Misplaced Pages

#458541

77-539: Park Prewett Hospital was a psychiatric hospital northwest of Basingstoke , in the county of Hampshire in England , which operated from 1917 until 1997. Park Prewett was an enclosure dating back to the time of Edward I . Following a report by the Lunacy Commission into overcrowding at Knowle Hospital in the south of the county, a new site was required to house the expanding population. Park Prewett Farm

154-553: A buffer zone to the south of the town, and the South West Main Line constrains the western expansion, with a green belt to the north and north-east. The villages of Cliddesden , Dummer , Sherborne St John and Oakley , although being very close to the town limits, are distinct parishes. Popley, Hatch Warren and Beggarwood saw rapid growth in housing in the mid to late 2000s. The population of Basingstoke increased from around 2,500 in 1801 to over 52,000 in 1971;

231-406: A core neighbourhood. Housing development aimed to foster these communities with a mix of professions, family sizes and socio-economic groups. The 'Homes of One's Own' initiative aimed to reduce the number of families that were forced to share a dwelling (63.5% of families were forced to share their home in 1931). Affordable living options in both apartment and detached houses would be constructed under

308-476: A focal point for the city, and it was hoped to maximize its potential as a trade and transport resource. Although the report was comprehensive in attempting to solve the issues facing London at the time, its implementation was not fully realised. The economic climate in Britain during the post war era simply did not allow for major infrastructure development on the scale that Abercrombie had suggested. Even though

385-494: A gradualist, Geddesian style approach was suggested, Abercrombie may not have considered the minimal impact that one visionary can have on an ancient, complex and ever growing city such as London. No matter the resulting level of physical construction, the Greater London Plan was extremely successful in creating an optimistic outlook for the people of London, providing hope for the return of a great civilisation from

462-657: A junction on the South West Main Line 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Basingstoke railway station . Basingstoke Basingstoke ( / ˈ b eɪ z ɪ ŋ s t oʊ k / BAY -zing-stohk ) is a town in Hampshire , situated in south-central England across a valley at the source of the River Loddon on the western edge of the North Downs . It is the largest settlement in Hampshire without city status . It

539-546: A labour pool, yet not so close that it would adversely effect the surrounding populations. The main focus for manufacturing industries would be to relocate away from the dense inner city and into ‘new towns’ with access to a specialised labour force. Particular industries were to be located in areas with access to the relevant necessary resources such as rail stations or the River Thames. Complementary industries were encouraged to cluster together so that they could benefit from

616-702: A network of streets and buildings based on the history of Hampshire . Basingstoke has a football club, Basingstoke Town F.C. , the Basingstoke Rugby Football Club and the Basingstoke Bison ice hockey team. Basingstoke also has a swimming team, known as the Basingstoke Bluefins and an American Flag Football Team known as the Basingstoke Zombie Horde. Further sporting organisations in

693-477: A number of satellite towns that would help to relocate large populations away from the overcrowded areas of central London. The creation of new housing developments were to be mostly concentrated within areas damaged by the air raids, the suburban ring and in new satellite towns. Abercrombie notes the locations of existing communities within London, and aims to develop these communities as growth areas focused around

770-612: A piece of open space that was about to be sold for housing and let it at a low rent to the Basingstoke Cricket Club. This cricket ground is still in use and is called "May's Bounty". Ordinary citizens were said to be shocked by the emotive, evangelical tactics of the Salvation Army when they arrived in the town in 1880, but the reaction from those employed by the breweries or within the licensed trade quickly grew more openly hostile. Violent clashes became

847-591: A regular Wednesday market since 1214. During the Civil War , and the siege of Basing House between 1643 and 1645, the town played host to large numbers of Parliamentarians . During this time, St. Michael's Church was damaged whilst being used as an explosive store and lead was stripped from the roof of the Chapel of the Holy Ghost, Basingstoke leading to its eventual ruin. It had been incorporated in 1524, but

