Bisley is a village and
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 ...
in the Borough of
Surrey Heath
Surrey Heath is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. Its council is based in Camberley. Much of the area is within the Metropolitan Green Belt.
History
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local ...
in
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, England, approximately southwest of central London. It is midway between
Woking
Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...
(to the east) 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 ...
(to the west). The village had a population of 3,965 in the
2011 Census.
Much of the west of the parish is covered by an acidic
heath
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...
, which is used by the
Ministry of Defence
{{unsourced, date=February 2021
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
. The
National Shooting Centre
The National Shooting Centre is the UK's largest shooting sports complex, comprising several shooting ranges as well as the large "Bisley Camp" complex of accommodation, clubhouses and support services. The centre is located near the village of ...
, headquarters of the
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
, is within the historic bounds.
Coldingley Men's Prison is also in the village.
The village is close to junction 3 of the
M3 motorway. The nearest railway station is at
Brookwood, on the
South West Main Line
The South West Main Line (SWML) is a 143-mile (230 km) major railway line between Waterloo station in central London and Weymouth on the south coast of England. A predominantly passenger line, it serves many commuter areas including south we ...
.
History
The name 'Bisley' was first recorded in the 10th century as 'Busseleghe'. Its manor was from earliest written records under the feudal lordship of
Chertsey Abbey
Chertsey Abbey, dedicated to St Peter, was a Benedictine monastery located at Chertsey in the English county of Surrey.
It was founded in 666 AD by Saint Erkenwald who was the first abbot, and from 675 AD the Bishop of London. At the same time ...
as part of
Godley Hundred
Godley was a hundred in what is now Surrey, England. Egham, Thorpe, Chertsey and Chobham are all mentioned in the Chertsey Abbey charter of 673 AD due to a donation by Frithuwold. Chobham manor needed to be large to have a reasonable economic ...
. It is derived from the old English words 'Bysc', meaning
bush
Bush commonly refers to:
* Shrub, a small or medium woody plant
Bush, Bushes, or the bush may also refer to:
People
* Bush (surname), including any of several people with that name
**Bush family, a prominent American family that includes:
*** ...
es, and 'Leah', a
clearing. Therefore, it means clearing where bushes grow or in the bushes. The versions recorded in the 13th century were Busheley and Bussley, from such Westminster and Lambeth Palace rolls as the
Assize Rolls
The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...
.
In
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 ...
times, the village continued to be the southern holding of the
Chertsey Abbey
Chertsey Abbey, dedicated to St Peter, was a Benedictine monastery located at Chertsey in the English county of Surrey.
It was founded in 666 AD by Saint Erkenwald who was the first abbot, and from 675 AD the Bishop of London. At the same time ...
estate. The late 12th century church (much of its nave), St John the Baptist, was invested as a proper church in the village by the Abbey monks in the 15th century, who built its mixed brick and timber
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ove ...
, since replaced.
[ The church features a ]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 ...
bell and a 15th-century porch which is said to have been built from a single oak tree. A nearby spring was once known as the 'Holy Well of St John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
', and was said to have medicinal powers. Its waters were used for local baptism
Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...
s until the early 20th century. The building is Grade II* listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
.
A late Tudor monarch granted the manorial lands and revenues of Woking, Chobham, and Bagshot, having dissolved Chertsey Abbey, to Sir Edward Zouch. Henceforth the descent of Bisley was identical to the other two, and all were by 1911 in the possession of the Earl of Onslow
Earl of Onslow, of Onslow in the County of Shropshire and of Clandon Park in the County of Surrey is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1801 for George Onslow, 4th Baron Onslow.
History
The Onslow family descends ...
, heirs to many of the lands of the original Earldom of Surrey and Arundel.[
Actor Barry Evans attended Bisley boys' school, which was an ]orphanage
An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...
run by Shaftesbury Homes.
Economy
Coldingley Prison
Coldingley Prison – a Category C prison. Several streets were laid out and built-up to house prison officers.
Amenities
School and shops
The village has Bisley C of E Primary School in the core of the developed part of the village close to its parade of shops, two nursery and a Scout and Guide headquarters. The school's 2013 Ofsted
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) is a Non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's government, reporting to Parliament of the U ...
report awarded it a rating of Good.
Playing field
In the latter half of the 20th century, the Flowers Estate of homes was built, named after flowers of each letter of the alphabet. This adjoins the village's largest playing field. The village football club is the academy and training part of Farnborough Town F.C.
National Shooting Centre
In 1890, the village became the location for the National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent Gun politics in the United States, gun rights ...
's Imperial Meeting (the Association's National Championship), which moved there from Wimbledon
Wimbledon most often refers to:
* Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London
* Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships
Wimbledon may also refer to:
Places London
* ...
. The competition is hosted on the ranges at Bisley Camp having outgrown the Wimbledon Common
Wimbledon Common is a large open space in Wimbledon, southwest London. There are three named areas: Wimbledon Common, Putney Heath, and Putney Lower Common, which together are managed under the name Wimbledon and Putney Commons totalling 460 ...
ranges which had previously been used. The NRA of the UK also moved its headquarters from London to Bisley Camp.NRA Official History
Sport
Bisley is home to Bisley All Stars FC, who are currently a Sunday League club playing in the Surrey & Hants Border League Division 1. They play their home matches at Bisley Recreation Ground. Bisley All Stars currently hold the Isley Cup from their rivals Wisley
__NOTOC__
Wisley is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England between Cobham and Woking, in the Borough of Guildford. It is the home of the Royal Horticultural Society's Wisley Garden. The River Wey runs through the village and Ockham and ...
. It is however highly unlikely it will ever be surrendered given that Wisley F.C. folded at the end of the 2016-17 season.
Despite Bisley All Stars FC finishing the 2017-18 season in 6th place they continue to air their official club song 'Believe' by Cher before and after every game, honouring their 10 year licensing agreement.
Bisley All Stars in their whole club history have never won a penalty shootout.
At the Lord Roberts Centre indoors is a purpose-built Inline Hockey
Roller inline hockey, or inline hockey is a variant of hockey played on a hard, smooth surface, with players using inline skates to move and ice hockey sticks to shoot a hard, plastic puck into their opponent's goal to score points. The sport ...
Rink which is used for league and national events by BiSHA and BiPHA.
Demography and housing
The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%.
The proportion of households in the civil parish who owned their home outright compares to the regional average of 35.1%. The proportion who owned their home with a loan compares to the regional average of 32.5%. The remaining % is made up of rented dwellings (plus a negligible % of households living rent-free).
Transport
Rail
The nearest railway station is Brookwood, which has adjoining car parks and fast and slow tracks and a part-non-segregated cycle link. City destinations from Brookwood include Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
and Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
and most popular destination is London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
Road
The entire parish is bisected by one main road, the A322 road
List of A roads in zone 3 in Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island an ...
, which develops a dualled status further north where it joins the M3. Its serves as the main link from western Woking to the motorway network and an alternative link for the 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 ...
area to western destinations.
Further reading
*Tim Price: " A Hundred Years Behind The Times: The History of Bisley In Surrey"
*Rosemary F. Cooper: ''St. John the Baptist Church, Bisley: A Guide and Short History''
References
External links
Bisley
'Parishes: Bisley', ''A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3'' (1911), pp. 398–399.
*
{{authority control
Venues of the 1908 Summer Olympics
Olympic shooting venues
2002 Commonwealth Games venues
Villages in Surrey
Surrey Heath
Civil parishes in Surrey