Bordon
Encyclopedia
Bordon is a town in the East Hampshire
district of Hampshire
, England
. It lies 5.4 miles (8.7 km) southeast of Alton
and forms a part of the civil parish of Whitehill, the adjoining village. Both settlements are on the A325 road and close to the A3 road
between London
and Portsmouth
. Bordon is twinned with Condé-sur-Vire
in Normandy
, France.
, Alton
and Farnham
. The town has a range of facilities including three of supermarkets, various takeaways, and amenities such as two petrol stations. Also located within the town is Mill Chase Community Technology College
, a comprehensive school
designated a community technology college. It also doubles as a leisure centre. The town also benefits from The Phoenix, a community theatre and arts centre. The Phoenix also provides Adult learning classes for leisure learners and adults with learning disabilities, as well as Kids Drama, Youth Theatre and Art classes.
. The camp was first laid out in 1899 by the Highland Light Infantry
, directed by Royal Engineers
, and following interruption by the Second Boer War
, was occupied by the army from 1903. The first occupants of Quebec barracks were the Somersetshire Light Infantry, returning from South Africa
in April, and the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment arrived at St. Lucia Barracks from South Africa in June. Bordon Camp was home to the Canadian Army during both of the world wars and the town is dotted with concrete slabs on which tanks and armoured cars were parked. Bordon is now home to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, providing trade training; both basic and supplementary, to its soldiers. The Longmoor Army Ranges, a large forest with tracks and firing ranges, is south of the town. Bordon railway station
was linked to both the main railway network, and by light railway to the Longmoor Military Railway
. The old track bed at Longmoor, especially between Greatham and Whitehill, is open to be used permissively by walkers and cyclists.
It is the birthplace of war hero WRNS
Pam Price (née Hill).
The Ministry of Defence has decided to relocate armed forces training from Whitehill Bordon to St Athan in South Wales. This decision means that up to 600 acres (242.8 ha) of land could be released from 2011, enabling up to 5,500 homes to be built and up to 7,000 jobs to be created, with a new town centre and associated infrastructure.
in July 2011, has improved road access to London. The tunnel has also removed some through-traffic that at one time used to take the A325 through Bordon to avoid frequent delays at traffic lights in Hindhead; including some Guildford and M25
-bound traffic from the south diverting via Farnham.
The nearest railway station is 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of the town, at . The town used to have its own railway station
on the Bordon Light Railway
but this closed in 1966. The Association of Train Operating Companies
has proposed that a new railway line serve the town.
There is a bus link to Liphook
railway station, although this will be discontinued from 17 May 2009, and Stagecoach
bus 18 passes through the town on the way from Haslemere
to Farnham
and Aldershot
. Stagecoach bus 13 passes through as it travels between Liphook and Alton
.
East Hampshire
East Hampshire is a local government district in Hampshire, England. Its council is based in Petersfield. Other towns are Alton, Horndean and Whitehill-Bordon....
district of 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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It lies 5.4 miles (8.7 km) southeast of Alton
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
and forms a part of the civil parish of Whitehill, the adjoining village. Both settlements are on the A325 road and close to the A3 road
A3 road
The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road for much of its length, is a dual carriageway, or expressway, which follows the historic route between London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classified as a trunk road...
between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. Bordon is twinned with Condé-sur-Vire
Condé-sur-Vire
-People:Among well known people born here is Father Jean de Brébeuf, a martyr and since 1930 a Catholic saint.-See also:*Communes of the Manche department...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, France.
General
The town has several shops spread throughout the town, but no central shopping district, such as a high street; the town was historically an army camp on a former toll road to Farnham, not a market-town like the nearby towns of PetersfieldPetersfield, Hampshire
Petersfield is a market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is north of Portsmouth, on the A3 road. The town has its own railway station on the Portsmouth Direct Line, the mainline rail link connecting Portsmouth and London. The town is situated on the...
, Alton
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
and 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...
. The town has a range of facilities including three of supermarkets, various takeaways, and amenities such as two petrol stations. Also located within the town is Mill Chase Community Technology College
Mill Chase Community Technology College
Mill Chase Community Technology College is a comprehensive secondary school for 11-16 year olds. It is located in Bordon, Hampshire, England. It has around 750 pupils, both male and female...
, a comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
designated a community technology college. It also doubles as a leisure centre. The town also benefits from The Phoenix, a community theatre and arts centre. The Phoenix also provides Adult learning classes for leisure learners and adults with learning disabilities, as well as Kids Drama, Youth Theatre and Art classes.
History
Historically, the town was an important army base with a railway station, as is nearby AldershotAldershot
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...
. The camp was first laid out in 1899 by the Highland Light Infantry
Highland Light Infantry
The Highland Light Infantry was a regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1959. In 1923 the regimental title was expanded to the Highland Light Infantry ...