SECTION 10

#1732797730459

924-617: A regular occurrence. On Sunday 27 March 1881 troops were called upon to break up the conflict after the Mayor had read the Riot Act . The riot and its causes led to questions in Parliament and a period of notoriety for the town. The town was described as 'Barbarous Basingstoke' by one London newspaper in 1882 but by March 1882 the disturbances were dying down. In 1898 John Isaac Thornycroft began production of steam-powered lorries in

1001-464: A suitable venue, the team practice in nearby Whitchurch . Basingstoke is also the home of Rising Phoenix Cheer, a successful competitive Allstar Cheerleading programme for athletes from age 5 upwards, training at Aldworth school. Basingstoke has a wide diversity for musical groups ranging from brass bands to symphony orchestras . The Basingstoke Concert Band is a traditional wind band which has now been in existence for more than 35 years. The band

1078-537: Is Festival Place , which opened in October 2002. Festival Place gave a huge boost to the town centre, transforming and replacing what was 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 multiscreen Vue cinema (formerly Ster Century from Festival Place's opening until their takeover in 2005;

1155-466: Is a nature reserve; there is water in the canal and the canal towpath can be walked. A permissive footpath at the western entrance to the tunnel allows walkers to access public footpaths to get to the eastern entrance of the tunnel. The limit of navigation is about 500m east of the Greywell Tunnel. The renovated sections of the canal can then be navigated east towards West Byfleet where it joins

1232-407: Is believed to have been derived from the town's position as the outlying, western settlement of Basa's people. Basing, now Old Basing , a village 2 miles (3 km) to the east, is thought to have the same etymology, and was the original Anglo-Saxon settlement of the people – Basingas – led by a tribal chief called Basa . Basing remained the main settlement until changes in the local church moved

1309-429: Is located 30 miles (48 km) north-east of Southampton , 48 miles (77 km) south-west of London , 27 miles (43 km) west of Guildford , 22 miles (35 km) south of Reading and 20 miles (32 km) north-east of the county town and former capital Winchester . According to the 2016 population estimate, the town had a population of 113,776. It is part of the borough of Basingstoke and Deane and part of

1386-427: Is provided by BBC South and ITV Meridian , with BBC London and ITV London also received in the town. Basingstoke is served by two regional radio stations. Greatest Hits Radio Berkshire & North Hampshire , serving North Hampshire and parts of Surrey and Sussex , and Heart South , previously broadcast from Reading . BBC Radio Berkshire is available in the town. The town has coverage from digital radio ;

1463-563: The BBC , Independent National and Now Reading multiplexes can be received in the town, and the outskirts can receive London and South Hampshire stations as well. The BBC national stations and DAB coverage is enhanced by a small relay just south of the town centre. The local radio Station is HHCR - Basingstoke's Community Radio, an internet-based broadcaster opened on 3 June 2019 by Cllr Diane Taylor Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane. The Holy Ghost School (subsequently Queen Mary's School for Boys )

1540-677: The Great Fire of London . The plan was based around five main issues facing London at the time: Rapid population growth, combined with the inevitable return of many evacuees during the war, saw London facing significant housing shortages and density problems. The 118 square mile city was estimated to have a population of over 4 million in 1938. A series of four rings were outlined (Inner Urban, Suburban, Green Belt and Outer Country) in order to control development and limit sprawl into regional areas. The 'Inner Urban Ring' restricted any new housing or industrial development that were deemed to be above

1617-474: The Great Western Railway built a branch from Reading . In 1854 a line was built to Salisbury by the London and South Western. In the 19th century Basingstoke began to move into industrial manufacture, Wallis and Haslam (later Wallis & Steevens ), began producing agricultural equipment including threshing machines in the 1850s, moving into the production of stationary steam engines in

SECTION 20

#1732797730459

1694-460: The Iron Age and there are remains of several other earthworks around Basingstoke, including a long barrow near Down Grange. The site of Winklebury camp was home to Fort Hill Community School (this school has shutdown). Nearby, to the west, Roman Road marks the course of a Roman road that ran from Winchester to Silchester . Further to the east, another Roman road ran from Chichester through

