Aldershot
Encyclopedia
Aldershot is a town in the English county
of Hampshire
, located on heathland about 60 km (37.3 mi) southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor
Borough Council. The town has a population of 33,840, while the Aldershot Urban Area
, a loose conurbation (which also includes other towns, such as Camberley
, Farnborough
, and Farnham
) has a population of 243,344, making it the thirtieth-largest urban area in the UK
Aldershot is known for its connection with the British Army
. This led to rapid growth from a small village to a Victorian
town. Today, Aldershot is known as the "Home of the British Army". Aldershot is twinned
with Sulechów
in Poland, Meudon
in France and Oberursel
in Germany.
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.
Prior to 1850, Aldershott (as it was spelt then) was little known. The area was a vast stretch of common land
, a lonely wasteland unsuitable for most forms of agriculture with scant population. As it existed at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, the extensive settlement of Crondall in the north-east corner of Hampshire was certainly Scandinavian, for among the customs of that great manor, which included Crondall, Yateley, Farnborough, and Aldershot, that of sole inheritance by the eldest daughter in default of sons prevailed, as over a large part of Cumberland, and this is a peculiarly Norse custom. It was regarded as a dangerous area (at one time it had almost as bad a reputation as Hounslow Heath), the stretch of the London to Winchester
turnpike
that passed through it between Bagshot and Farnham
(now known as the Farnborough Road) was the scene of highway robberies. There were many tales of highwaymen
holding up coaches. Dick Turpin
is said to have operated in the area having his headquarters near nearby Farnborough
, and there were sightings of Springheeled Jack.
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 in 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.
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.
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.
was an international annual event. Between 1922 and 1939 the Aldershot Military Searchlight Tattoo held at the Rushmoor Arena
presented spectacular displays from all branches of the services. This was the premier military Tattoo in the UK during the inter-war years; before there was an Edinburgh Tattoo, the Aldershot show took the lead for sheer scale and spectacle. Its post-war format, the Army Show, was an annual event until financial circumstances saw its cancellation in 2010.
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
. Until then the military town had been open-plan
, but the attack led to immediate action to secure military property by erecting security fences topped with barbed wire. Other security measures, including armed patrols were also implemented.
Following the bombing, it was decided to erect a memorial plaque in the grounds of a prominent new building approximately one mile away in Aldershot's town centre. However, this was soon rejected, and once the building of the attack was demolished, the plaque was moved to its current position, on the actual site of the bombing. The grounds and the site of the memorial have been preserved by the Army ever since.
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.
Aldershot Military Town is the area between Aldershot and North Camp near Farnborough
. It is a garrison town
that serves as the location for the military presence in the area. It houses Aldershot Garrison's married quarters, barracks, Army playing fields and other sporting facilities. It is mostly centered around the junction of Queen's Avenue and Alisons Road. The military town includes some local landmarks, such as the Aldershot Observatory
, Aldershot Military Cemetery
, the Royal Garrison Church and other churches. The town used to be the corps headquarters for the Royal Corps of Transport
and the Army Catering Corps
, these were merged into the Royal Logistic Corps
in 1993 and the corps headquarters moved to Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut
.
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
. They had a wooden Royal Pavilion built which they would often stay in when attending reviews of the army. In 1860 Albert established and endowed the Prince Consort's Library, which still exists today.
Aldershot Military Town is separate from the town of Aldershot and comes under its own military jurisdiction. It was home to the 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, and Winston Churchill
, who was based there in the 19th century.
The area also houses various military and regimental museums, including the Aldershot Military Museum
, housed in a red-brick Victorian
barracks. Until December 2007 the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum
was in Aldershot Military Town. It has since moved to the Imperial War Museum Duxford
.
In recent years plans have been unveiled for local government and planners to redevelop some of the Military Town according to Aldershot's urban extension 'AUE'. In August 2007 a request was made by Hampshire County Council to Aldershot magistrates to extinguish Highway rights from Defence estates of Pennefathers Road (the site of the bombing) as a public road. Although the road has been closed with controlled access since the tragedy, it was recently decided that with impending redevelopment it would be necessary to 'formalise the closure'.
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 (9.1 m) high, 26 feet (7.9 m) from nose to tail, over 22 feet (6.7 m) in girth, weighs 40 tons and is intricately detailed including musculature and veins. 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.
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."
The observatory is a circular red-brick building with a domed roof and it stands on Queen's 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".
and bus station are both situated off Station Road. The former offers services to London Waterloo (2tph), Alton
(2tph), Guildford
(2tph) and Ascot
(2tph).
Aldershot bus station is the terminus for many bus services in the Aldershot Urban Area
, it also services buses from further afield.
Destinations include:
The majority of the bus services from Aldershot are provided by Stagecoach South
, with three being provided by Fleet Buzz and a National Express
coach between London and Portsmouth twice a day
(AAIB), the British aviation accident investigation agency, is based in the Farnborough House in Aldershot.
