Fleet Hampshire
/fleet-hampshire
History
In about 1272 Stephen de Pencester (son of William de Pencester) became lord of the manor of Fleet. His elder son, also called Stephen who in 1299 added the name Briwere to his own by Royal Licence acquired the manor outright in 1303 from his father. Briwere followed the traditions of granting his estate to one son and providing an annuity for a younger son through his second marriage. His heirs lived mainly at Peberty, Hants and the lands were held by a succession of tenants until four daughters of Sir Richard Onslow, 1st Baron Onslow claimed co-heiresses to their brother Thomas Onslow, 5th Baron Onslow's Fleet lands in 18.
In the 13th century, a go-cart track was made on the heath where people came from all over to race, Hampshire Local (hampshirelocal.co.uk). There were also two fairs held at this time in Fleet. Later, when an Act of Parliament was passed ordering that all high roads must be regularly maintained in the early 17th century, Robert Newman of Worthy then parish clerk, put a proposal before the quarter sessions for taking over the old go-cart track and making it suitable for use by wheeled vehicles.
His proposal was accepted, and part of Road No. (P0004) 37 terminating near The Brightwells became known as Newman's Road and later as New Road. The land around the Fleet Pond was drained in 1651 by the Earl of Romney, Sir William Spring, creating around 564 acres (2. 3 km²) of pasture and arable land. In the 16th century three main roads were constructed to aid distribution of farm produce: "The Long Causeway" from Droxford up the Harbridge Road as far as Norden; thence to cross the River Meon by a ford at Wickham Bridge and through Haslemere to Petersfield; thence across Duncton Common to Liphook; thence following the ridge-top to reach Hampshire downland south west of Alton.
The Fleet was not the only watercourse that existed in former times. Pump Lane, where the branch railway line to Crondall used to run, marks the course of a stream called Brede Water and at some time there may have been a place called Brede between it and West Meon. Street Farm was another place beside this stream; Street being a name for common land that gave its name to the strip of territory between two manors.
The Fleet Map of 1819 shows that there were five streams then flowing to the west of Crondall Road. The first settlement was not along the main street as one might assume but in Back Street. The year was 1171 – Robert the Bruce was fighting at Alnwick Castle, Robin and Marion were about to meet for the first time and King Henry II was away in France. According to local records, it was then that William Stacche, licensed by the Prior of Winchester, started a fish pond on his land in Fleet.
The site of Fleet was originally heathland in the northern part of the Crondall Hundred. The name Fleet was probably derived from the Norman French word La Flete meaning a stream or shallow water a reference to the Fleet Pond from which fish had been taken for the monks in Winchester in Medieval times. Both sets of locks are visible today, but only the upper set is locked. The lower set now forms an overflow for the river.
Politics and administration
Fleet forms part of the constituency of North East Hampshire, with the Member of Parliament being Ranil Jayawardena (Conservative) who was first elected to this seat in 2010, and the previous MP being Stephen Crabb (Conservative) who was first elected in 2005. The north-east of Hampshire is largely rural and has a high proportion of woodland. However its proximity to London makes it vulnerable to urban sprawl. In March 2007 planning permission was granted by Hart District Council for 400 houses at Cliddesden Village subject to a legal challenge.
In 2009 there were two planning applications for 300–400 houses at Elvetham Heath and 400 houses at Tangley and Odiham West on the edge of Fleet village;. The UK did not have a uniform system of local government until the passing of the Local Government Act 1894. Until that point, responsibility for the administration of the town was split between the Municipal Borough of Basingstoke (which included Elvetham and Hartley Wintney), Hook Parish vestry, and Hart District Board of Health (Hartley's first local government body).
The Fleet Parish Council was set up under the Local Government Act in 1894. It initially covered just three villages, but over time this has increased to two parishes, each with its own council and village hall. The parish council rejected the proposal to merge with Hart in 2007 by a vote of 89 to 87. This has since been reconsidered and was part of a general review of local governance. A November 2009 report proposed extending the area under the direct control of Hart District Council, including Fleet, by taking over more of Hart District and uniting it with a neighbouring district: South West Hampshire or Winchester.
