the overall English football league system...
.
The area has produced a number of first-class footballers including Glyn Bromige who went on to play with distinction for
PortsmouthPortsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey, sometimes called 'The Blues', with their fans known as 'The Blue Army'. They play in the Premier League...
and
Basingstoke TownBasingstoke 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...
.
Rugby
Established in 1915 (originally as the Royal Aircraft Factory Rugby Union Football Club) Farnborough Rugby Football Club is primarily a
rugby unionRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
club based at Tile Barn Close in Farnborough. They play in Hampshire Division 1. They also have a Minis and Juniors section which caters for boys from 5 to 19 years of age and girls from 5 to 12 years of age. In the summer 2007 season they also fielded a successful
rugby leagueRugby league football is a full-contact form of football, played with a prolate spheroid ball by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. Rugby league is one of the two codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union...
team, winning the Co-op Southern Conference competition in their first year of entering.
Cricket
The main
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
club in Farnborough is Cove Cricket Club. The club, first established in 1935, has steadily grown from its original “village cricket team” to the present day position of a leading club side not only in the area but also in Hampshire. It fields five senior sides on a Saturday including an Academy XI playing in the Morrant Thames Valley Cricket League and one side on a Sunday playing a combination of league and friendly games. For many years now Cove have invested heavily into establishing a successful colts section to develop club players of the future as well as District and County representative teams. The investment has seen the number of qualified coaches treble in the last couple of years. In 2007 Cove established a mini's section, providing cricket related fun on a Monday evening for players aged 4 to 7. In 2008 Cove launched a Cricket Academy with the objective of developing the technical ability and all-round game knowledge of future 1st XI players. Cove run boys teams at U9, U11, U13, and U15 and girls teams at U13 and U15. In addition to the on field activities, Cove work hard to encourage the players families to become part of the club and run several family oriented social evenings throughout the year.
Another cricket team, the "Frogmore Amateur Cricket Club", currently based in nearby
FrogmoreFrogmore is a small sub-village in the northeast of the civil parish of Yateley in the English county of Hampshire. It adjoins Darby Green and lies between the small towns of Yateley and Blackwater....
are planning a relocation to Farnborough.
Other sports
Camberley and Farnborough Hockey Club play men and women's
field hockeyField hockey is a team sport in which a team of players attempt to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking the ball with hockey sticks into the opposing team's goal. Its official name is simply hockey, and this is the common name for it in many countries...
in nearby Camberley (
Kings International CollegeKings International College is a Secondary School in Camberley, Surrey near junction 4 of the M3 Motorway. The college has around 750 students, with 50 teaching staff and 25 associate staff...
), but draw many players from the region.
Fleet and Farnborough Chess Club competes in several divisions of the
Surrey Border League.
Twinned towns
Farnborough is twinned with:
MeudonMeudon is a municipality in the south-western suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located from the center of Paris.-Geography:...
, France
OberurselOberursel is a town in Germany. It is located to the north west of Frankfurt, and is the second largest town in the county of Hochtaunuskreis and the 14th largest town in Hesse.-Extent of municipal area:...
, Germany
SulechówSulechów is a town in Poland, in Lubusz Voivodeship, in Zielona Góra County. It has 17,843 inhabitants .-History:In 1319 Waldemar, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal had acquired Züllichau for Brandenburg....
, Poland
See also
- 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...
- List of schools in Hampshire
- List of further education colleges in Hampshire
- Farnborough, London
Farnborough is a settlement in the London Borough of Bromley. It is a suburban development located 13.4 miles south east of Charing Cross.-Features:...
- Farnborough, Berkshire
Farnborough is a small village and civil parish, amongst the Berkshire Downs north of Newbury, in the English county of Berkshire.-Famous people:*John Betjeman lived at Farnborough Rectory and he has a memorial window in the church....
External links