, DJ Mystery, DJ Unknown, Vinylgroover, DJ NS, Hixxy
, MC Freestyle, MC Young, MC Smiley and of course the Spyder MC. The location of Aldershot between Southampton
and London meant the club became a mecca for Hardcore and it was regularly sold out during this time. At the height of the clubs popularity a teenagers death from a suspected overdose of Ecstasy was the catalyst that saw dance music leaving the club and had a negative impact on the hardcore dance scene in the Aldershot area.
to London agents by promoting shows at The Palais Ballroom, on the corner of Perowne Street and Queens Road, in Aldershot, on 9 December 1961. The show was not advertised properly and, as a result, only 18 people attended, with Andrew Hudson in attendance. The local newspaper, The Aldershot News, failed to publish Sam Leach's advertisement for the show. However, the band and friends had their own fun after the show, including a mock funeral for Paul McCartney
. The failure at Aldershot became part of Beatles folklore. Weeks after this Brian Epstein
became the group's manager.
Centre, Aldershot Bowling
, Aldershot Pools and Lido, Aldershot Garrison Sports Centre, Connaught Leisure Centre and Alpine Snow Sports (Dry Ski Centre). Formerly the town also hosted short circuit motor racing including speedway
and Stock car racing
. Greyhound Racing
formerly took place at Aldershot Stadium, and Point to point racing at Tweseldown
.
who compete in the Football League. Before 1992 the local club was Aldershot
, which folded on 25 March 1992, when members of the Football League Fourth Division
. The current club was formed shortly afterwards and achieved five promotions in its first 16 seasons to return to the Football League in 2008. The previous Aldershot club's biggest success arguably came in 1987, just five years before closure, when they became the first team to win the Football League Fourth Division
promotion playoffs, at the expense of a far bigger club - Wolverhampton Wanderers
.
Aldershot was the hometown of one of English football's
most famous players of the post Second World War era - Johnny Berry
, who was born in the town in 1926. He later played for Birmingham City
and Manchester United
before his playing career was ended by injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster
on 6 February 1958. He later returned to Aldershot to run a sports shop with his brother Peter. He remained in the local area until he died in September 1994 after a short illness at the age of 68.
On 9/24/2011 Aldershot Town were drawn against Manchester United at the Recreation Ground in Aldershot in the Carling Cup
4th round losing 3-0, Aldershot Town's most successful run to date in the Carling Cup
.
during the 1950s.
afternoon and some Saturdays) at Aldershot Stadium (actually just across the Surrey
county boundary in Tongham
) from the 1950s until the final meeting on 21 November 1992. Immediately after this date the site was cleared for construction of the A331 Blackwater Valley Road, which forms a by-pass for Aldershot and Farnborough. The racing took place initially on a loose shale track inside the greyhound track; after Motorcycle speedway
racing at the venue ceased the shale track was replaced with a hard tarmac
ed surface. Now, short-circuit motor sport takes place in Aldershot again, at the Aldershot Raceway, Pegasus Village, Rushmoor Arena
.
at the 1948 London Olympics
. The swimming was held in Aldershot Lido, Maida Gymnasium hosted the fencing, and the cross-country equestrian event was held at Tweseldown. All of the Olympic equestrian events, excluding the Prix des Nations, were also held at Aldershot. Part of the 2012 Olympics
will be held in Aldershot. It was announced on 15 January 2008 that the Aldershot Military Town had been chosen as the official training camp for the British Olympic team ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, though a short while after it was announced that Team GB would be training abroad.
TV news is BBC South Today. Aldershot is covered on BBC
radio by BBC Surrey
(which covers Surrey & North-East Hampshire on 104.6FM).
Wellington Ward is quite unique, as it combines the most compact urban parts of the town (the town centre and Cargate Hill) with a very large acreage of unpopulated woodlands, forests and heathland.
Rowhill and Manor Park wards are the most affluent of the 5 wards, in particular in the areas closer to Farnham.
The town is represented in parliament through the Aldershot constituency. The current MP is Gerald Howarth
(Conservative
), with a majority in May 2010 of 5,586 (12.3%). Of the 42 councillors on Rushmoor Borough Council, 15 represent the five wards that comprise Aldershot. Of these councillors elected since the last local elections in May 2011, nine are Conservative
and six represent Labour
.
referenced Aldershot in his poem "Gunga Din
".
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, located on heathland about 60 km (37.3 mi) southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor
Rushmoor
Rushmoor 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....
Borough Council. The town has a population of 33,840, while the Aldershot Urban Area
Aldershot Urban Area
The Aldershot Urban Area is the name used by the ONS to refer to the loose conurbation on the border between Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire in England. They give it a population of 243,344, making it the thirtieth-largest urban area in the UK...
, a loose conurbation (which also includes other towns, such as Camberley
Camberley
Camberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
, Farnborough
Farnborough, Hampshire
-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
, and Farnham
Farnham
Farnham 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...