, directed by Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
, and following interruption by the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, was occupied by the army from 1903. The first occupants of Quebec barracks were the Somersetshire Light Infantry, returning from South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in April, and the 2nd Battalion Devonshire Regiment arrived at St. Lucia Barracks from South Africa in June. Bordon Camp was home to the Canadian Army during both of the world wars and the town is dotted with concrete slabs on which tanks and armoured cars were parked. Bordon is now home to the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, providing trade training; both basic and supplementary, to its soldiers. The Longmoor Army Ranges, a large forest with tracks and firing ranges, is south of the town. Bordon railway station
Bordon railway station
Bordon was a railway station on the Bordon Light Railway which served the village of Bordon and its nearby Army Camp. The station building was constructed of corrugated iron on steel framing and stood on a short brick wall. Extra traffic during the First World War led to the extension of the...
was linked to both the main railway network, and by light railway to the Longmoor Military Railway
Longmoor Military Railway
The Longmoor Military Railway was a British military railway in Hampshire, built by the Royal Engineers from 1903 in order to train soldiers on railway construction and operations.-Route:...
. The old track bed at Longmoor, especially between Greatham and Whitehill, is open to be used permissively by walkers and cyclists.
It is the birthplace of war hero WRNS
Women's Royal Naval Service
The Women's Royal Naval Service was the women's branch of the Royal Navy.Members included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics...
Pam Price (née Hill).
Bordon as an Eco-town
Bordon has recently been announced as an Eco-Town. It has the backing of its local authority, East Hampshire District Council. Whitehill Town Council gave their support to a project called the 'Green Town Vision' over two years ago, but local people are concerned it will be a dumping group for social housing. The aim of the Green Town Vision is to ensure that new development in Whitehill and Bordon will bring about regeneration while protecting the natural environment. The Government's plans for Eco-towns fit very closely with the Green Town Vision and so East Hampshire District Council made a bid for Whitehill and Bordon. The district council is currently consulting with residents about how the proposed Eco-town should look, where development should take place and sorting out priorities.The Ministry of Defence has decided to relocate armed forces training from Whitehill Bordon to St Athan in South Wales. This decision means that up to 600 acres (242.8 ha) of land could be released from 2011, enabling up to 5,500 homes to be built and up to 7,000 jobs to be created, with a new town centre and associated infrastructure.
Transport
Both Bordon and Whitehill straddle the very busy A325 road and the A3 road London to Portsmouth road passes through the parish (though not the town itself). The completion of the Hindhead TunnelHindhead Tunnel
The Hindhead Tunnel is a road tunnel that opened on 29 July 2011 as part of the new Hindhead bypass for the A3 road in Surrey. It forms part of the 4 mile dual-carriageway being built to replace the last remaining stretch of single-carriageway on the London to Portsmouth road...
in July 2011, has improved road access to London. The tunnel has also removed some through-traffic that at one time used to take the A325 through Bordon to avoid frequent delays at traffic lights in Hindhead; including some Guildford and M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
-bound traffic from the south diverting via Farnham.
The nearest railway station is 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of the town, at . The town used to have its own railway station
Bordon railway station
Bordon was a railway station on the Bordon Light Railway which served the village of Bordon and its nearby Army Camp. The station building was constructed of corrugated iron on steel framing and stood on a short brick wall. Extra traffic during the First World War led to the extension of the...
on the Bordon Light Railway
Bordon Light Railway
The Bordon Light Railway was a short-lived light railway line in Hampshire that connected the Army Camp at Bordon, as well as the villages of Bordon and Kingsley, with the national rail network at Bentley on the main Farnham-Alton line, a distance of 4.5 miles .- History :Following the end of the...
but this closed in 1966. The Association of Train Operating Companies
Association of Train Operating Companies
The Association of Train Operating Companies is a body which represents 24 train operating companies that provide passenger railway services on the privatised British railway system. It owns the National Rail brand. The Association is an unincorporated association owned by its members...
has proposed that a new railway line serve the town.
There is a bus link to Liphook
Liphook
Liphook is a large village in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 4.1 miles west of Haslemere, on the A3 road, and lies on the Hampshire/West Sussex border.Liphook has its own railway station, on the Portsmouth Direct Line....
railway station, although this will be discontinued from 17 May 2009, and Stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
bus 18 passes through the town on the way from Haslemere
Haslemere
Haslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
to 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 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...
. Stagecoach bus 13 passes through as it travels between Liphook and Alton
Alton, Hampshire
Alton is a historic market town and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of the English county of Hampshire. It had a population of 16,584 at the 1991 census and is administered by East Hampshire district council. It is located on the source of the River Wey and is the highest town in...
.
Places of worship
- Sacred Heart CatholicRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
Church, High Street. - St Mark's Shared Church, Pinehill Road.