Bassett, Southampton
Encyclopedia
Bassett is a suburb and electoral ward
of the City of Southampton
, England. The suburb lies to the north of the city centre and is largely residential, including the University of Southampton
's Glen Eyre Halls
of residence complex, which houses around 2,100 students. Bassett gives its name to part of the A33 arterial road which links the city centre to the M3
, described by Pevsner & Lloyd as "part of the splendid tree-lined route into Southampton from Winchester, London and the north".
Bassett Ward comprises Bassett, Bassett Green
and Lordswood. It had a population of 13,139 as of the 2001 Census
.
(with a double 't'), and a more westerly area (west of Bassett Wood) was identified as Bassett.
By the late 19th century, Bassett consisted of many substantial villas occupied by the middle classes. Despite having the appearance of a well-to-do district on the edge of the town, Revd. Elliott Kenworthy-Browne (rector of North Stoneham from 1886 to 1912) observed that three-quarters of the population of 800 were poor, chiefly mechanics and labourers.
In 1920 the boundaries of Southampton were extended to include Bassett, along with Bitterne, Sholing, Woolston, Weston, Peartree and Swaythling.
of North Stoneham
, which can be traced back to the early 9th century when it was known as "Stonam Abbatis" or "Abbots Stoneham", and was attached to Hyde Abbey
at Winchester
. After the dissolution of the monasteries
in the 1540s, the manor was acquired by Thomas Wriothesley
, Earl of Southampton
. In 1599, the Wriothesley family sold the estate to Sir Thomas Fleming
.
With the growth of Bassett came the construction of a second church within the parish, located on Bassett Avenue. The foundation stone for the new church was laid in 1897 and St Michael and All Angels Church
is now a "Grade II listed building". The parish has since been renamed "North Stoneham and Bassett", and encompasses the whole of Bassett, the portion of Bassett Green north of Bassett Green Road, North Stoneham, and the portion of Chilworth within the M3/M27 triangle. The parish also covers Southampton Airport
.
All Saints Church on Winchester Road was inaugurated in 1970 to serve the needs of the western edge of the parish.
and Information and Communication Technology
, and is thus officially titled Cantell Mathematics and Computing College. The school has also been largely rebuilt funded through the Private Finance Initiative
.
The University of Southampton
's distinctive Boldrewood Campus buildings are situated just off Bassett Avenue. The campus housed the Biomedical Sciences Centre until its closure in 2010. It is currently being demolished to make way for new buildings. The firm Grimshaw Architects
has produced designs for the new campus, which will house a joint centre for the University of Southampton and Lloyd’s Register, to be known as the Southampton Maritime Centre. The first phase of construction is due to be completed in 2014.
North West Bassett Residents Association
North East Bassett Residents Association
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
of the City of 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...
, England. The suburb lies to the north of the city centre and is largely residential, including the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
's Glen Eyre Halls
Glen Eyre Halls
Glen Eyre Halls is a halls of residence complex owned by the University of Southampton. It is situated in the Bassett district of Southampton, approximately one quarter mile north of the University campus in Highfield....
of residence complex, which houses around 2,100 students. Bassett gives its name to part of the A33 arterial road which links the city centre to the M3
M3
M3, M-3 or M03 may refer to:* M3 , a measure of the money supply* Metribolone* M3, a metric screw size- Science :* Cubic meter , a unit of volume* Messier 3 , a globular cluster in the constellation Canes Venatici...
, described by Pevsner & Lloyd as "part of the splendid tree-lined route into Southampton from Winchester, London and the north".
Bassett Ward comprises Bassett, Bassett Green
Bassett Green
Bassett Green is a suburb of Southampton, which has grown from the original small village of Basset. It remains part of the electoral ward of Bassett. The area is mainly residential, with a mixture of Herbert Collins-designed houses and recent council built estates known as the Flowers Estate and...
and Lordswood. It had a population of 13,139 as of the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
.
History
A family named 'Basset' is known to have lived in South Stoneham in the 15th century, and the place name may be from their name. The area broadly occupied by Bassett today was known as Stoneham Common, shown on the 1791 map by Thomas Milne on which 'Bassets Lane' also appears (without any associated village). The village of Bassett appears on a 1810 map, located roughly where Bassett Green Village is today. In the late 18th century it grew as a retreat for rich people outside (and away from civic responsibilities in) the borough of Southampton. By the time of the Ordnance Survey of 1897, Basset had been renamed Bassett Green
Bassett Green
Bassett Green is a suburb of Southampton, which has grown from the original small village of Basset. It remains part of the electoral ward of Bassett. The area is mainly residential, with a mixture of Herbert Collins-designed houses and recent council built estates known as the Flowers Estate and...
(with a double 't'), and a more westerly area (west of Bassett Wood) was identified as Bassett.
By the late 19th century, Bassett consisted of many substantial villas occupied by the middle classes. Despite having the appearance of a well-to-do district on the edge of the town, Revd. Elliott Kenworthy-Browne (rector of North Stoneham from 1886 to 1912) observed that three-quarters of the population of 800 were poor, chiefly mechanics and labourers.