) has a population of 243,344, making it the thirtieth-largest urban area in the UK
Aldershot is known for its connection with the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. This led to rapid growth from a small village to a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
town. Today, Aldershot is known as the "Home of the British Army". Aldershot is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Sulechów
Sulechów
Sulechów is a town in Poland, in Lubusz Voivodeship, in Zielona Góra County. It is the administrative seat of the Gmina Sulechów.-History:The area by 990 had been conquered by Duke Mieszko I of Poland and from 1138 was part of the Duchy of Silesia....
in Poland, Meudon
Meudon
Meudon is a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located from the center of Paris.-Geography:...
in France and Oberursel
Oberursel
Oberursel 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 Hessen.-Extent of municipal area:...
in Germany.
History
The name may have derived from the name of "Alder" trees found in the area (Alder-holt meaning copse of Alder trees), 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 HundredHundred (division)
A hundred is a geographic division formerly used in England, Wales, Denmark, South Australia, some parts of the United States, Germany , Sweden, Finland and Norway, which historically was used to divide a larger region into smaller administrative divisions...
of Crondall
Crondall
Crondall is a village and large civil parish in the north east of Hampshire, England and is all that remains of the old Hundred of Crondall referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086. Various earlier spellings have in common the use of a "u" instead of the "o" and the village is still properly...
referred to in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086. The map of Hampshire in the 1722 edition of William Camden
William Camden
William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...
's Britannia or Geographical Description of Britain and Ireland shows a symbol for habitation in Aldershot in the Crundhal (Crondall) hundred.
Prior to 1850, Aldershott (as it was spelt then) was little known. The area was a vast stretch of common land
Common land
Common land is land owned collectively or by one person, but over which other people have certain traditional rights, such as to allow their livestock to graze upon it, to collect firewood, or to cut turf for fuel...
, a lonely wasteland unsuitable for most forms of agriculture with scant population. As it existed at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, the extensive settlement of Crondall in the north-east corner of Hampshire was certainly Scandinavian, for among the customs of that great manor, which included Crondall, Yateley, Farnborough, and Aldershot, that of sole inheritance by the eldest daughter in default of sons prevailed, as over a large part of Cumberland, and this is a peculiarly Norse custom. It was regarded as a dangerous area (at one time it had almost as bad a reputation as Hounslow Heath), the stretch of the London to Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
turnpike
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
that passed through it between Bagshot and Farnham
Farnham
Farnham 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...
(now known as the Farnborough Road) was the scene of highway robberies. There were many tales of highwaymen
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
holding up coaches. Dick Turpin
Dick Turpin
Richard "Dick" Turpin was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's profession as a butcher early in life, but by the early 1730s he had joined a gang of deer thieves, and later became a poacher,...
is said to have operated in the area having his headquarters near nearby Farnborough
Farnborough, Hampshire
-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
, and there were sightings of Springheeled Jack.
In 1854, at the time of the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, 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 in 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
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
Review (21 June 1887), 60,000 troops lined up in the Long Valley
Long Valley
Long Valley may refer to:*Long Valley Caldera in California*Long Valley, Lassen County, California*Long Valley, California, former name of Greenwood, El Dorado County, California*Long Valley, Hong Kong*Long Valley, New Jersey*Long Valley, Arizona...
. They stretched from the Basingstoke Canal
Basingstoke Canal
The Basingstoke Canal is a British Canal, completed in 1794, built to connect Basingstoke with the River Thames at Weybridge via the Wey Navigation....
to Caesar's Camp. Royalty and VIPs from all over Europe and the British Empire attended the event.
A substantial rebuilding of the barracks was carried out between 1961 and 1969 by Building Design Partnership
Building Design Partnership
Building Design Partnership is a firm of architects and engineers employing over 1200 staff in the UK and internationally.-Foundation:The firm was founded in 1961 by George Grenfell Baines with architects Bill White and John Wilkinson, quantity surveyor Arnold Towler and eight associate partners:...
. The town was designated an "Experimental Site" by the government and various new building technologies were employed with mixed success.
In 1974 Aldershot Borough
Municipal borough
Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002...
and Farnborough
Farnborough, Hampshire
-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
Urban District
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
were merged to form the Borough of Rushmoor
Rushmoor
Rushmoor 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....
under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
. It is claimed that Aldershot's town centre
Town centre
The town centre is the term used to refer to the commercial or geographical centre or core area of a town.Town centres are traditionally associated with shopping or retail. They are also the centre of communications with major public transport hubs such as train or bus stations...
has declined
Urban decay
Urban decay is the process whereby a previously functioning city, or part of a city, falls into disrepair and decrepitude...
in the latter half of the 20th century.
The Aldershot Military Tattoo
The Aldershot Military TattooMilitary tattoo
The original meaning of military tattoo is a military drum performance, but nowadays it sometimes means army displays more generally.It dates from the 17th century when the British Army was fighting in the Low Countries...
was an international annual event. Between 1922 and 1939 the Aldershot Military Searchlight Tattoo held at the Rushmoor Arena
Rushmoor Arena
Rushmoor Arena is outdoor arena in Aldershot. The arena was built by the British Army in 1923 for The Aldershot Military Tattoo and it has a current maximum capacity of 30,000...
presented spectacular displays from all branches of the services. This was the premier military Tattoo in the UK during the inter-war years; before there was an Edinburgh Tattoo, the Aldershot show took the lead for sheer scale and spectacle. Its post-war format, the Army Show, was an annual event until financial circumstances saw its cancellation in 2010.
