Onslow Village
Encyclopedia
Onslow Village is the name given to a suburb on the western outskirts of Guildford
. It is sandwiched between the A3 road and A31 road
and consists of a number of residential streets, many of which are characterised by beech hedges. Parts of Onslow Village have been designated as conservation areas, enforcing a number of planning restrictions that are intended to protect the character and identity of the locale.
It has a small village
centre, with a parade of shops and a village hall. The post office closed in 2001 and has now been replaced by a vet
's surgery. Other shops include a newsagent
, hairdresser
, electrical shop and second-hand shop. There is a recreational ground, tennis courts, and an arboretum
. Onslow has one infant school, Onslow Infant School, as well as Queen Eleanor's School, a primary school. Onslow also has its own church, All Saints.
Onslow Village also has its own football team called Onslow FC, the club is coming up to its 25th anniversary having been established in 1986.
The Village also has a thriving Residents' association
, the Onslow Village Residents' Association (OVRA) which was set up in 1956 and whose object is to "safeguard the amenities of Onslow village and to promote the welfare, interests and well-being of the residents".
Onslow Village Ltd acquired 646 acres (just over one square mile) of land from Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow
in 1920 for approximately one quarter of its market value at the time. The aim was to create a "Garden City" to be modelled on the ideas of Ebenezer Howard
's Garden City Movement
. It was their intention to build a self-contained community with smallholdings, public buildings, open spaces, recreation grounds, woodland and a railway station, as well as developing sites for churches, hotels and factories.
On Saturday May 1, 1920, ten weeks after the formation of the Society, the foundations of the first two houses were laid and by March 1922 ninety-one houses had been built. Unfortunately due to a lack of funding the scheme never reached full completion, with about 600 houses actually being built.
Original drawings however showed that there were further plans to develop the farmland at Manor Farm, north of the A3. By the mid 1970s, one third of the properties were still owned by Onslow Village Ltd. Then, in 1984, the company was wound up and many shareholders and tenants had the chance to buy their homes at extremely affordable prices.
Onslow Village never got its railway station, however it did eventually get its woodland: the Onslow arboretum, developed by Guildford
Borough Council as a specialist collection of eighty tree species from around the world. The Onslow arboretum is positioned right next to the "Rec" with its own park, a large field, several tennis courts, toilets and a scout hut.
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...
. It is sandwiched between the A3 road and A31 road
A31 road
The A31 is a major trunk road in southern England that runs from Guildford in Surrey to Bere Regis in Dorset.-Route of road:The road begins in the centre of Guildford, meeting the A3 road before running south west along the Hog's Back. It continues past Farnham, Alton and New Alresford before...
and consists of a number of residential streets, many of which are characterised by beech hedges. Parts of Onslow Village have been designated as conservation areas, enforcing a number of planning restrictions that are intended to protect the character and identity of the locale.
It has a small village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
centre, with a parade of shops and a village hall. The post office closed in 2001 and has now been replaced by a vet
Veterinary surgeon
Veterinary surgeon is a term used to describe:*The full title of a vet, who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals, in the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth countries**See also Veterinary medicine in the United Kingdom...
's surgery. Other shops include a newsagent
Newsagent
A newsagent's shop , newsagency or newsstand is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local interest. In Britain and Australia, these businesses are termed newsagents...
, hairdresser
Hairdresser
Hairdresser is a term referring to anyone whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques...
, electrical shop and second-hand shop. There is a recreational ground, tennis courts, and an arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
. Onslow has one infant school, Onslow Infant School, as well as Queen Eleanor's School, a primary school. Onslow also has its own church, All Saints.
Onslow Village also has its own football team called Onslow FC, the club is coming up to its 25th anniversary having been established in 1986.
The Village also has a thriving Residents' association
Residents' association
Residents' associations are organisations formed by groups of people from a specific geographic community who come together to address issues within their local area and act as a voice for their local community....
, the Onslow Village Residents' Association (OVRA) which was set up in 1956 and whose object is to "safeguard the amenities of Onslow village and to promote the welfare, interests and well-being of the residents".
History
The history of Onslow Village started with the formation of the Onslow Village Society and its aim to tackle the acute shortage of decent working class housing following the First World War.Onslow Village Ltd acquired 646 acres (just over one square mile) of land from Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow
Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow
Richard William Alan Onslow, 5th Earl Onslow GBE, PC , styled Viscount Cranley until 1911, was a British peer, diplomat, parliamentary secretary and government minister.-Background and education:...
in 1920 for approximately one quarter of its market value at the time. The aim was to create a "Garden City" to be modelled on the ideas of Ebenezer Howard
Ebenezer Howard
Sir Ebenezer Howard is known for his publication Garden Cities of To-morrow , the description of a utopian city in which people live harmoniously together with nature. The publication resulted in the founding of the garden city movement, that realized several Garden Cities in Great Britain at the...
's Garden City Movement
Garden city movement
The garden city movement is a method of urban planning that was initiated in 1898 by Sir Ebenezer Howard in the United Kingdom. Garden cities were intended to be planned, self-contained communities surrounded by "greenbelts" , containing proportionate areas of residences, industry and...
. It was their intention to build a self-contained community with smallholdings, public buildings, open spaces, recreation grounds, woodland and a railway station, as well as developing sites for churches, hotels and factories.
On Saturday May 1, 1920, ten weeks after the formation of the Society, the foundations of the first two houses were laid and by March 1922 ninety-one houses had been built. Unfortunately due to a lack of funding the scheme never reached full completion, with about 600 houses actually being built.
Original drawings however showed that there were further plans to develop the farmland at Manor Farm, north of the A3. By the mid 1970s, one third of the properties were still owned by Onslow Village Ltd. Then, in 1984, the company was wound up and many shareholders and tenants had the chance to buy their homes at extremely affordable prices.
Onslow Village never got its railway station, however it did eventually get its woodland: the Onslow arboretum, developed by Guildford
Guildford (borough)
Guildford is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. It is named after Guildford where its council is based....
Borough Council as a specialist collection of eighty tree species from around the world. The Onslow arboretum is positioned right next to the "Rec" with its own park, a large field, several tennis courts, toilets and a scout hut.