1771-524: The North Hampshire Hospital . The hospital only caters for midwifery students. Basingstoke is situated close to junctions 6, 7 and 8 of the M3 motorway , which skirts the town's south-eastern edge, linking the town to London, and to Southampton and the south-west. The central area of the town is encircled by The Ringway, a ring road constructed in the 1960s, and is bisected east to west by

1848-489: The Stagecoach Group through their Stagecoach in Hampshire sub-division. Basingstoke Community Transport and Communities First Wessex run some smaller routes. A peak-time service is provided by Thames Valley Buses between Chineham Business Park and the railway station. National Express offers direct coach services to London and Southampton from the bus station. Separating cyclists from other road traffic

1925-644: The Wey Navigation , which itself can be navigated to the River Thames at Weybridge . Aims to reconnect Basingstoke with the surviving sections of the Basingstoke Canal have been beset with difficulties, and actual restoration of a canal link is impossible. The Basingstoke Canal Society aspire to re-establish the route of the lost section of the canal as closely as possible with a footpath and cycleway. Greater London Plan During

2002-422: The ceremonial county , but when the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth attained unitary authority status in 1998, Basingstoke became the largest settlement in the county administered by the county council. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is the lower-tier local authority for the town, and has its offices in the town centre. Elections to the council take place in 3 out of every 4 years. Under

2079-698: The parliamentary constituency of Basingstoke . Basingstoke is an old market town expanded in the mid-1960s, as a result of an agreement between London County Council and Hampshire County Council . It was developed rapidly after the Second World War, along with various other towns in the United Kingdom, in order to accommodate part of the London 'overspill' as perceived under the Greater London Plan in 1944. Basingstoke market

2156-632: The town twinning scheme, the local council have twinned Basingstoke with Alençon in France, Braine-l'Alleud in Belgium, and Euskirchen in Germany. The Top of Town is the historic heart of Basingstoke, housing the Willis Museum in the former Town Hall building (rebuilt 1832) as well as several locally run shops and the market place . Basingstoke is home to two theatrical organisations:

2233-455: The 1860s and then traction engines 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 Burberry in 1856 and Alfred Milward in 1857. Burberry became famous after he invented Gabardine and Milward founded the Milwards chain of shoe shops, which could be found on almost every high street until

2310-672: The 1980s. John May, a member of the brewery family, was several times mayor of the town. A benefactor to the town, he paid for the building of a drill hall in Sarum Hill for the use of the Hampshire Volunteers (later used as a cinema and then a furniture shop) and a wing for the Cottage Hospital in Hackwood Road. The drill hall was opened in 1885 and also used for concerts and exhibitions. He also bought

2387-816: The A3010 (Churchill Way). The A33 runs north-east to Reading and the M4 motorway , and south-west to Winchester. The A30 runs east to Hook and west to Salisbury. The A303 to Wiltshire and the West Country begins a few miles south-west of Basingstoke, sharing the first few miles with the A30. On the M3, there is a flyover, which passes over the slip road to A303, near Junction 8. The A339 runs south-east to Alton and north-west to Newbury. The South West Main Line runs east and west through

Park Prewett Hospital - Misplaced Pages Continue

2464-407: The Greater London Plan. Although transportation had rapidly changed throughout the 20th century, the roadways had not. The number of cars in Britain had risen from 143,877 in 1910 to 3,084,896 in 1940. This led to areas of mass congestion and an increase in transport related accidents. Abercrombie sought to improve traffic circulation via a separation of differing modes on a number of levels throughout

2541-407: The Greater London Plan. Specific architectural styles would be adhered to throughout all new developments in order to create aesthetically pleasing streetscapes. The creation of strong neighbourhood centres would be complemented by a mix of commercial opportunities that service the immediate area. Employment opportunities were to be located in proximity to dwellings in order to allow the formation of

