Badshot Lea is a small village in Surrey, England, and close to

Aldershot Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...

. Badshot Lea has access in either direction to the A31 and A331 and is connected to railway stations in the nearby towns with regular bus services. The village is part of the Blackwater Valley or Aldershot Urban Area, the thirtieth largest conurbation in the UK. Badshot Lea's boundaries are four bridges—three western railway bridges and Pea Bridge over the uppermost part of the River Blackwater— these inspired a logo for the village and the football team who play in the larger neighbouring village of Ash. The Blackwater separates Badshot Lea from Aldershot to the north; the eastern and western boundaries are short and the southern boundary is the A331.

History

In prehistory

Mammoths A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...

were in the area now encompassed by the village boundaries, evidenced by the Mammoth tusks occasionally excavated by

Surrey Archaeological Society Surrey Archaeological Society is a county archaeological society, founded in 1854 for "the investigation of subjects connected with the history and antiquities of the County of Surrey" in England. Remit The Society concerns itself with "the Cou ...

. The village has remains in, or close to, the village from the

Mesolithic The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

and

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

periods. In 1967 the Badshot Lea Village school master and amateur archaeologist William (Billy) Rankine discovered the remains of a Neolithic Long Barrow (burial mound also known as a

tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or ''kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones buil ...

) here. The site was excavated by the

and many finds are on display at

Guildford Museum Guildford Museum is the main museum in the town of Guildford, Surrey, England. The museum is on Quarry Street, a narrow road lined by pre-1900 cottages running just off the pedestrianised High Street. This main site of the museum forms the ga ...

. Little remains of the original mound due to quarrying and the excavation of the Railway cutting in the 1800s. The burial mound was sited close to the

Harrow Way The Harrow Way (also spelled as "Harroway") is another name for the "Old Way", an ancient trackway in the south of England, dated by archaeological finds to 600–450 BC, but probably in existence since the Stone Age. The Old Way ran fr ...

. The village used to be surrounded by thriving farms, with a particular focus on hop growing; these played such an important role in the economic development of the village that hops feature in the village logo. The eastern end of the village has suffered terrible flooding. This led to the road near the Aldershot boundary being nicknamed the 'docks'. Badshot Lea is close to the

GHQ Line The GHQ Line (General Headquarters Line) was a defence line built in the United Kingdom during World War II to contain an expected German invasion. The British Army had abandoned most of its equipment in France after the Dunkirk evacuation. It ...

pill box fortifications built during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to defend London in the event of a successful

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

invasion of Britain in

Operation Sea Lion Operation Sea Lion, also written as Operation Sealion (german: Unternehmen Seelöwe), was Nazi Germany's code name for the plan for an invasion of the United Kingdom during the Battle of Britain in the Second World War. Following the Battle o ...

. An example can still be found behind the rifle range.

Politics

Local

Badshot Lea has a Community Association but has no

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

. Badshot Lea is represented at

Waverley Borough Council Waverley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Waverley'' (novel), by Sir Walter Scott ** ''Waverley'' Overture, a work by Hector Berlioz inspired by Scott's novel * Waverley Harrison, a character in the New Zealand soap opera ''Shortland Stre ...

by two councillors: David Hunt (

LibDem The Liberal Democrats (commonly referred to as the Lib Dems) are a liberal political party in the United Kingdom. Since the 1992 general election, with the exception of the 2015 general election, they have been the third-largest UK political ...

) and Mark Merryweather (LibDem). Of the 81 single-member electoral divisions of

Surrey County Council Surrey County Council is the county council administering certain services in the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 81 elected councillors, and in all but one election since 1965 the Conservative Party has ...

Badshot Lea is in Farnham North, represented by Catherine Powell (Farnham Residents).

National

Badshot Lea is part of the

South West Surrey South West Surrey is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Since 2005, the seat has been represented by Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt, the current chancellor of the Exchequer and the former Culture Secretar ...

constituency.

Transport

Badshot Lea lies on the A31 and so has links to

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

, London, and south to

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. It lies at the southern tip of the A331 (the Blackwater Valley Route) which connects the village to Farnborough and

Camberley Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Cambe ...