1972 Aldershot bombing
On 22 February 1972 Aldershot experienced one of the worst mainland
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
IRA attacks. Seven people, all civilian support staff, including cooks, cleaners, and a Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priest, were killed in a car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
attack on the 16th Parachute Brigade headquarters mess
Mess
A mess is the place where military personnel socialise, eat, and live. In some societies this military usage has extended to other disciplined services eateries such as civilian fire fighting and police forces. The root of mess is the Old French mes, "portion of food" A mess (also called a...
at Aldershot. This blast was later claimed by the Official IRA
Official IRA
The Official Irish Republican Army or Official IRA is an Irish republican paramilitary group whose goal was to create a "32-county workers' republic" in Ireland. It emerged from a split in the Irish Republican Army in December 1969, shortly after the beginning of "The Troubles"...
as revenge for the shootings in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
that came to be known as Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday (1972)
Bloody Sunday —sometimes called the Bogside Massacre—was an incident on 30 January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland, in which twenty-six unarmed civil rights protesters and bystanders were shot by soldiers of the British Army...
. Until then the military town had been open-plan
Open plan
Open plan is the generic term used in architectural and interior design for any floor plan which makes use of large, open spaces and minimizes the use of small, enclosed rooms such as private offices...
, but the attack led to immediate action to secure military property by erecting security fences topped with barbed wire. Other security measures, including armed patrols were also implemented.
Following the bombing, it was decided to erect a memorial plaque in the grounds of a prominent new building approximately one mile away in Aldershot's town centre. However, this was soon rejected, and once the building of the attack was demolished, the plaque was moved to its current position, on the actual site of the bombing. The grounds and the site of the memorial have been preserved by the Army ever since.
Geography
The nearby villages of AshAsh, Surrey
Ash is a village and civil parish in the borough of Guildford, Surrey, with a population of 17,549 according to the 2001 census. It is at the far west of the Guildford borough, and the urban development in the parish runs directly into Aldershot, which is on the western side of the River...
and Ash Vale
Ash Vale
Ash Vale is a village in the borough of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 7 miles from Guildford but is closer to the Hampshire towns of Aldershot and Farnborough, which are each about two miles away, immediately across the Blackwater River....
are actually in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey 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. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, with both being part of Guildford
Guildford
Guildford 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...
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
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
as their address. The problem was solved when Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
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.
Aldershot Military Town
Farnborough, Hampshire
-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
. It is a garrison town
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
that serves as the location for the military presence in the area. It houses Aldershot Garrison's married quarters, barracks, Army playing fields and other sporting facilities. It is mostly centered around the junction of Queen's Avenue and Alisons Road. The military town includes some local landmarks, such as the Aldershot Observatory
Aldershot Observatory
Aldershot observatory is a circular red-brick building with a domed roof standing on Queens Avenue in Aldershot Military Town near Aldershot, England, home to the British Army since circa 1854. Inside is an refracting telescope on a German-type equatorial mount with a clockwork drive which will...
, Aldershot Military Cemetery
Aldershot Military Cemetery
Aldershot Military Cemetery, is a burial ground for military personnel, or ex-military personnel. It is located in Aldershot Military Town, Hampshire...
, the Royal Garrison Church and other churches. The town used to be the corps headquarters for the Royal Corps of Transport
Royal Corps of Transport
The Royal Corps of Transport was a British Army Corps formed in 1965 from the transport elements of the Royal Army Service Corps and the movement control element of the Royal Engineers . The depot was Buller Barracks in Aldershot...
and the Army Catering Corps
Army Catering Corps
The Army Catering Corps was a corps of the British Army, responsible for the feeding of all Army units. It was originally formed in March 1941 as part of the Royal Army Service Corps, and became a corps in its own right in 1965....
, these were merged into the Royal Logistic Corps
Royal Logistic Corps
The Royal Logistic Corps provides logistic support functions to the British Army. It is the largest Corps in the Army, comprising around 17% of its strength...
in 1993 and the corps headquarters moved to Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut
Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut
The Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut, commonly referred to as Deepcut Barracks, is the headquarters of the Royal Logistic Corps of the British Army and the Defence School of Logistics. Located near Camberley, Surrey, England, it was the headquarters of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps until the...
.
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
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
. They had a wooden Royal Pavilion built which they would often stay in when attending reviews of the army. In 1860 Albert established and endowed the Prince Consort's Library, which still exists today.
Aldershot Military Town is separate from the town of Aldershot and comes under its own military jurisdiction. It was home to the The Parachute Regiment from its formation in 1940 until it moved to Colchester Garrison
Colchester Garrison
Colchester Garrison is located in Colchester in the county of Essex. It has been an important military base since the Roman era. The first permanent military garrison in Colchester was established by Legio XX Valeria Victrix in 43 AD following the Claudian invasion of Britain. Colchester was an...
in 2003. Many famous people have been associated with the Military Town, including Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
who made his first stage appearance in The Canteen theatre aged 5 in 1894, and Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, who was based there in the 19th century.
