Fair Oak
Encyclopedia
Fair Oak, Hampshire
is a small village on the outskirts of Eastleigh
, and near Southampton
and Winchester
. Its parish
incorporates the neighbouring village of Horton Heath, which lies to the south.
The village has a history of sand quarrying, with some of the newer parts built over old restored quarries. The central church of St Thomas was originally built in 1863 to serve as a chapel of ease
for Fair Oak cemetery. At this time the village was part of the parish of Bishopstoke
with its church of St Mary; the present parish was created in 1871.
, has links with Kware, a suburb of Nairobi
in Kenya
, via a hospital and school mission. This mission called Handshake to Kware is a registered charity and is supported by the local schools and businesses. The village has also played host to a series of annual Christian outreach programmes in recent years. It is home to two scout
groups, the 7th and 8th Eastleigh.
Fair Oak has a village hall and five pubs: 'The Welcome Inn', 'The George', 'The Cricketers', 'The New Clock Inn', and 'The Fox'.
, which is host to a large gym for public use. It is home to a football team in the Southampton tyro league. There is also a Christian school called 'The King's School
'.
) lies partly in Fair Oak and partly in the neighbouring parish of Bishopstoke. With many bridlepaths running between the two villages via the woods, it is possible to walk from one village to another without setting foot on any other public highway. The woods cover some 207 hectares (511.5 acre) and are primarily of evergreen trees; the sandy soil and long grass is home to wildlife including dormice, grey squirrels, pine martens, deer and adders.
deposits of the Hampshire Basin
, to the northern edge of a small syncline separated from the main basin by the Portsdown
anticline
. The London Clay in this area, towards the top of the sequence, is fairly sandy and includes lenticular
sand deposits. The sand pits on the east of the village are in the Whitecliff Sand. At Knowle Hill and south towards Horton Heath the London Clay is overlain by the clays and sands of Wittering Formation of the Bracklesham Group
, with a small outlier capping Pylehill to the north.
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...
is a small village on the outskirts of Eastleigh
Eastleigh
Eastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, England, and the main town in the Eastleigh borough which is part of Southampton Urban Area. The town lies between Southampton and Winchester, and is part of the South Hampshire conurbation...
, and near Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. Its parish
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...
incorporates the neighbouring village of Horton Heath, which lies to the south.
History
Fair Oak takes its name from a tree in the Square which was felled and replaced in 1843.The village has a history of sand quarrying, with some of the newer parts built over old restored quarries. The central church of St Thomas was originally built in 1863 to serve as a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
for Fair Oak cemetery. At this time the village was part of the parish of Bishopstoke
Bishopstoke
Bishopstoke, a village recorded in the Domesday Book, is a civil parish in the borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. Bishopstoke was also mentioned when King Alfred the Great's grandson King Eadred, granted land at "Stohes" to Thegn Aelfric in 948 AD. The village is about a mile east of...
with its church of St Mary; the present parish was created in 1871.
The village
The church, which has been designated a beacon church for the Winchester dioceseDiocese of Winchester
The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England.Founded in 676, it is one of the oldest and largest of the dioceses in England.The area of the diocese incorporates:...
, has links with Kware, a suburb of Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, via a hospital and school mission. This mission called Handshake to Kware is a registered charity and is supported by the local schools and businesses. The village has also played host to a series of annual Christian outreach programmes in recent years. It is home to two scout
Scouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
groups, the 7th and 8th Eastleigh.
Fair Oak has a village hall and five pubs: 'The Welcome Inn', 'The George', 'The Cricketers', 'The New Clock Inn', and 'The Fox'.
Education
There are three schools - infant, junior, and a secondary school called Wyvern Technology CollegeWyvern Technology College
Wyvern Technology College is an 11 - 16 co-educational comprehensive school serving the Bishopstoke, Fair Oak, Upham and Durley areas of Southampton, Hampshire. It currently has 1300 students on roll....
, which is host to a large gym for public use. It is home to a football team in the Southampton tyro league. There is also a Christian school called 'The King's School
The King's School Senior
The King's School, situated on Allington Lane in Fair Oak, Hampshire is a Christian faith school with approximately 200 pupils . The school was founded in 1987...
'.
Stoke Park Wood
Stoke Park Wood to the north-west of the village (a remnant of the Forest of BereForest of Bere
The Forest of Bere lies north of Fareham. A mixture of woodland, open space, ponds, streams, heathland, farmland and downland it provides countryside access to the residents of South-East Hampshire having a number of paths and bridleways for walking and cycling...
) lies partly in Fair Oak and partly in the neighbouring parish of Bishopstoke. With many bridlepaths running between the two villages via the woods, it is possible to walk from one village to another without setting foot on any other public highway. The woods cover some 207 hectares (511.5 acre) and are primarily of evergreen trees; the sandy soil and long grass is home to wildlife including dormice, grey squirrels, pine martens, deer and adders.
Geology
Fair Oak lies on the London ClayLondon Clay
The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for the fossils it contains. The fossils from the Lower Eocene indicate a moderately warm climate, the flora being tropical or subtropical...
deposits of the Hampshire Basin
Hampshire Basin
The Hampshire Basin is a geological basin of Paleogene age in southern England, underlying parts of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, and Sussex...
, to the northern edge of a small syncline separated from the main basin by the Portsdown
Portsdown Hill
Portsdown Hill is a long chalk hill in Hampshire, England, offering good views over Portsmouth, The Solent, Hayling Island and Gosport, with the Isle of Wight beyond. The hill is on the mainland, just to the north of Ports Creek, which separates the mainland from Portsea Island, on which lies the...
anticline
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
. The London Clay in this area, towards the top of the sequence, is fairly sandy and includes lenticular
Lens (geology)
In geology a lens is a body of ore or rock or a deposit that is thick in the middle and thin at the edges, resembling a convex lens in cross-section. Adjective: "lenticular"....
sand deposits. The sand pits on the east of the village are in the Whitecliff Sand. At Knowle Hill and south towards Horton Heath the London Clay is overlain by the clays and sands of Wittering Formation of the Bracklesham Group
Bracklesham Beds
Bracklesham Beds, in geology, are a series of clays and marls, with sandy and lignitic beds, in the Middle Eocene of the Hampshire Basin, England....
, with a small outlier capping Pylehill to the north.