Church Crookham
Encyclopedia
Church Crookham is a suburb, village and civil parish
on the southern edge of the town of Fleet
, in north east Hampshire
, England, located 39 miles (62.8 km) south west of London. Formerly a separate village, the area comprises one of the 18 wards of the Hart District
, in addition to parts of two others.
, though Church Crookham and Crookham Village
did not become distinct entities until the founding of the Christ Church in 1840. It is this church for which Church Crookham is named.
The region had few inhabitants at this time, with the 1831 edition of Samuel Lewis's "Topographical Dictionary of England" claiming Crookham had 623 inhabitants and not even mentioning the (at the time) much smaller Fleet. The settlements in area, particularly Fleet, experienced a minor population bloom in 1840 when a railway station was built at nearby Fleet Pond
; while this was primarily for the benefit of day-tripper
s, many Londoners enjoyed the area so much that they decided to settle there.
Church Crookham lies on GHQ Line
- the most important of a number of fortified stop lines constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
- and was at one of the most heavily fortified sections of that line.
Originally named Boyce Barracks, but re-named in 1948 following the visit of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
This large barracks complex was built to act as the Depot for the Royal Army Medical Corps, who used it until 1962. From 1965 until 1970 it was used by Training Regiments of the Royal Corps of Transport. From 1970 until 2000 it was used by Gurkha Regiments.
Wooden hutted camp, with single storey barrack blocks arranged as 'spiders'. The camp could accommodate 2500 men in peace time. This camp also included a numbers of stores and administration buildings, as well as a large parade area, gymnasium and cinema.
Site sold by the MOD and due for redevelopment as housing. The headquarters administration building has been moved and preserved at the Aldershot Military Museum. The Battalion vacated the barracks in August 2000, and the abandoned site is still present. Bryant Homes
bought the site in 2002, and planning permission has been sought for a housing estate which will include a medical centre, school, and shops.
steeplechase in the 1948 London Olympics
. Famously, Churchill raced here while at Sandhurst, with scandal attending him in one race, in which he was accused of bullying a fellow rider, an incident he glossed over in his account of his early life.
movie Die Another Day
, which used woodland and flat ground in between Church Crookham and Aldershot
to represent the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea
. Church Crookham was also one of several English towns and villages (others including nearby Aldershot
, Farnham
, and Chobham
) that served as filming locations for the 2006 movie Children of Men
.
Redfields was also the centre for the British Pioneer Tobacco Growers Association (BPTGA) after the Second World War. Tobacco was grown there, cured and a commercial brand 'Trowards Rayon D'or' was produced alongside the main purpose of supplying plants to members, curing and shredding their final product before returning to the appropriate members. Among members of the staff were Charles Baggs ,General Manager throughout their existence, and Admiral Sir Clement Moody. A BBC film was made during the 1950s entitled Tobacco Road which featured the Redfields site and their site in nearby Crondall. The Association closed after the death of Mr Troward, although Charles Baggs did continue to supply plants and cure the members' product for a further period after his death. The works at Redfields employed some twenty to thirty local staff, which demonstrated its importance at that time in history.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
on the southern edge of the town of Fleet
Fleet, Hampshire
Fleet is a town and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England, located 37 miles south west of London. It is part of Hart District. The 2007 population forecast for Fleet was 31,687.-History:...
, in north east 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...
, England, located 39 miles (62.8 km) south west of London. Formerly a separate village, the area comprises one of the 18 wards of the Hart District
Hart (district)
Hart is a local government district in Hampshire, England, named after the River Hart. Its council is based in Fleet. It was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the urban district of Fleet, and the Hartley Wintney Rural District.Hart District is one of the...
, in addition to parts of two others.
History
Crookham (formerly Crokeham) dates back at least as far as the Domesday BookDomesday 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...
, though Church Crookham and Crookham Village
Crookham Village
Crookham Village is located south-west of Fleet, in northeast Hampshire, England and lies within the Hart District.-History:Crookham dates back at least as far as the Domesday Book, although Crookham Village and Church Crookham did not become separate entities until the founding of the Christ...
did not become distinct entities until the founding of the Christ Church in 1840. It is this church for which Church Crookham is named.
The region had few inhabitants at this time, with the 1831 edition of Samuel Lewis's "Topographical Dictionary of England" claiming Crookham had 623 inhabitants and not even mentioning the (at the time) much smaller Fleet. The settlements in area, particularly Fleet, experienced a minor population bloom in 1840 when a railway station was built at nearby Fleet Pond
Fleet Pond
Fleet Pond Local Nature Reserve is one of Hampshire’s hidden gems. Located on the northern edge of the town of Fleet in northeastern Hampshire, the 'pond', at 21 hectares , is Hampshire's largest freshwater lake...