. Bus services are provided by

Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

and Fleet Buzz. There are links to Farnham, Aldershot, Guildford, Elstead, and Hale. Badshot Lea is equidistant from Aldershot and Farnham Railway stations. The nearest airport for business passengers is

Farnborough Airport Farnborough Airport (previously called: TAG Farnborough Airport, RAE Farnborough, ICAO Code EGLF) is an operational business/executive general aviation airport in Farnborough, Rushmoor, Hampshire, England. The airport covers about 8% of Rush ...

. The nearest major airport is

London Heathrow Airport Heathrow Airport (), called ''London Airport'' until 1966 and now known as London Heathrow , is a major international airport in London, England. It is the largest of the six international airports in the Airports of London, London airport sys ...

which is 31 miles (50 km) by road.

Gatwick Airport Gatwick Airport (), also known as London Gatwick , is a major international airport near Crawley, West Sussex, England, south of Central London. In 2021, Gatwick was the third-busiest airport by total passenger traffic in the UK, after H ...

and

Southampton Airport Southampton Airport is an international airport located in both Eastleigh and Southampton, Hampshire in the United Kingdom. The airport is located north-north-east of central Southampton. The southern tip of the runway lies within the Sou ...

are each about 43 miles (69 km) away by main roads.

Amenities

Educational and general

The village has an infant school, a nursery school, "the Kiln" village hall (built in 1886), an electrical substation, a sewage treatment facility, a visiting mobile library, T.S. Swiftsure sea cadets centre, St Georges

C of E The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

Church and hall, a cemetery, a pond dipping stage, an animal sanctuary, a

working men's club Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, Midlands, Scotland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreation and education for working class me ...

and two

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

s, ''The Cricketers'' and ''The Crown''. There is a large garden centre with an aquatic department and cafe. Formally known as 'Badshot Lea Garden Centre' and owned by the Caffyn Parsons family, it was taken over by Squires in 2006. Its extensive pets and aquatics centre was opened in 1999 by

Charlie Dimmock Charlotte Elouise Dimmock (born 10 August 1966) is an English gardening expert and television presenter. She was a member of the team on ''Ground Force'', a BBC gardening makeover programme, airing from 1997 to 2005. Since then, Dimmock has pr ...

The Bishop Sumner Educational Foundation

Young people in the village in full-time education can apply for grants from the Bishop Sumner Educational Foundation.

Media services

The local BBC TV news is BBC South Today. Badshot Lea is covered by national radio stations and BBC Surrey (which covers Surrey & North-East Hampshire on 104.6FM), and Eagle radio covering roughly the same area.

Sports and open spaces

Sports include a pavilion for football and cricket, two tennis courts, a cricket club, cricket nets, indoor and outdoor shooting ranges, a riding school, an equestrian centre, a dog agility club, two fishing ponds, a model car club with outdoor racing track, Badshot Lea Football Club, four geocaches, and a children's playground. An extensive leisure centre and Farnham RFU club are outside of the village border, close to Weybourne. The village has green buffers to all sides but the north, intersected by paths. The north has a buffer which is pond named the King's Pond, separating it from

in a salient part of

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

Economy

Quarries

The village's entire eastern tract and formerly its southern borders have had sand and gravel extraction quarries. Older quarries have been converted to lakes providing local beauty spots and fishing lakes, newer quarries in the area have been typically backfilled with refuse and converted to open fields, woods or agricultural use.

Landmarks

St George's Church

Badshot Lea has a relatively modern parish church in traditional stonemasonry, named after

St George Saint George (Greek language, Greek: Γεώργιος (Geórgios), Latin language, Latin: Georgius, Arabic language, Arabic: القديس جرجس; died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was a Christians, Christian who is venerated as a sa ...

. The Foundation Stone was laid on 23 August 1902 by the

Lord Lieutenant of Surrey This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Surrey. Since 1737, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Surrey. Lord Lieutenants of Surrey *William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton 1551–1553? *William Howard, ...