2618-572: The Haymarket, which is situated in the former Corn Exchange , and The Anvil , which is near the railway station. The Willis Museum was founded and directed by Alderman George W. Willis, a local clocksmith, who served as Mayor of Basingstoke in 1923–24. Willis established the museum in 1931 with much public support, and built its holdings up into a major collection on local history, with a particularly extensive collection of prehistoric implements and of antique clocks and watches. His association with

2695-534: The Second World War, the Blitz had destroyed large urban areas throughout the entire county of London, but particularly the central core. Over 50,000 inner London homes were completely destroyed, while more than 2 million dwellings experienced some form of bomb damage. This presented the London County Council with a unique chance to plan and rebuild vacant tracts of the city on a scale not seen since

2772-496: The actress Elizabeth Hurley . Many office blocks and large estates were built, as well as a ring road . The shopping centre 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 Anvil concert hall. The central part of

2849-520: The area include Basingstoke & Mid Hants Athletic Club, Basingstoke Demons Floorball Club, Basingstoke Volleyball Club, Basingstoke Bulls Korfball Club and Lasham Gliding Society . The home ground of Basingstoke & North Hants Cricket Club, Mays Bounty, was until 2000 used once a season by Hampshire County Cricket Club . As of 2011, Basingstoke has a roller derby league and team, the Basingstoke Bullets. Due to difficulty finding

2926-425: The areas contiguous to its development. The unparished area of the town represents its bulk, but several areas popularly considered part of the town are separate parishes, namely Chineham , Rooksdown , and parts of Old Basing and Lychpit . 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

3003-452: The centre of the town and Basingstoke railway station , linking Basingstoke to London Waterloo , Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth. The West of England line links Basingstoke to Salisbury and to Exeter. The Reading–Basingstoke line runs north-east to Reading and is part of an important through route for longer distance services to Birmingham and the North. The town was

3080-409: The city. A series of main arterial and ring roads would also allow road users to avoid the most congested sections of the network. Rail transit in London was to be separated into differing passenger and commercial networks. However rail was privately owned, creating an environment whereby planning legislation had little effect on the operations of railway companies. The River Thames was to be redefined as

3157-583: The depths of World War Two. A 24-and-a-half minute film about the plan, called The Proud City – A plan for London was produced for the Ministry of Information, with appearances by Abercrombie, J H Forshaw (Architect to the London County Council), Lord Latham (Leader of the LCC) and other members of the architect's staff. It was written and directed by Ralph Keene and is available online at

Park Prewett Hospital - Misplaced Pages Continue

3234-532: The expanding museum continued for forty years. The museum's central location today is where, once upon a time, Jane Austen and her sister used to go to dances, and a statue of Jane Austen was installed outside the museum in 2017, on the 200th anniversary of her death. Although ostensibly set in Hertford, Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice , written in 1797, is thought to have been based on her view of Basingstoke society two centuries ago. The major shopping area

3311-498: The good agricultural land hereabouts, account for the many "Roman" villas in the area, mostly put up by Romanized native nobility ( Roman villa ). Even more ancient was the Harrow Way, a Neolithic trackway, possibly associated with the ancient tin trade, that crossed all of southern England from west to east, from Cornwall to Kent, passing right through Andover and Basingstoke. Basingstoke has no single boundary that encompasses all

3388-623: The hospital, Rooksdown House, was used by Sir Harold Gillies , the pioneering plastic surgeon. It was originally the private wing of the Asylum but became a plastic surgery unit in 1940. The facility joined the National Health Service as Park Prewett Hospital in 1948. Following the introduction of Care in the Community in the early 1980s the hospital went into a period of decline and ultimately closed in 1997. Park Prewett

