'Aldershot' is a town in the
English county of
Hampshire, located on heathland approximately 55 km (35 miles) southwest of
London. The town is administered by
Rushmoor Borough Council.
Aldershot is known for its connection with the
British Army which established a permanent camp in the area for instruction in military manoeuvres in
1854. This led to rapid growth from a small village to a
Victorian town. Today, Aldershot is known as the ''"Home of the British Army"''.
History
Arms of the former Aldershot Borough Council
The name may have derived from "Alder", indicating that it was a wet, boggy place. Aldershot, Alreshete, dates back to an Anglo-Saxon settlement. Aldershot was included as part of the ''old
Hundred of
Crondall'' referred to in the
Domesday Book of 1086. The map of Hampshire in the 1722 edition of
William Camden's ''Britannia or Geographical Description of Britain and Ireland'' shows a symbol for habitation in Aldershot in the Crundhal (Crondall) hundred.
In 1854, at the time of the
Crimean War, the heath land around Aldershot was established as an army base with Aldershot at its centre. This led to a rapid expansion of Aldershot's population going from 875 in 1851, to an excess of 16,000 by 1861 (including about 9,000 from the military). The town continued to grow, reaching a peak in the 1950s.
Queen Victoria was a regular visitor to Aldershot and a Royal pavilion was erected for her use. For her
Jubilee Review (
21 June 1887), 60,000 troops lined up in the
Long Valley. They stretched from the
Basingstoke Canal to Caesar's Camp. Royalty and VIPs from all over Europe and the British Empire attended the event. The Aldershot
Military Tattoo has since established itself as an international event.
A substantial rebuilding of the barracks was carried out between
1961 and
1969 by
Building Design Partnership. The town was designated an "Experimental Site" by the government and various new building technologies were employed with mixed success.
[2]
In 1974 Aldershot
Borough and
Farnborough Urban District were merged to form the
Borough of Rushmoor under the provisions of the
Local Government Act 1972. It is claimed that Aldershot's
town centre has
declined in the latter half of the
20th century.
1972 Aldershot Bombing
The memorial to those people killed in the IRA attacks
On
22 February 1972 Aldershot experienced one of the worst
mainland IRA attacks. Seven people, all civilian support staff, including cooks, cleaners, and a
Catholic priest, were killed in a
car bomb attack on the 16th Parachute Brigade headquarters
mess at Aldershot. This blast was later claimed by the
Official IRA as revenge for the shootings in
Derry that came to be known as
Bloody Sunday.
[3] A memorial has since been built on the site of the attacks.
Landmarks
Aldershot observatory
Aldershot observatory.
The observatory is a circular red-brick building with a domed roof and it stands on Queens Avenue. Inside is a
telescope, 8-inch
refractor, mounted on a German-type
equatorial mount with a
clockwork drive. The telescope and observatory building were a gift from aviation pioneer
Patrick Young Alexander to the British Army, a fact which is recorded by a plaque near the observatory door. It reads: "Presented to the Aldershot Army Corps by Patrick Y Alexander Esq 1906".
Wellington Statue
1st Duke of Wellington astride Copenhagen
A statue of the first
Duke of Wellington mounted on his horse, Copenhagen, is situated on Round Hill behind the Royal Garrison Church. The statue is 30 feet high, 26 feet from nose to tail, over 22 feet in girth and weighs 40 tons. It was designed and built by
Matthew Cotes Wyatt who used recycled bronze from cannons that were captured at the
Battle of Waterloo. It took thirty men over three years to finish the project.
Originally, in 1846, the statue was erected at
Hyde Park Corner, London on the
Wellington Arch. However,
Decimus Burton, architect of the arch, had tried to veto this plan for his preferred "figure in a four horse chariot". Many agreed with Decimus Burton that the statue looked ridiculous since it was out of proportion. It was nicknamed "The Archduke" and was a popular topic in the satirical magazine ''
Punch''.
Queen Victoria claimed that the statue ruined the view of the skyline from
Buckingham Palace, and she privately proposed that the statue be moved. The Duke, who had only sat for the sculptor on two or three occasions, suddenly became very attached to the statue and would not consider its removal from its arch. It was secretly agreed in Royal circles that the statue would not be removed during the Duke's lifetime, so as not to offend him.