, Viscount Middleton. The stone can still be seen today, at the West end of the church. A year later the church was completed and was consecrated on 24 October 1903 by the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

. Following the demolition of the Old Parsonage, and construction of a new Vicarage in 1999, the funds released were used for the further development of the church. The Southern aisle of the church was not completed with the rest of the building. However, in 1999 a new Church Room was added, and opened on 10 October 1999 by Rt. Rev.

John Gladwin John Warren Gladwin (born 30 May 1942) is a retired Anglican bishop. From 2004 to 2009, he was the Bishop of Chelmsford in the Church of England. He stands in the open evangelical tradition. Early life Gladwin was born on 30 May 1942 in Her ...

Bishop of Guildford The Bishop of Guildford is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Guildford in the Province of Canterbury. The title had first appeared as a suffragan See in the Diocese of Winchester in 1874. The Bishop suffragan of Guildford assi ...

. This room has greatly extended the activities undertaken by the church. The church's memorials include: * Elizabeth Allen — Treasurer of the Badshot Lea Mothers' Union and Women's Fellowship * Sarah Emmerson — Headmistress of Badshot Lea Infant School * Thomas Kitchin * William Garrett — Royal Navy The church is now part of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale and works in unison with the churches of St John the Evangelist Church, Hale, Surrey and St Mark the Evangelist Church, Upper Hale, Farnham. In turn this is in the Deanery of Farnham, part of the

Diocese of Guildford __NOTOC__ The Diocese of Guildford is a Church of England diocese covering eight and half of the eleven districts in Surrey, much of north-east Hampshire and a parish in Greater London. The cathedral is Guildford Cathedral and the bishop is th ...

. The church is closely linked to the 45-strong SATB choir, the Carillon Singers.

Crime

In a county with a very low crime rate, the village had drugs connected offences from 2005 to 2010, the most serious being stabbings, followed by dealing (in broad daylight), and a cannabis factory. Other crimes adding to the relative severity of this spate include horse stabbing, and repeated distraction burglary.

Climate

Badshot Lea has a temperate maritime climate, free from extreme temperatures, with moderate rainfall and often breezy conditions. The nearest official weather station to Badshot Lea is Alice Holt Lodge. The highest temperature recorded was , in July 2006. In an 'average' year, the warmest day would reach , with 15.2 days attaining a temperature of or higher. The lowest temperature recorded was in February 1986. On average, 58.6 nights of the year will register an air frost. Annual rainfall averages 799mm, with at least 1mm of rain reported on 122.4 days. All averages refer to the 1971–2000 observation period.

Famous residents

Notable former residents of Badshot Lea include * Lieutenant-Commander William Armstrong D.S.M. – Airman who initiated the hunt for the

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

battleship '' Bismarck''. * Lance Corporal Alan Davis – Bomb disposal expert * John Henry Knight – Inventor, engineer and local landowner * William Rankine – Archaeologist and schoolmaster * Rt. Rev.

Humphrey Southern Humphrey Ivo John Southern (born 17 September 1960) is a British Anglican bishop. From 2007 to 2015, he was Bishop of Repton, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Derby. In April 2015 he was appointed Principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon, an A ...

– Anglican Bishop (Assistant Bishop in the

Diocese of Derby The Diocese of Derby is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, roughly covering the same area as the County of Derbyshire. Its diocesan bishop is the Bishop of Derby whose seat (cathedra) is at Derby Cathedral. The diocesan ...

(Bishop of Repton)) * Rev.

Harry Topham Harry Gillespie Topham (17 February 1862 – 28 February 1925) was an English clergyman and cricketer who played for Derbyshire during the 1881 season and for Cambridge University in 1883 and 1884. Topham was born in Ladbroke, Warwickshire the ...

– Cricketer and Anglican clergyman (highest position: Rector of

Middleham Middleham is an English market town and civil parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire. It lies in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, on the south side of the valley, upstream from the junction of the River Ure and River Cover. ...

, North Yorkshire)

References

External links

* {{authority control Villages in Surrey Borough of Waverley Lakes of Surrey