3465-524: The input sharing and knowledge spillovers of each neighbouring firm. The development of open spaces was of high importance to Abercrombie in the Greater London Plan, recreation was seen as an essential part of life. All open spaces were to be retained, with particular significance given to the development of a 'green belt'. A variety of open spaces was to be established, from city squares and formal gardens to more wild and picturesque parks. A series of parkways would be created, allowing residents to walk between

3542-602: The leisure park are an ice rink, a bowling alley, an indoor sky-diving centre with ski and surf machines, a Bingo club and a ten-screen Odeon (formerly Vue prior to the takeover of the Ster Century cinema in Festival Place, and before that, Warner-Village) cinema , as well as a restaurant and fast food outlets. The leisure park is home to the Milestones Museum , a living history museum which contains

3619-503: The limit of tolerable conditions, whilst reconstructing damaged buildings in a modern interpretation of their original state. The 'Suburban Ring' would be developed with a mix of both housing and light industry so that no regions became inefficient dormitory suburbs. The 'Green Belt Ring' encouraged the creation of parkland and recreational spaces, restrictions were placed on all development apart from that within existing villages. The 'Outer Country Ring' would support farmland whilst containing

3696-795: The locations of the UK headquarters of Motorola , The Automobile Association , De La Rue , Sun Life Financial , ST Ericsson , GAME , Barracuda Networks , Eli Lilly and Company , FCB Halesway part of FCB , BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions (the leasing arm of BNP Paribas in the UK) and Sony Professional Solutions. It is also the location of the European headquarters of the TaylorMade Golf Company. Other industries include IT , telecommunications, insurance and electronics. The name Basingstoke (A.D 990; Embasinga stocæ, Domesday ; Basingestoches)

3773-633: The major open spaces unimpeded by traffic. It was hoped that for every 1000 city residents there would be four acres of accessible open space. In 1944, some boroughs experienced 0.1 acre of open space per 1000 inhabitants. Abercrombie acknowledges that London is far too dense to provide an appropriate level of open space for each resident, so it is proposed that improved transport will allow every inhabitant access to recreational areas outside of their immediate neighbourhood. Dwellings, industry and recreational spaces are all linked by transport within London. Ensuring adequate levels of efficient transport were key to

3850-549: The most significant growth occurring during the latter half of the 20th century. The borough of Basingstoke was merged with other local districts in 1974 to form the borough of Basingstoke and Deane , and census data from that point covers the whole borough. Figures published for the UK census in 2011 for the Borough of Basingstoke and Deane give a population of 167,799 and a population density of 2.7 persons per hectare—only about half

3927-400: The national average). Amongst the working population, 64.2 per cent travelled less than 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to work. The biggest percentage of employees, 17.67 per cent, worked in real estate, renting and business activities. Basingstoke is part of a two-tier local government structure and returns county councillors to Hampshire County Council . It is the third largest settlement in

SECTION 50

#1732797730459

4004-449: The national figure. The number of women slightly exceeded that of men, and a slight increase in the percentage of residents over 65 was also noted. Among other findings in 2001 were that 74.33 per cent felt they were in good health, 50.98 per cent were economically active full-time employees (over 10 per cent higher than the national average) and 48.73 per cent were buying their property with a mortgage or loan (almost 10 per cent higher than

4081-633: The north part of Basing . To the north of this line, encompassing the areas of Chineham and Pyotts Hill, is London clay , which has in the past allowed excavation for high quality brick and tile manufacture. Basingstoke's expansion has absorbed much surrounding farmland and scattered housing, transforming it into housing estates or local districts. Many of these new estates are designed as almost self-contained communities, such as Lychpit, Chineham, Popley, Winklebury , Oakridge , Kempshott , Brighton Hill , Viables , South Ham , Black Dam, Buckskin and South Ham Extension and Hatch Warren . The M3 acts as

4158-565: The outlying villages of Upton Grey and Mapledurwell . The Harrow Way is an Iron-age ancient route that runs to the south of the town. The first recorded historical event in the area was the defeat of King Æthelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred the Great at Old Basing by the Danes in 871. Basingstoke is recorded as a weekly market site in the Domesday Book , in 1086, and has held