This sparked further debate within Fleet, as some respondents to an online questionnaire suggested that a new parish council should be created for Fleet. Elvetham Heath Parish Council covers the villages of Elvetham and Elvetham Heath. Church Crookham is a small parish on the other side of Hartley Wintney from the main village of Fleet, including the hamlet of Chalefords. In June 2012 the Fleet Parish Council was disestablished and responsibilities transferred to Hart District Council.
The next level in the political hierarchy is provided by Central Hampshire local government district. The district council is based in Winchester and the other towns within its boundaries are Romsey, and Eastleigh. The route followed by the canal though Eastrop Park forms part of National Cycle Route 23,. There are three stands within the bus station;. The borough comprises four electoral wards, although one of these is divided into two local council wards.
Transport
Trains operate hourly between the station and London Waterloo, a journey of around 1hr 20mins. The journey to London Waterloo frequently uses the Camberley Chord, which diverts trains towards Woking. Early morning and late evening trains (Mon-Sat) run nonstop from Fleet to London Waterloo. There are also a number of bus services which stop outside the hospital. The X5, X6 and X63 all link the hospital with the City Centre. The X63 also serves Basingstoke.
The 490 service links Fleet with Aldershot and Guildford. There are two primary schools: Fleet Infant School and Fleet Junior School. The junior school now has a new sports hall that was built in 2014, with music and drama areas as well as a fitness studio. 9,000. 10,000. 11,000. 12,000. In January 2018 The population Aged 90 amp; over in Square miles for Japan whole territory was reported to stand at 59,969 making it the world's country by population in the 90-and-over age bracket.
Sport and leisure
Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron, and US President, Barack Obama, played a round of golf at North Hants on 18 July 2010. The village was also the venue for the 1987 Bushfire Appeal Concert, which raised £1. 3 million for British charities following the disastrous Black Saturday bushfires in Australia. This concert featured international artists such as Elton John, Cliff Richard, Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Rod Stewart, Sting and Bryan Adams. Sport and leisure are big business in Fleet despite the village's small size.
Media
The radio station in the town itself is Splash FM, a local commercial radio station broadcasting on 107. 6, 94. 9, 105. 5 and 104. 8 MHz from Red Hill in the town. Its 50kW transmitter was previously sited on Baffins Farm near Tadley (this was the original site of BFBS). The radio station serves both Fleet and Aldershot. Splash has become something of a media celebrity by featuring in Sky TV's popular soap opera EastEnders as well as being mentioned in various Radio 1 jingles.
It won its battle to remain on air when its frequency was changed following analogue switch off in late 2009. The A3 passes through Fleet, on a bypass which is now dual carriageway. The A3 still carries a significant amount of traffic and has a large junction with the A31 east of Fleet. Various mitigation schemes have been implemented to ease congestion at this location. The free-flow system operates between the hours of 6am and 8pm; the eastbound entry slip road is closed and traffic joining from the west approaches directly onto the eastbound carriageway.
The local press are the Fleet News & Mail, a broadsheet available in local shops, and the Surrey-Hants Star Courier, a free tabloid delivered to the door. The local BBC TV news is BBC South Today. Fleet is covered on BBC Radio by BBC Surrey, which covers North-East Hampshire additionally. The Surrey Advertiser is a local and independent online media company. Launched in 2006 The Surrey Advertiser publishes an online news website, providing local news from the towns of Fleet, Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere.
Fleet services
The services are located in the fork between the M3 heading west towards Bristol and the M25 and south towards Southampton. It is located 70 miles from London in Surrey on the old A3 road that was superseded by the motorway when it opened. Its neighbouring service stations, eight in total, are South M3 services (nearest) owned by Moto, just south of Fleet; then Moto's Chertsey services which is next on the M25 (junction 4), Reigate Heath owned by Welcome Break; then Wetherspoons'Littleton as you enter Hampshire, then Welcome Break's Winchester services, next The Forecourt's Alton services which is just inside Hampshire; next is Welcome Break's Alresford/Andover.
At Fleet services your know you are in for something special when you see the imposing facade of the large service station. As well as the usual amenities which need no introduction, such as a Burger King and WHSmiths, there is also a large number of petrol filling stations. I have never counted them but there must be at least 20 pumps. The main feature of the complex are the two huge car parks (one for lorries only) which have an incredible amount of parking spaces packed into relatively limited space.