The area also houses various military and regimental museums, including the Aldershot Military Museum
Aldershot Military Museum
Aldershot Military Museum in Aldershot Military Town in Hampshire was conceived by former Aldershot Garrison Commander, the late Brigadier John Reed. The Museum was opened by HRH The Duke of Gloucester in 1984 and is housed in the only two surviving barrack bungalows built in the "North Camp" area...
, housed in a red-brick Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
barracks. Until December 2007 the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum
Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum
The Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum is now located at Imperial War Museum Duxford. Prior to 2008 it was based at Browning Barracks in the Aldershot Military Town area near Aldershot in Hampshire...
was in Aldershot Military Town. It has since moved to the Imperial War Museum Duxford
Imperial War Museum Duxford
Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near the village of Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artillery and minor naval vessels in seven...
.
In recent years plans have been unveiled for local government and planners to redevelop some of the Military Town according to Aldershot's urban extension 'AUE'. In August 2007 a request was made by Hampshire County Council to Aldershot magistrates to extinguish Highway rights from Defence estates of Pennefathers Road (the site of the bombing) as a public road. Although the road has been closed with controlled access since the tragedy, it was recently decided that with impending redevelopment it would be necessary to 'formalise the closure'.
Wellington Statue
A statue of the first Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
mounted on his horse, Copenhagen, is situated on Round Hill behind the Royal Garrison Church. The statue is 30 feet (9.1 m) high, 26 feet (7.9 m) from nose to tail, over 22 feet (6.7 m) in girth, weighs 40 tons and is intricately detailed including musculature and veins. It was designed and built by Matthew Cotes Wyatt
Matthew Cotes Wyatt
Matthew Cotes Wyatt was a painter and sculptor and a member of the Wyatt family, who were well-known in the Victorian era as architects and sculptors.-Early life:...
who used recycled bronze from cannons that were captured at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. It took thirty men over three years to finish the project.
Originally, in 1846, the statue was erected at Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner
Hyde Park Corner is a place in London, at the south-east corner of Hyde Park. It is a major intersection where Park Lane, Knightsbridge, Piccadilly, Grosvenor Place and Constitution Hill converge...
, London on the Wellington Arch
Wellington Arch
Wellington Arch, also known as Constitution Arch or the Green Park Arch, is a triumphal arch located to the south of Hyde Park in central London and at the north western corner of Green Park...
. However, Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton was a prolific English architect and garden designer, He is particularly associated with projects in the classical style in London parks, including buildings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and London Zoo, and with the layout and architecture of the seaside towns of Fleetwood and...
, 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
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
.
Queen Victoria claimed that the statue ruined the view of the skyline from Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
, 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.
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
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
(later King Edward VII ) wrote to the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
, "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."
Aldershot Observatory
Telescope
A telescope is an instrument that aids in the observation of remote objects by collecting electromagnetic radiation . The first known practical telescopes were invented in the Netherlands at the beginning of the 1600s , using glass lenses...
, 8-inch refractor, mounted on a German-type equatorial mount
Equatorial mount
An equatorial mount is a mount for instruments that follows the rotation of the sky by having one rotational axis parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. This type of mount is used for astronomical telescopes and cameras...
with a clockwork
Clockwork
A clockwork is the inner workings of either a mechanical clock or a device that operates in a similar fashion. Specifically, the term refers to a mechanical device utilizing a complex series of gears....
drive. The telescope and observatory building were a gift from aviation pioneer Patrick Young Alexander
Patrick Young Alexander
Patrick Young Alexander was a British aeronautical pioneer fascinated by the prospect of heavier-than-air flight. He was an enthusiastic balloonist and he was also particularly active in meteorology. He performed many metrological and aviation experiments, designing and building his own equipment...
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".
Transport and communications
The railway stationAldershot railway station
Aldershot railway station is on Station Road, near the town centre of Aldershot, Hampshire, England. It is on the Alton Line, part of the National Rail network, with train services and station facilities provided by South West Trains....
and bus station are both situated off Station Road. The former offers services to London Waterloo (2tph), Alton
Alton railway station
Alton railway station is a railway station in the town of Alton, in the English county of Hampshire. The station is the terminus for two railway lines; the Alton Line which runs to Brookwood and onto London Waterloo and the Mid Hants Watercress Railway, which runs to Alresford. The latter once ran...
(2tph), Guildford
Guildford (Surrey) railway station
Guildford railway station is an important railway junction on the Portsmouth Direct Line serving the town of Guildford in Surrey, England. It is 30.3 miles from London Waterloo....
(2tph) and Ascot
Ascot railway station
Ascot railway station is a railway station in the town of Ascot in Berkshire, England. The station, and all trains serving it, are operated by South West Trains. It is at the junction of the Waterloo to Reading line with the Ascot to Guildford line....
(2tph).
Aldershot bus station is the terminus for many bus services in the Aldershot Urban Area
Aldershot Urban Area
The Aldershot Urban Area is the name used by the ONS to refer to the loose conurbation on the border between Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire in England. They give it a population of 243,344, making it the thirtieth-largest urban area in the UK...
