Aldershot - My Hampshire

Aldershot - Hampshire

Population (approx)	33,000
Ordnance Survey Ref.	SU865505
Postcode districts	GU11,GU12
Telephone Dial code	01252

Aldershot is mentioned in the Domesday Book (1086). The name is probably derived from Alder, indicating that it was a wet, boggy place. Aldershot, Alreshete, dates back to an Anglo-Saxon settlement.

The Parish of Aldershot was part of the Saxon Hundred of Crondal - Farnborough, Yately, Aldershot, Crondal, Long Sutton.

King Alfred left Aldershot in his will to his nephew Ethelm. In 776 it passed to the monks of Winchester, in whose hands it remained until the Dissolution when it was seized by Henry VIII. Two years later it was transferred to the Dean and Chapter of Winchester Cathedral where it remained (apart from the civil war when it was taken by Parliament) until the nineteenth century.

Had it not been for the coming of the army, and the railways, Aldershot would, like nearby Farnborough, have remained an isolated heathland village.

The British Army was the making, and in recent years the breaking, of Aldershot.

Around the time of the Crimean War, the need was seen for a standing army, the land around Aldershot was chosen as its site. The army seized large tracts of heathland around Aldershot (which it still owns), with Aldershot as its centre. The effect was dramatic. Aldershot rapidly grew into a Wild West shanty town, with spivs and prostitutes moving in to help relieve the troops of their money (some would say not a lot has changed). The population of both Aldershot and nearby Farnborough underwent a rapid explosion.

In 1854, Aldershot consisted of a church, a manor house, a few farms and 163 houses, by 1864 a small town had arisen and a permanent camp had been established. The population of Aldershot in 1851 was 875, by 1861 it was in excess of 16,000 which included about 9,000 military personnel.

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 were lined up in the Long Valley - arranged in brigades, the troops stretched from the Basingstoke Canal to Caesar's Camp. Royalty from all over Europe attended, plus VIPs from the British Empire.

Several famous people have loose connections with Aldershot:

• Nell Gwynn is reputed to have given birth to a still-borne child whilst passing through on her way to Portsmouth.
• A little outside of Aldershot is a bronze statue of the Duke of Wellington (1769-1853) astride his favourite horse. The statue was originally set atop the Triumphal Arch, Hyde Park Corner, opposite the Duke's house. It then moved to St James' Park in 1883, and finally in 1885 at the suggestion of the Prince of Wales it was moved to Aldershot.
• Charles Kingsley (1819-1875), author of The Water Babies, was rector at the nearby village of Eversley. He would occasionally ride over to Aldershot to conduct services for the troops.
• Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) had a strong influence in the design and building of the Cambridge Military Hospital. The hospital houses a small museum.
• Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) is reputed to have given his first stage performance in Aldershot at the age of five.
• Gracie Fields (1898-1979) was married in the Parish Church of St Michael.
• James Mason made his debut in 1931 at the Theatre Royal (now demolished).
• Sherlock Holmes was called in by the Aldershot police to investigate the murder of Colonel James Barclay in nearby North Camp.

Local author Charles Kingsley, rector at nearby Eversley, is best known for The Water Babies (1863). At one level The Water Babies is a fairy tale, at another a brilliant social commentary on prevailing social conditions. Tom the chimney sweep worked for Grimes. He spent half his time up crooked chimneys in the dark, the other happily playing in the street. He knew neither school nor church. His skin was often scraped raw from the chimneys. Grimes beat Tom, then spent his profits in the Ale House. Tom runs away and drowns. He then turns into a Water Baby, where Kingsley in his narrative shows a very good understanding of wetland ecology.

The Manor of Aldershot belonged to the Tichborne family from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Aldershot Manor House, Manor Park, rebuilt in 1670 was home to the Tichborne family for 200 years. The house is now used for offices.

Aldershot Museums and Galleries

John Reed Gallery, named after Brigadier John Reed who established the museum in 1984. It's in one of the only two surviving barrack bungalows built in North Camp in the 1890s. You can see the recreated barrack displays of the 1890s and 1950s, or even a married quarter living room of the 1960s. Along side hundreds of objects ranging from a hoof pick to a search light, there are also many things to do. For younger (or older!) visitors there are puzzle cubes, a training tunnel, 'feely boxes' - you can even take a 'ride' in a tank. If you dare you can also be shouted at by a drill sergeant!

Rushmoor Local History Gallery tells the story of Aldershot and Farnborough, the people & businesses... see Potters drum makers, a Victorian shop, about the French Imperial Family, the construction of Farnborough Abbey and the pottery industry of Farnborough and Cove.

Cody Gallery
In 1908, Farnborough was the site of Britain's first powered flight by the American, Samuel Franklin Cody. The gallery includes a reconstruction of part of Cody's Farnborough workshop and objects such as Cody's original flying helmet can be seen in this display.

The Montgomery Gallery building once stood in the grounds of Field Marshal Montgomery's home at Isington near Alton. It was built for him in 1947 to house his war time caravans and was moved to the museum in 1995 and houses some of the museum's collection of larger exhibits including field guns and other vehicles.

The Boyce Building
Officially opened in November 2006, this 1930s wooden barrack block came from Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Church Crookham, and was once the home of the Regimental Administration Offices for the camp. Carefully reconstructed at the museum thanks to a £50,000 Heritage Lottery grant, the Boyce Gallery explores the users of the barracks which were once home to the Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Corps of Transport and many battalions from the Brigade of Gurkhas before closing in 2000.