Fleet services is one of the biggest sections on the motorway network, for both maintenance and servicing. It is on two levels, with separate cash desks and a McDonald's restaurant on each level. Fleet services no longer exists as Welcome Break have closed Fleet and replaced it with Cardiff Gate services due to the building of the new Cardiff Eastern Bypass road. The North Hants Golf Club has been ranked as one of the top 100 golf courses in England and Wales by the National Council of Golf Clubs.
Climate
The region is wetter overall than the England average with a total average yearly precipitation of 738mm (29. 7 ins). The driest months are February and March with mean monthly totals below 30mm (1. 18 ins). Typically autumn and winter months are dull, damp and rather disagreeable; summer months are comparatively pleasant, warm and sunny. Rainfall, at around 600 mm (24 in) per year is significantly less than the national average of 838 mm (33.
7 in), and sunshine is also below the national average of 1,315 hours. Winters are among the warmest in the country due to the moderating influence of the sea and generally low cloud cover. The warmest months are July and August with mean maximum temperatures between 19C (66. 2F) and 21C (69. 8F). The town centre is often appreciably warmer because of the lack of trees. February is the wettest month with an average of 74mm (2.
Transport
The station is operated by South Western Railway on the Blackwater Valley Line between London Waterloo and Weymouth. Trains call every two hours in both directions all day, with additional services at peak times. London Waterloo to Weymouth is 45 minutes, with connections from Weymouth on South Western Railway services to Portsmouth taking around 20 minutes. The History of Fleet is long and starts in Roman times. The earliest settlement in the area, dating back to 50BC, was discovered in 1986, just outside the town on Badbury Rings.
A large number of roundhouses were built here and were occupied by around 2,000 people of Romano-British descent. Many other settlements and burials have been unearthed in the area. The town was once served by two railway lines. One was the Andover and Redbridge Railway, a branch line from the South Western Main Line at Tichborne which opened in 1885. This railway station was known as Andover Junction until 1887, when the branch line was bought by the London and South Western Railway, the name of Fleet station being adopted thereafter.
The area is also served by Alton railway station which is on the West of England Main Line, and offers a service to Southampton and Portsmouth. 9in) of rain falling on 19 days. The temperature ranges from the lows of approximately 0C(32F) recorded during the Winter of 2010-11 to the high of 34. 7C (94. 5F) recorded in August of 2007, although more typically temperatures range between 3C-26C (37. 4F-78. 8F) from Winter to Summer respectively.
Bus
Bus services to other nearby towns and cities includes to the Farnborough Airfield Business Park & Oracle HQ Stagecoach South (620), Aldershot, Farnham, Guildford, Reading, Staines and London with a variety of operators including Firefly 629 (Bletchley Oxford Street), Redline Buses 666 (Guildford Victoria Coach Station), Redline Buses 655/656 (Guildford Milton Keynes Central Railway Station), Arriva Shires & Essex 70 (Boston Manor Borehamwood Service Station) and Hanwell Bus Garage's route 507 (West Ealing to Heathrow Terminal 5) serves the Fleet daily.
A major part of Hampshire's transport network is now served by the new bus station outside of Winchester's railway station, whilst the old one on St. Giles'remains a terminus for local services. For rail travel, the town is served by nearby Southampton Central which is on both the West Coastway Line and Wessex Main Line to its west and Portsmouth Harbour (for connections to ferry ports in France, Spain and Portugal) to the east.
This provides local services as well as longer-distance connections. Local bus routes include Reading 42. There are also long-distance bus services provided by National Express from Fleet to Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton and London. This service is part of its BML (Brighton, London and Midlands) network of express coach services which operate out of Victoria Coach Station in London. The company also serves the town from its Farnborough Roadways outstation in Farnborough, the site of the former Farnborough Airshow site.
Stagecoach have increased the frequency of their route 11 from hourly to half-hourly in response to high passenger demand (about 150,000 passengers a year). A service operates every 30 minutes Monday–Friday towards Aldershot and Farnborough via East and West Street, Surbiton Road and Crawley Road (with an hourly extension to Camberley) with most journeys ending at Aldershot's Bus Station. There are frequent direct bus services to London. These include National Express (to Victoria Coach Station) and The Shires (to Victoria Station, Westbourne Park, London Buses garage in Redhill).