In 1920 the boundaries of Southampton were extended to include Bassett, along with Bitterne, Sholing, Woolston, Weston, Peartree and Swaythling.
Parish
Bassett was originally part of the parishParish (Church of England)
The parish with its local parish church is the basic unit of the Church of England. The parish within the Church of England structure has its roots in the Roman Catholic Church and survived the Reformation largely untouched...
of North Stoneham
North Stoneham
North Stoneham is a settlement and ecclesiastical parish in south Hampshire, England. It was formerly an ancient estate and manor. Until the nineteenth century, it was a rural community comprising a number of scattered hamlets, including Middle Stoneham, North End, and Bassett Green, and...
, which can be traced back to the early 9th century when it was known as "Stonam Abbatis" or "Abbots Stoneham", and was attached to Hyde Abbey
Hyde Abbey
Hyde Abbey was a medieval Benedictine monastery just outside the walls of Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was dissolved and demolished in 1538....
at 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...
. After the dissolution of the monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in the 1540s, the manor was acquired by Thomas Wriothesley
Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton
Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, KG , known as The Lord Wriothesley between 1544 and 1547, was a politician of the Tudor period born in London to William Wrythe and Agnes Drayton....
, Earl of Southampton
Earl of Southampton
Earl of Southampton was a title that was created three times in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1537 in favour of the courtier William Fitzwilliam. He was childless and the title became extinct on his death in 1542. The second creation came in 1547 in favour of the politician...
. In 1599, the Wriothesley family sold the estate to Sir Thomas Fleming
Thomas Fleming (judge)
Sir Thomas Fleming was an English member of Parliament and judge, whose most famous case was the trial of Guy Fawkes in relation to the Gunpowder Plot...
.
With the growth of Bassett came the construction of a second church within the parish, located on Bassett Avenue. The foundation stone for the new church was laid in 1897 and St Michael and All Angels Church
St. Michael and All Angels Church, Bassett
St. Michael and All Angels Church, Bassett, Southampton is an Anglican parish church which dates from the late 19th century.-Location:The church is situated on the eastern side of Bassett Avenue, Southampton, described by Pevsner & Lloyd as "part of the splendid tree-lined route into Southampton...
is now a "Grade II listed building". The parish has since been renamed "North Stoneham and Bassett", and encompasses the whole of Bassett, the portion of Bassett Green north of Bassett Green Road, North Stoneham, and the portion of Chilworth within the M3/M27 triangle. The parish also covers Southampton Airport
Southampton Airport
Southampton Airport is the 20th largest airport in the UK, located north north-east of Southampton, in the Borough of Eastleigh within Hampshire, England....
.
All Saints Church on Winchester Road was inaugurated in 1970 to serve the needs of the western edge of the parish.
Education
Unusually, Bassett does not have any infant, junior or primary schools within the area, the closest being located in Lordswood, Highfield and Bassett Green. Cantell School is located within Bassett, serving a large catchment within the central area of Southampton. The school is a comprehensive secondary school with a specialism in MathematicsMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and Information and Communication Technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, and is thus officially titled Cantell Mathematics and Computing College. The school has also been largely rebuilt funded through the Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
.
The University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
's distinctive Boldrewood Campus buildings are situated just off Bassett Avenue. The campus housed the Biomedical Sciences Centre until its closure in 2010. It is currently being demolished to make way for new buildings. The firm Grimshaw Architects
Grimshaw Architects
Grimshaw Architects is an architectural firm based in London. Founded in 1980 by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, the firm was one of the pioneers of high-tech architecture...
has produced designs for the new campus, which will house a joint centre for the University of Southampton and Lloyd’s Register, to be known as the Southampton Maritime Centre. The first phase of construction is due to be completed in 2014.
Sports Facilities
Bassett is home to several of Southampton's main sports facilities:Southampton Sports Centre
The centre is a 150 acre site with facilities for football, netball, cricket, cyclo cross, cross country, athletics, tennis, bowling, volleyball, crazy golf, putting, and hockey. The area has been used for the Millennium Youth Games, National Cyclocross Championships and to hold outdoor classical concerts.Southampton Snowsports Centre
The centre has three dry ski slopes: a main slope of 110 metres; a second slope of 90 metres and a nursery slope of 30 metres long. All slopes are fully floodlit.Southampton City Golf Course
Originally known as Southampton Municipal Golf Course or 'Muni', the course is a 27-hole venue set in woodland. The course was designed by five times British Open Champion J. H. Taylor, and was completed in 1935. It recently celebrated its 75th Anniversary in 2010.Red Lodge Community Pool
Bassett has its own 20-metre swimming pool. Red Lodge Community Pool was threatened with demolition in 1999 and is now run by a charitable trust. The pool offers swimming lessons, community group bookings and public sessions.Local Links
Old Bassett Residents AssociationNorth West Bassett Residents Association
North East Bassett Residents Association