, it also services buses from further afield.
Destinations include:
- BordonBordonBordon is a town in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It lies 5.4 miles southeast of Alton and forms a part of the civil parish of Whitehill, the adjoining village. Both settlements are on the A325 road and close to the A3 road between London and Portsmouth...
- CamberleyCamberleyCamberley is a town in Surrey, England, situated 31 miles southwest of central London, in the corridor between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town lies close to the borders of both Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties...
- FarnboroughFarnborough, Hampshire-History:Name changes: Ferneberga ; Farnburghe, Farenberg ; Farnborowe, Fremborough, Fameborough .Tower Hill, Cove: There is substantial evidence...
- FarnhamFarnhamFarnham 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...
- GuildfordGuildfordGuildford 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...
- HaslemereHaslemereHaslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
- ReadingReading, BerkshireReading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley 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....
- YateleyYateleyYateley 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. It had a population of 21,011 according to the 2001 census...
The majority of the bus services from Aldershot are provided by Stagecoach South
Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey
Stagecoach in Hants & Surrey is an operating sub-division Stagecoach South, which itself is part of the Stagecoach Group.Together, Stagecoach South carries 29.5 million passengers a year with a fleet of 460 buses and 950 staff.-Services:...
, with three being provided by Fleet Buzz and a National Express
National Express
National Express Coaches, more commonly known as National Express, is a brand and company, owned by the National Express Group, under which the majority of long distance bus and coach services in Great Britain are operated,...
coach between London and Portsmouth twice a day
Government and infrastructure
The Air Accidents Investigation BranchAir Accidents Investigation Branch
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch investigates air accidents in the United Kingdom. It is a branch of the Department for Transport and is based on the grounds of Farnborough Airport near Aldershot, Rushmoor, Hampshire.-History:...
(AAIB), the British aviation accident investigation agency, is based in the Farnborough House in Aldershot.
Education
There are various schools in Aldershot. A mix of infants and juniors, including Park Primary School and St Michael's (C of E). The infant schools are Talavera and West End County And Bell Vue Infant School. Junior schools include: Newport County, Talavera, Beaumont County and St Joseph's Primary (Catholic). Aldershot has only one secondary school, The Connaught School, though Ash Manor school, All Hallows Catholic School and The Wavell School are all local.Hardcore
The Palace (previously The Palace Cinema,The Rhythm Station, Cheeks, Vox), influenced the rapid growth of the hardcore scene from 1992 to 1995. Weekly events included Fusion (Hectic Records), Tazmania, Slammin' Vinyl and Future World. The club also groomed local talents such as DJ SharkeyDJ Sharkey
Sharkey is a British record producer, disc jockey, and rapper. Sharkey co-created a style of hardcore techno known as freeform or freeform hardcore.-Career:...
, DJ Mystery, DJ Unknown, Vinylgroover, DJ NS, Hixxy
Hixxy
Hixxy or DJ Hixxy, born Ian Hicks, is a British UK Hardcore and previously happy hardcore DJ and musician from Portsmouth, England....
, MC Freestyle, MC Young, MC Smiley and of course the Spyder MC. The location of Aldershot between Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the 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...
and London meant the club became a mecca for Hardcore and it was regularly sold out during this time. At the height of the clubs popularity a teenagers death from a suspected overdose of Ecstasy was the catalyst that saw dance music leaving the club and had a negative impact on the hardcore dance scene in the Aldershot area.
The Beatles in Aldershot
Sam Leach, their then agent, and wanting to become their manager, attempted to introduce The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
to London agents by promoting shows at The Palais Ballroom, on the corner of Perowne Street and Queens Road, in Aldershot, on 9 December 1961. The show was not advertised properly and, as a result, only 18 people attended, with Andrew Hudson in attendance. The local newspaper, The Aldershot News, failed to publish Sam Leach's advertisement for the show. However, the band and friends had their own fun after the show, including a mock funeral for Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. The failure at Aldershot became part of Beatles folklore. Weeks after this Brian Epstein
Brian Epstein
Brian Samuel Epstein , was an English music entrepreneur, and is best known for being the manager of The Beatles up until his death. He also managed several other musical artists such as Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, Cilla Black, The Remo Four & The Cyrkle...
became the group's manager.
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 centre, was built. In the 1990s, an extension of the Wellington Centre, The Galleries, provided extra shops, although nearly all are now closed. Local traders have claimed that this centre 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" Although, in 2005, Rushmoor Borough Council documented the percentage of vacancies at 10%, 8% and 7% respectively for Union Street, the Wellington Centre and Wellington street.Sport
Aldershot plays host to many sports facilities such as Aldershot TennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
Centre, Aldershot Bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, Aldershot Pools and Lido, Aldershot Garrison Sports Centre, Connaught Leisure Centre and Alpine Snow Sports (Dry Ski Centre). Formerly the town also hosted short circuit motor racing including speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
and Stock car racing
Stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
. Greyhound Racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
formerly took place at Aldershot Stadium, and Point to point racing at Tweseldown
Tweseldown Racecourse
Tweseldown Racecourse in Fleet, Hampshire was originally a National Hunt steeplechasing venue and the home of the equestrian dressage and eventing competitions in the 1948 Summer Olympics....