4235-676: The pre-existing Vue in the Leisure Park was sold to Odeon ). The Malls is a shopping area linked by a gateway entrance to the rail station. It had declined since the opening of Festival Place and the closure of its Allders department store. 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 The redevelopment of The Malls started in late 2010. A clear roof canopy

4312-463: The redevelopment of Basing View. A John Lewis at home store which was part of the same redevelopment closed down in 2021. The town's nightlife 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 (3.2 km) out to

4389-518: The religious base from St Marys Church, Basing, to the church in Basingstoke. A Neolithic campsite of around 3000 BC beside a spring on the west of the town is the earliest known human settlement here, but the Willis Museum has flint implements and axes from nearby fields that date back to Palæolithic times. The hillfort at Winklebury ( 2 miles (3 km) west of the town centre), known locally as Winklebury Camp or Winklebury Ring dates from

4466-589: The route goes around the ruins of Basing House and then through and around the eastern edge of Old Basing. It followed another loop to go over small streams near the Hatch public house (a lot of this section was built over when constructing the M3) and headed across fields on an embankment towards Mapledurwell . The section of the canal from Up Nately to the western entrance of the Greywell Tunnel still exists and

4543-497: The route was extended south to Alton and Alresford in April 2006. The Basingstoke Canal started at a canal basin, roughly where the cinema in Festival Place is located. From there the canal ran alongside the River Loddon following the line of Eastrop Way. The old canal route passes under the perimeter ring road and then follows a long loop partly on an embankment to pass over small streams and water meadows towards Old Basing , where

4620-475: The shopping centre was rebuilt in 2002 and reopened as Festival Place . This has brought a dramatic improvement to shoppers' opinions of the town centre. Situated in a valley through the Hampshire Downs at an average elevation of 88 metres (289 ft) Basingstoke is a major interchange between Reading , Newbury , Andover , Winchester , and Alton , and lies on the natural trade route between

4697-401: The southwest of England and London . The area had been something of an interchange even in ancient times. It had been cut by a Roman roadway that ran from northeast to southwest, from Silchester towards Salisbury (Sorbiodunum), and by another Roman road that linked Silchester (Calleva Atrebatum) in the north with Winchester (Venta Belgarum) to the south. These cross-cutting highways, along with

SECTION 60

#1732797730459

4774-413: The terminus of the defunct Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway . Current rail services from Basingstoke are operated by South Western Railway , CrossCountry and Great Western Railway . The Reading-Basingstoke Line runs parallel to Chineham Business Park, Vyne Park, the suburb of Chineham and Taylors Farm. Most bus services in the town operate from Basingstoke bus station. The majority are provided by

4851-597: The town and Thornycroft 's quickly grew to become the town's largest employer. Basingstoke suffered very little bomb damage during the Second World War . A stick of German bombs did fall in the Church Square area on 16 August 1940. The same day bombs destroyed part of a row of houses in Burgess Road. Six people were killed in the raid. Overall, 13 civilians died from enemy action during the war in

4928-602: The town on larger campuses. Basingstoke has two large further education colleges: a sixth form college , Queen Mary's College (QMC) and Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT). The University of Winchester had a campus in Basingstoke (Chute House Campus) which closed in July 2011; it had offered full-time and part-time university courses in subjects including childhood studies, various management pathways, community development and creative industries. Bournemouth University 's health and social care students can work on placement at

5005-482: The town until the 17th century along with malting . Brewing became important during the 18th and 19th centuries, and the oldest and most successful brewery was May's Brewery, established by Thomas and William May in 1750 in Brook Street. The London and South Western Railway arrived in 1839 from London, and within a year it was extended to Winchester and Southampton . In 1848 a rival company, sponsored by

