Olivers Battery
Encyclopedia
Olivers Battery is a civil parish
in Hampshire
, England
, of some 700 households located just to the south of the City of Winchester
. The parish was founded in 1956 on land that was formerly part of Compton
parish. The parish does not include the whole of the settlement known informally as Oliver's Battery, with the northern boundary following the A3090
and therefore excluding Oliver's Battery Road North. It is the area where England
International footballer Wayne Bridge
was raised.
earthwork. A fine Anglo-Saxon
bowl http://www.winchestermuseumcollections.org.uk/archaeology/index.asp?page=itemFromLink&filename=archall.mdf&itemId=HMCMS:A2007.31.1 from a burial within the Battery http://www.winchestermuseumcollections.org.uk/topics/index.asp?page=itemFromLink&itemId=Oliver's%20Battery%20burial was on show for many years at the British Museum
, but has now been returned to Winchester City Museum on long term loan http://www.winchester.gov.uk/news/NewsArticleM.asp?id=SX9452-A7837457. The parish also contains a number of bronze age
burial mounds. The Olivers Battery name dates back to the English Civil War
and is specifically associated with Oliver Cromwell
's siege of Winchester in 1645. A map of 1780 refers to the area as "Cromwell's Camp" and later maps show it as "Oliver Cromwell's Battery". The ancient earthwork may well have provided a suitable campsite for the besieging Parliamentarian forces, but cannon of the period would have lacked the range to fire on Winchester Castle and city walls from the so-called battery site.
For centuries, Olivers Battery was open downland grazed by sheep. Permanent settlements only appeared in the early years of the twentieth century with the establishment of a military camp. During the First World War the army maintained an extensive Veterinary Hospital for horses. After the war, the camp was split up into small holdings with army huts being used as dwellings. Gradually, a community developed as huts were replaced with houses and other homes were built.
In the late 1970s the community was bisected by Badger Farm Road (now the A3090), which acts as a south-western ring road for Winchester. A southern Winchester park-and-ride scheme opened in 2010 and is intended to reduce rush-hour congestion on this road .
is within walking distance.
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...
in 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...
, of some 700 households located just to the south of the City of 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...
. The parish was founded in 1956 on land that was formerly part of Compton
Compton and Shawford
Compton and Shawford is a civil parish in the City of Winchester, Hampshire, England. The word compton means village in a combe and aptly describes the settlement as it primarily consists of a long street on the side of a chalk valley....
parish. The parish does not include the whole of the settlement known informally as Oliver's Battery, with the northern boundary following the A3090
A3090 road
The A3090 is an A-Class Road in Hampshire in Southern England. It forms a south-western by-pass for Winchester, from Junction 11 of the M3 to the Romsey Road. The rest of its route was formerly part of the A31, running through Hursley, Ampfield and Romsey , to the A36 Salisbury Road at Ower near...
and therefore excluding Oliver's Battery Road North. It is the area where England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
International footballer Wayne Bridge
Wayne Bridge
Wayne Michael Bridge is an English footballer who plays as a left back for Manchester City.A graduate of the Southampton Academy where he made his debut in 1998, he has also played for Chelsea and Fulham during his Premiership career....
was raised.
History
The name Olivers Battery refers to a prominent iron ageIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
earthwork. A fine Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
bowl http://www.winchestermuseumcollections.org.uk/archaeology/index.asp?page=itemFromLink&filename=archall.mdf&itemId=HMCMS:A2007.31.1 from a burial within the Battery http://www.winchestermuseumcollections.org.uk/topics/index.asp?page=itemFromLink&itemId=Oliver's%20Battery%20burial was on show for many years at the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
, but has now been returned to Winchester City Museum on long term loan http://www.winchester.gov.uk/news/NewsArticleM.asp?id=SX9452-A7837457. The parish also contains a number of bronze age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
burial mounds. The Olivers Battery name dates back to the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and is specifically associated with Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's siege of Winchester in 1645. A map of 1780 refers to the area as "Cromwell's Camp" and later maps show it as "Oliver Cromwell's Battery". The ancient earthwork may well have provided a suitable campsite for the besieging Parliamentarian forces, but cannon of the period would have lacked the range to fire on Winchester Castle and city walls from the so-called battery site.
For centuries, Olivers Battery was open downland grazed by sheep. Permanent settlements only appeared in the early years of the twentieth century with the establishment of a military camp. During the First World War the army maintained an extensive Veterinary Hospital for horses. After the war, the camp was split up into small holdings with army huts being used as dwellings. Gradually, a community developed as huts were replaced with houses and other homes were built.
In the late 1970s the community was bisected by Badger Farm Road (now the A3090), which acts as a south-western ring road for Winchester. A southern Winchester park-and-ride scheme opened in 2010 and is intended to reduce rush-hour congestion on this road .
Facilities
There is a local shopping centre built in the 1960s, with Sub Post Office. A small Anglican church, St Mark's, doubles up as a village hall and there is also a Catholic church, St Stephen's. Oliver's Battery Primary School was opened in 1973. St Peter's Catholic Primary School was built in the 1990s (having originated in Winchester in the 1850s), next to St Stephen's. The Catholic school and church are in Oliver's Battery Road North, and therefore not within the civil parish. There is no secondary school, but Kings' SchoolKings' School
Kings' School is a comprehensive school in Winchester, Hampshire. The last Ofsted inspection returned an overall outstanding classification, with 30 out of a possible 31 sections of the report being considered as outstanding. Kings' School currently has Specialist status as a Business and...
is within walking distance.