.
Swimming
Opened in 1930, Aldershot Lido is a traditional outdoor leisure pool that contains one and a half million gallons of water situated on a 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) 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 Lido became an Olympic venue in 1948 when it was the site of the swimming event in the Modern Pentathlon of that year's London Olympic Games. 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.Football
The local professional football team is Aldershot TownAldershot Town F.C.
Aldershot Town Football Club is an association football club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, founded in the spring of 1992 just after the closure of debt-ridden Fourth Division club Aldershot Football Club...
who compete in the Football League. Before 1992 the local club was Aldershot
Aldershot F.C.
Aldershot Football Club was an English Football League club, which was wound up in the High Court in March 1992. They became the first Football League club since Accrington Stanley to resign from the League during the course of a season. The club was nicknamed the Shots for both the last syllable...
, which folded on 25 March 1992, when members of the Football League Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
. The current club was formed shortly afterwards and achieved five promotions in its first 16 seasons to return to the Football League in 2008. The previous Aldershot club's biggest success arguably came in 1987, just five years before closure, when they became the first team to win the Football League Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
promotion playoffs, at the expense of a far bigger club - Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
.
Aldershot was the hometown of one of English football's
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
most famous players of the post Second World War era - Johnny Berry
Johnny Berry
Reginald John "Johnny" Berry was an English football player. Berry joined Manchester United from Birmingham City in 1951. He was a natural right winger, with technique and pace as his strengths. He played 277 matches for Manchester United, scoring 44 goals along the way, including helping...
, who was born in the town in 1926. He later played for Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
before his playing career was ended by injuries sustained in the Munich air disaster
Munich air disaster
The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off from a slush-covered runway at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. On board the plane was the Manchester United football team, nicknamed the "Busby Babes",...
on 6 February 1958. He later returned to Aldershot to run a sports shop with his brother Peter. He remained in the local area until he died in September 1994 after a short illness at the age of 68.
On 9/24/2011 Aldershot Town were drawn against Manchester United at the Recreation Ground in Aldershot in the Carling Cup
League Cup
In association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish...
4th round losing 3-0, Aldershot Town's most successful run to date in the Carling Cup
League Cup
In association football, a League Cup or Secondary Cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament to be called "League Cup" was held in Scotland in 1946/47 and was entitled the Scottish...
.
Cricket
Aldershot Cricket Club is also based in the town. The club shares with the Aldershot hockey club and the Blackwater Valley Runners running and jogging club.Rugby Union
Formerly known as Fleet RUFC, the club started in 1991 as a pub side. The club was renamed Aldershot and Fleet RUFC (A&F) after move in 2003 from Southwoods to their current home Aldershot Park. With an ever expanding juniors section, Aldershot & Fleet were successful in winning the Coveted RFU "Seal of Approval" Club of the Year 2008 for the southern region.Greyhound racing
Took place regularly at Aldershot Stadium in TonghamTongham
Tongham is a small Surrey village located close to the north-east Hampshire and Surrey border. The village lies in a triangle between the A31 and the A331. Neighbouring villages include Ash and Badshot Lea....
during the 1950s.
Stock car racing
Together with other short-circuit formulae (including Superstox, Hot Rods, Bangers and Midgets) was held regularly (every Thursday evening, every Boxing DayBoxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
afternoon and some Saturdays) at Aldershot Stadium (actually just across the Surrey
Surrey
Surrey 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. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
county boundary in Tongham
Tongham
Tongham is a small Surrey village located close to the north-east Hampshire and Surrey border. The village lies in a triangle between the A31 and the A331. Neighbouring villages include Ash and Badshot Lea....
) from the 1950s until the final meeting on 21 November 1992. Immediately after this date the site was cleared for construction of the A331 Blackwater Valley Road, which forms a by-pass for Aldershot and Farnborough. The racing took place initially on a loose shale track inside the greyhound track; after Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
racing at the venue ceased the shale track was replaced with a hard tarmac
Tarmac
Tarmac is a type of road surface. Tarmac refers to a material patented by Edgar Purnell Hooley in 1901...
ed surface. Now, short-circuit motor sport takes place in Aldershot again, at the Aldershot Raceway, Pegasus Village, Rushmoor Arena
Rushmoor Arena
Rushmoor Arena is outdoor arena in Aldershot. The arena was built by the British Army in 1923 for The Aldershot Military Tattoo and it has a current maximum capacity of 30,000...
.