5082-448: The town's 'natural' western extremity. Basingstoke is situated on a bed of cretaceous upper chalk with small areas of clayey and loamy soil, inset with combined clay and flint patches. Loam and alluvium recent and pleistocene sediments line the bed of the river Loddon. A narrow line of tertiary Reading beds run diagonally from the northwest to the southeast along a line from Sherborne St John through Popley, Daneshill and

5159-468: The town. After the war, the town had a population of 25,000. As part of the London Overspill plan, along with places such as Ashford and Swindon , Basingstoke was rapidly developed in the late 1960s as an 'expanded town', in similar fashion to Milton Keynes . As the population increased, the town produced more figures of national importance, such as the art critic Waldemar Januszczak and

5236-589: The west. The Basingstoke Sports Centre is located in Portchester Square. The sports centre has a subterranean swimming pool, sauna , jacuzzi and steam room. Above ground there is a gym, aerobics studios, squash courts and main hall. There is also an Ofsted-registered crèche. Outside the town centre there is a leisure park featuring the Aquadrome swimming pool, which opened in May 2002. Also located at

5313-475: Was a state funded grammar school operating in Basingstoke for four centuries, from 1556 until 1970, producing nationally recognised alumni such as Revd. Gilbert White (1720–1793), a pioneer naturalist, and the famed cricket commentator, John Arlott (1914–1991). In modern times education in Basingstoke has been co-ordinated by Hampshire County Council . Each neighbourhood in the town has at least one primary school, while secondary schools are distributed around

5390-423: Was bought by English Partnerships in 2005. They appointed Taylor Woodrow as developers for most new building on the site, and Thomas Homes for conversion of many of the old hospital blocks into housing and community facilities. The new housing development was called "Limes Park" and formed the core of a new civil parish named Rooksdown . The hospital was served by its own railway line from 1913 until 1954 from

5467-417: Was effectively out of use after the Civil War. The 17th century saw serious damage to much of the town and its churches, because of the great fires of 1601 and 1656. Cromwell is thought to have stayed here towards the end of the siege of Basing House, and wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons addressed from Basingstoke. The cloth industry appears to have been important in the development of

5544-505: Was first used by the Canadian Army Medical Corps as a military convalescent hospital. It was known as 'Number Four Canadian General Hospital'. The facility re-opened as Park Prewett Mental Hospital in 1921 and catered for 1,400 patients by 1939. John Arlott worked as a records clerk at the hospital for four years, from 1930 till 1934. The hospital returned to military use again during the Second World War . Part of

5621-519: Was installed to protect the Malls from bad weather while still allowing natural light and air in. The Malls has been repaved and new street furniture installed. The redevelopment was completed in the last quarter of 2011. The redevelopment work was carried out by Wates Group using a variety of subcontractors. A large Waitrose store is located near the station. It was built in November 2015 as part of

5698-402: Was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and it remained a small market town until the early 1960s. At the start of the Second World War , the population was little more than 13,000. It still has a regular market, but is now larger than Hampshire County Council's definition of a market town. Basingstoke became an important economic centre during the second half of the 20th century and houses

5775-583: Was not part of the remit of the 1960s town redevelopment and, in 1996, the perception of provision for cyclists was very poor. Following the Basingstoke Area Cycling Strategy in 1999 an extensive cycle network was 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 Network route 23 in May 2003;

5852-466: Was selected and then acquired in 1899. The hospital was designed by George Thomas Hine but, because of a delay caused by a reduction in demand for mental health services in the county, construction did not commence until 1913. The works which were carried out by Thomas Rowbotham progressed slowly because of shortage of labour during the First World War but were completed in 1917. The building

5929-652: Was started in 1977 by Lawrie Shaw when Brighton Hill Community School opened, where he was the first headteacher. Shaw formed the band as an evening class for amateur wind players and it was then known as the Brighton Hill Centre Band. There are two local newspapers – the Basingstoke Gazette , and the Basingstoke Observer . The town is also covered by the broadsheet newspaper Hampshire Chronicle . Local TV coverage

#458541