; while this was primarily for the benefit of day-tripper
Day-tripper
A day-tripper is a person who visits a tourist destination or visitor attraction from his/her home and returns home on the same day.- Definition :In other words, this excursion does not involve a night away from home such as experienced on a holiday...
s, many Londoners enjoyed the area so much that they decided to settle there.
World War Two
GHQ Line
The GHQ Line was a defence line built in the United Kingdom during World War II to contain an expected German invasion.The British Army had abandoned most of its equipment in France after the Dunkirk evacuation...
- the most important of a number of fortified stop lines constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of World War II
British anti-invasion preparations of the Second World War entailed a large-scale division of military and civilian mobilisation in response to the threat of invasion by German armed forces in 1940 and 1941. The British army needed to recover from the defeat of the British Expeditionary Force in...
- and was at one of the most heavily fortified sections of that line.
Queen Elizabeth Barracks
Queen Elizabeth Barracks (Boyce Barracks) - Crookham - Date of construction 1938Originally named Boyce Barracks, but re-named in 1948 following the visit of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
This large barracks complex was built to act as the Depot for the Royal Army Medical Corps, who used it until 1962. From 1965 until 1970 it was used by Training Regiments of the Royal Corps of Transport. From 1970 until 2000 it was used by Gurkha Regiments.
Wooden hutted camp, with single storey barrack blocks arranged as 'spiders'. The camp could accommodate 2500 men in peace time. This camp also included a numbers of stores and administration buildings, as well as a large parade area, gymnasium and cinema.
Site sold by the MOD and due for redevelopment as housing. The headquarters administration building has been moved and preserved at the Aldershot Military Museum. The Battalion vacated the barracks in August 2000, and the abandoned site is still present. Bryant Homes
Bryant Homes
Bryant Homes was one of the larger UK housebuilders when it was acquired by Taylor Woodrow in 2001; Bryant then became the principal housebuilding operation of the enlarged group. Taylor Woodrow merged with Wimpey in 2007 and during 2010 the Bryant brand was phased out...
bought the site in 2002, and planning permission has been sought for a housing estate which will include a medical centre, school, and shops.
Tweseldown race course
Another well-known site is Tweseldown race course, a point-to-point horse racing track. This race track was used for the eventingEventing
Eventing is an equestrian event comprising dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding...
steeplechase in 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...
. Famously, Churchill raced here while at Sandhurst, with scandal attending him in one race, in which he was accused of bullying a fellow rider, an incident he glossed over in his account of his early life.
Filming location
Church Crookham has been used as a filming location for several movies. These include the 2002 James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movie Die Another Day
Die Another Day
Die 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...
, which used woodland and flat ground in between Church Crookham and Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
to represent the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. Church Crookham was also one of several English towns and villages (others including nearby Aldershot
Aldershot
Aldershot is a town in the English county of Hampshire, located on heathland about southwest of London. The town is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council...
, 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...
, and Chobham
Chobham, Surrey
Chobham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, about 15 minutes drive from the London railway line stations at Woking to the south and Sunningdale to the north...
) that served as filming locations for the 2006 movie Children of Men
Children of Men
Children of Men is a 2006 science fiction film loosely adapted from P. D. James's 1992 novel The Children of Men, directed by Alfonso Cuarón. In 2027, two decades of human infertility have left society on the brink of collapse. Illegal immigrants seek sanctuary in England, where the last...
.
Tobacco
Church Crookham is also the location for the only commercially successful tobacco plantation in Britain which produced among other brands "Blue Prior" cigarettes and pipe tobacco. Production finished in 1938 and the plantation site is now occupied by Redfields Garden Centre, but Redfields House is part of the buildings that now encompass St Nicholas' School.Redfields was also the centre for the British Pioneer Tobacco Growers Association (BPTGA) after the Second World War. Tobacco was grown there, cured and a commercial brand 'Trowards Rayon D'or' was produced alongside the main purpose of supplying plants to members, curing and shredding their final product before returning to the appropriate members. Among members of the staff were Charles Baggs ,General Manager throughout their existence, and Admiral Sir Clement Moody. A BBC film was made during the 1950s entitled Tobacco Road which featured the Redfields site and their site in nearby Crondall. The Association closed after the death of Mr Troward, although Charles Baggs did continue to supply plants and cure the members' product for a further period after his death. The works at Redfields employed some twenty to thirty local staff, which demonstrated its importance at that time in history.
Education
For a list of local schools see the list of Hampshire schools.External links
- http://www.church-crookham.co.uk
- Fleet & Crookham Local History Group – Group Books and Historical Papers – includes reference to paper "Mr Brandon's Tobacco Farm" by Phyllis Ralton (2007)