Speedway racing
Circa 1929, a track operated at a stadium in Boxalls Lane. Speedway returned to Aldershot in 1950 at the local greyhound stadium. The Shots featured in the lower echelons of the sport up to 1960.Olympics
Aldershot hosted three of the five events in the modern pentathlonModern pentathlon
The modern pentathlon is a sports contest that includes five events: pistol shooting, épée fencing, 200 m freestyle swimming, show jumping, and a 3 km cross-country run...
at the 1948 London Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
. The swimming was held in Aldershot Lido, Maida Gymnasium hosted the fencing, and the cross-country equestrian event was held at Tweseldown. All of the Olympic equestrian events, excluding the Prix des Nations, were also held at Aldershot. Part of the 2012 Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
will be held in Aldershot. It was announced on 15 January 2008 that the Aldershot Military Town had been chosen as the official training camp for the British Olympic team ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, though a short while after it was announced that Team GB would be training abroad.
Media
The local press are the Aldershot News & Mail, a broadsheet, and the Surrey-Hants Star Courier, a free tabloid. The local BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV news is BBC South Today. Aldershot is covered on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio by BBC Surrey
BBC Surrey
BBC Surrey is the BBC Local Radio service covering the English county of Surrey, along with North-East Hampshire and the northern fringes of West Sussex including Crawley, East Grinstead and Gatwick Airport...
(which covers Surrey & North-East Hampshire on 104.6FM).
Politics
Aldershot is divided into the following wards:- 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.
Wellington Ward is quite unique, as it combines the most compact urban parts of the town (the town centre and Cargate Hill) with a very large acreage of unpopulated woodlands, forests and heathland.
Rowhill and Manor Park wards are the most affluent of the 5 wards, in particular in the areas closer to Farnham.
The town is represented in parliament through the Aldershot constituency. The current MP is Gerald Howarth
Gerald Howarth
James Gerald Douglas Howarth known as Gerald Howarth is a British Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Aldershot since 1997, having been the MP for Cannock and Burntwood from 1983 to 1992....
(Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
), with a majority in May 2010 of 5,586 (12.3%). Of the 42 councillors on Rushmoor Borough Council, 15 represent the five wards that comprise Aldershot. Of these councillors elected since the last local elections in May 2011, nine are Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and six represent Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
.
In literature
Rudyard KiplingRudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
referenced Aldershot in his poem "Gunga Din
Gunga Din
-Background:The poem is a rhyming narrative from the point of view of a British soldier, about a native water-bearer who saves the soldier's life but dies himself. The last line suggests a deep-down unease of conscience about the prevailing views of natural hierarchies, both in the depicted...
".
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Sir John BetjemanJohn BetjemanSir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
also mentions Aldershot in the poem "A Subaltern's Love Song"
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Aldershot appears as Quartershot in Thomas HardyThomas HardyThomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
's novels.
Sir Arthur Conan DoyleArthur Conan DoyleSir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
set the short story The Adventure of the Crooked ManThe Adventure of the Crooked Man"The Adventure of the Crooked Man", one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is one of 12 stories in the cycle collected as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes...
in The Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesThe Memoirs of Sherlock HolmesThe Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, originally published in 1894, by Arthur Conan Doyle.-Contents:The twelve stories of the Memoirs are:*"Silver Blaze"...
in Aldershot. Holmes suspects a deformed beggar knows what caused Colonel James Barclay's sudden death during an argument with his wife.
P. G. WodehouseP. G. WodehouseSir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
set several episodes of his early school stories in Aldershot, at a convocation of British public schoolPublic School (UK)A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
athletes. He refers to the Queen's Avenue gymnasium as the site of the boxingBoxingBoxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
matches there. He mentions this convocation in The Gold BatThe Gold BatThe Gold Bat is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published on 13 September 1904 by Adam & Charles Black, London. Set at the fictional public school of Wrykyn, the novel tells of how two boys, O'Hara and Moriarty, tar and feather a statue of the local M.P. as a prank...
, The White FeatherThe White FeatherThe White Feather is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published on 9 October 1907 by Adam & Charles Black, London. It is set at Wrykyn school, scene of Wodehouse's earlier book The Gold Bat , and the later Mike . Like many early Wodehouse novels, the story first appeared as a serial in the boys'...
, and The PothuntersThe PothuntersThe Pothunters is a 1902 novel by P. G. Wodehouse. It was Wodehouse's first published novel, and the first of several school stories, this one set at the fictional public school of St...
.
Aldous HuxleyAldous HuxleyAldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
mentions Aldershot in Eyeless in GazaEyeless in GazaEyeless in Gaza is a bestselling novel by Aldous Huxley, first published in 1936. The title originates from a phrase in John Milton's Samson Agonistes:The chapters of the book are not ordered chronologically...
Location filming
Due to its architecture Bruneval Barracks on Montgomery Lines provided scenery for the scenes in a snowy Russian Army base at the end of the 2009 James Bond film Quantum of Solace. Aldershot's military ground was also used for the opening sequence in the 2002 James Bond film Die Another DayDie Another DayDie Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
.
The Barracks are being used for Brad PittBrad PittWilliam Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
's new film World War ZWorld War ZWorld War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War is a 2006 post-apocalyptic horror novel by Max Brooks. It is a follow-up to his 2003 book The Zombie Survival Guide. Rather than a grand overview or narrative, World War Z is a collection of individual accounts in the form of first-person anecdote...
based on the novel. Filming began 1st September 2011.
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