In 1883, due to a road widening project, the arch was moved a short distance and now looks down Constitution Hill. The
Prince of Wales (later
King Edward VII ) wrote to the
Prime Minister,
Gladstone, "''As regards the old colossal statue of the Duke. I would suggest that it should not be broken up but removed to Aldershot where it will be highly valued by the Army''".
In 1885, the Prince of Wales handed over the monument to Lieutenant General Anderson, the commander of the Aldershot garrison.
Transport and communications
The
railway station and bus station are both situated off Station Road. The former offering services to
London Waterloo (2tph),
Alton (2tph),
Guildford (2tph) and
Ascot (2tph).
Shopping in Aldershot
Aldershot was the principal retail centre in the Blackwater Valley, however, other centres have grown to compete for customers. Union Street and Wellington Street were pedestrianised in the 1970s when the Wellington Centre, a covered shopping mall, was built. In the 1990s, an extension of the Wellington Centre, ''The Galleries'', has since provided extra shops, although many have since closed. Local traders have claimed that this mall and its associated development are threatening the remaining independent shops operating in Aldershot. A local councillor has claimed "''we have too many empty shops in the town''", and it is a frequent complaint of local residents that the town has declined since the 1960s. In 2003, a health check of the town centre was published, the report concluded that "''Aldershot is experiencing promising signs of revitalisation, particularly in the shopping core''"
[4] Although, in 2005, Rushmoor Borough Council documented the percentage of vancancies at 10%, 8% and 7% respectively for Union Street, the Wellington Centre and Wellington street.
[5]
Education
★
The Connaught School, Tongham Road
★ St. Joseph's RC School
★ Ash Manor Secondary School
★ St Michael's Junior and Infants schools
Leisure and recreation
The main theatre in Aldershot is the Princes Hall and is located on Princes Way.
[6] The
Princes Hall plays host to over 80 professional shows per year as well as a 3 week pantomime. Built in the 1970s and remodelled during 1982 the current seating capacity is 600.
The West End Centre is Aldershot's
arts centre which is located on Queens Road.
Music
The Rhythm Station (now Cheeks) in Aldershot influenced the rapid growth of the hardcore scene from 1992 to 1995. Weekly events included Fusion (Hectic Records) Tazmania, Slammin' Vinyl and Future World to name a few. The geographical position of Aldershot in
between the South Coast (namely Portsmouth and Southampton)and London, meant the club became a mecca for Hardcore in the early 90's. The club was regulary sold out during this time. Unfortunately at the height of the clubs popularity a death in the club effected all the events being put on and soon saw dance music leaving the club. This also had an effect on the hardcore dance seen in that area.
The club groomed local talent such as Sharky, DJ Mystery, DJ Unknown, Vinyl Groover, DJ NS, Hixxy, MC Freestyle, MC Young, MC Smiley.
Sport
Aldershot also plays host to many sports facilities such as Aldershot Tennis Centre, Aldershot Bowling, Aldershot Pools and Lido, Aldershot Garrison Sports Centre and Alpine Snow Sports (Dry Ski Centre).
The local professional football team is
Aldershot Town F.C. who compete in the Nationwide Conference. Before 1992 the local club was
Aldershot F.C., which folded on 25th March 1992. Aldershot Cricket Club is also based in the Town.
There is also a rugby union club called Aldershot & Fleet RUFC (A&F)
[7]
Speedway racing has been staged in Aldershot. Before the war, circa 1929 a track operated at a stadium in Boxall Lane. The records of action at this venue are very sketchy. Speedway returned to Aldershot in 1950 at the local greyhound stadium. The Shots featured in the lower echelons of the sport up to 1960.
Lido
Opened in 1930, Aldershot
Lido is an outdoor leisure pool that contains one and a half million gallons of water situated on a 10 acre site. The original land was a lake that had become overgrown with weeds. It was bought by the Borough Council in 1920 for £21,000 and was the focus of the council's improvement projects for the town.
The pool has extensive areas of shallow water for children to play including a large fountain at the centre. It also has a diving area and water slides. There is an adjoining 25 m indoor pool that allows all year round swimming.
In 1948 the pool hosted the
modern pentathlon for the
London Olympics.
Media
The local press are the ''Aldershot Mail'', the ''Aldershot News'', the ''Aldershot Courier'', and the ''Surrey-Hants Star''.
[8]
Aldershot is the home of Ashgate Publishing Ltd., a prominent publishing house for books on
musicology.
Politics
Aldershot is divided into the following wards:
[9][10]
★ 'Rowhill': southwest of the town
★ 'Wellington': west, north and centre of the town
★ 'Manor Park': south of the town
★ 'Heron Wood': southeast of the town
★ 'North Town': northeast of the town.
The town is represented in parliament through the
Aldershot constituency. The current MP is
Gerald Howarth (
Conservative), with a majority of 5,334 (May 2005). Of the 41 councillors on Rushmoor Borough Council, 15 represent the five wards that comprise Aldershot. Of these councillors, eight are
Conservative, five represent
Labour, one represents the
Liberal Democrats and there is one Independent.
Geography
The nearby villages of
Ash and
Ash Vale are actually in
Surrey, with both being part of
Guildford Borough Council but they can have Aldershot as their post-town. This used to cause debates locally as some residents didn't want to put
Hampshire as their address. The problem was solved when
Royal Mail introduced
postcodes meaning county names were no longer used in UK postal addresses.
The town is generally between 70 m and 100 m above sea level.
Famous people from Aldershot
:See
List of famous people from Aldershot
In literature
Rudyard Kipling referenced Aldershot in his poem "
Gunga Din".
:::
Aldershot Military Town
'Aldershot Military Town' is the area between
Aldershot and the ''North Camp'' area of
Farnborough which is the location for all the military buildings, including married quarters, barracks, army playing fields and other sporting facilities, etc., mostly centred around Queen's Avenue. The military town includes the
Aldershot Observatory and the
Aldershot Military Cemetery, ''The Cambridge Military Hospital'', ''Louise Margaret Maternity Hospital'', the ''Royal Garrison Church'' and other garrison churches, as well as barracks for The
Royal Military Police, the
Army Catering Corps, the
Royal Corps of Transport, etc. A statue of the first
Duke of Wellington mounted on his horse, Copenhagen, is situated on Round Hill behind the Royal Garrison Church.
Queen Victoria and
Prince Albert showed a keen interest in the establishment and development of Aldershot as a
garrison town in the 1850s, at the time of the
Crimean War, having a wooden ''Royal Pavilion'' built there which they would often stay in when attending reviews of the army. In 1860 Albert established and endowed ''
The Prince Consort's Library'' there, which still exists today.
Aldershot Military Town is separate to the town of Aldershot and comes under its own military jurisdiction. It was the homebase for
The Parachute Regiment from its formation in 1940 until it moved to
Colchester Garrison in 2003. Many famous people have been associated with the Military Town, including
Charlie Chaplin who made his first stage appearance in ''The Canteen'' theatre aged 5 in 1894,
Winston Churchill, who was based here in the 19th century, and just about every famous soldier of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The area also houses various military and regimental museums, including the ''
Aldershot Military Museum'', housed in a red-brick
Victorian barracks,
[1] and ''The
Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum''.
[2]
See also
★
List of Army Barracks around Aldershot
★
What Happens in Aldershot Stays in Aldershot
References
1. Population figures from the 2001 census for each of ward in Aldershot.
2. 'BDP' (1963), ''The Rebuilding of Aldershot'', Preston: BDP.
3. On this day in history BBC article on Aldershot bombing
4. Town Centre Health Checks Cttee report PLN01/63
5. Technical Appendix: Percentage of Vacancies and Planning Applications affecting the town centre.
6. Princes Hall official web site
7. Rugby club
8. http://www.shstar.co.uk/ ''Surrey-Hants Star''] official web site
9. Map for the wards of Aldershot
10. Aldershot wards with resepct to the local election of May 2006
External links
★
Rushmoor Borough Council, covers Aldershot
★
The Aldershot Civic Society
★
Aldershot Military Museum
★
Aldershot, a pictorial review
★
Old photos of Aldershot and history
★
History of Aldershot's Theatres and Music Halls
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