Fair Oak
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Fair Oak is a large village to the east of
Eastleigh Eastleigh is a town in Hampshire, England, between Southampton and Winchester. It is the largest town and the administrative seat of the Borough of Eastleigh, with a population of 24,011 at the 2011 census. The town lies on the River Itchen, o ...
in
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 ...
, England. Together with the village of Horton Heath, which lies to the south, it is part of the civil parish of
Fair Oak and Horton Heath Fair Oak and Horton Heath is a civil parish within the Borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. The parish contains the villages of Fair Oak Fair Oak is a large village to the east of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. Together with the village ...
.


History

Fair Oak takes its name from a tree in the Square which was felled and replaced on 30 February 1843. A fair took place under the tree in June every year until 1918, and local historians believe this provided the tree, and subsequently the village around it, with its name. Documentary evidence exists of a settlement in the area called Cnolgette in 901 AD. The village has a history of sand quarrying, with some of the newer parts built over old restored quarries.British Geological Survey (1987), ''Southampton. England and Wales Sheet 315. Solid and Drift Geology'', 1:50,000 Series geological map, Keyworth, Nottingham: British Geological Survey, In November 1830, during the Swing Riots, a group of labourers destroyed
threshing machine A threshing machine or a thresher is a piece of farm equipment that threshes grain, that is, it removes the seeds from the stalks and husks. It does so by beating the plant to make the seeds fall out. Before such machines were developed, threshi ...
s in and around the village. The central church of St Thomas was originally built in 1863 to serve as a
chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, 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. Often a chapel of ea ...
for Fair Oak cemetery. At this time the village was part of the parish of
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 ...
with its church of St Mary. Fair Oak was established as a civil parish in its own right in 1894, covering an area of which previously formed the eastern end of Bishopstoke parish. In 1908, Fair Oak was described thus:
The village of Fair Oak consists of widely scattered houses and farms reaching from Crowdhill on the north to Horton Heath on the south. From Crowdhill, part of which is in Fair Oak, a fine view can be gained of the surrounding country, the Itchen valley stretching away to the south-west towards the Solent, and the chalk downs which lie round Winchester sweeping away to the north.
At this point Crowdhill consisted of a Wesleyan chapel and approximately three houses, with Stocks Farm lying between Crowdhill and the centre of Fair Oak itself, where St Thomas' Church had a number of houses grouped around it. An
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 ...
, smithy, and church schools were nearby, and some cottages adjoined the road to
Knowle Hill Knowle Hill () is a hill in the Chew Valley, Somerset, England situated between the village of Chew Magna and Chew Valley Lake. The south side of the summit of Knowle Hill is home to the grass Wood Small-reed (''Calamagrostis epigejos''). The po ...
. Horton Heath was included in the civil parish and at that time, consisting of a post office, the Rising Sun Inn, Hammerley Farm and a Union Chapel, was considered "a detached portion of Fair Oak village". A number of country houses were sited around Fair Oak village. These included Fair Oak Park to the east, whose grounds covered about . To the northeast stood Stroudwood, while southwest of the village was Fair Oak Lodge, whose estate again covered about and contained a lake known as Quobleigh Pond, which itself covered an area of about and was noted for supporting a variety of water fowl species. Originally a convent dating from the 16th century, Fair Oak Lodge is in Allington Lane and was extended in the 19th century. The building now houses The King's School, which purchased the property in 1987. Wyvern Community School was opened in 1965 and was renamed Wyvern Technology College in 2000. Then in 2012 the name was changed again to Wyvern College as a result of the school's conversion to an academy. The uniform crest was also changed slightly to a golden dragon. The name of the parish was changed in 1983 from "Fair Oak" to "Fair Oak and Horton Heath" to reflect the expansion of the latter settlement over the previous two decades.


Amenities

The church, St.Thomas has been designated a beacon church for the
Winchester diocese The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England. Founded in 676, it is one of the older dioceses in England. It once covered Wessex, many times its present size which is today most of the historic enla ...
. The village has also been the location for Christian outreach programmes in recent years. It is home to two
scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...
groups, the 7th and 8th Eastleigh. Fair Oak has a village hall and four pubs: 'The Old George', 'The Cricketers', 'The New Clock Inn', and 'The Fox and Hounds'. There are three schools: infant, junior, and a secondary school, Wyvern College, which has a public gym. There is also an independent Christian school,
The King's School Senior The King's School, situated on Allington Lane in Fair Oak, Hampshire, is an independent Christian faith school with approximately 214 pupils as of 2019. The school was founded in 1987. Before moving into its current location, the school was loc ...
. In 2017 Fair Oak Junior School represented the South of England in football. In 2020, Hampshire County Council announced plans to close Fair Oak library.


Stoke Park Wood

Stoke Park Wood to the north-west of the village (a remnant of the
Forest of Bere The Forest of Bere is a mixed-use partially forested area in Hampshire immediately north of Fareham, Portsmouth and Roman Road, Havant and including a small part of the South Downs National Park.Northern crested newt The northern crested newt, great crested newt or warty newt (''Triturus cristatus'') is a newt species native to Great Britain, northern and central continental Europe and parts of Western Siberia. It is a large newt, with females growing up to ...
(Triturus cristatus). There are ongoing efforts by local activists to classify the area as an SSSI ensuring its protection from the proposed development projects. In 2015 a group of local volunteers saved 250 trees from destruction by transplanting them from Stokewood Park to Knowle Lane.


Geology

Fair Oak lies on the
London Clay The London Clay Formation is a marine geological formation of Ypresian (early Eocene Epoch, c. 56–49 million years ago) age which crops out in the southeast of England. The London Clay is well known for its fossil content. The fossils from t ...
deposits of the
Hampshire Basin The Hampshire Basin is a geological basin of Palaeogene age in southern England, underlying parts of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, and Sussex. Like the London Basin to the northeast, it is filled with sands and clays of Paleocene and yo ...
, to the northern edge of a small syncline separated from the main basin by the
Portsdown Portsdown is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest on Portsdown Hill, on the northern outskirts of Portsmouth in Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East E ...
anticline In structural geology, an anticline is a type of fold that is an arch-like shape and has its oldest beds at its core, whereas a syncline is the inverse of an anticline. A typical anticline is convex up in which the hinge or crest is the ...
. The London Clay in this area, towards the top of the sequence, is fairly sandy and includes lenticular sand deposits.Edwards, R.A. & Freshney, E.C. (1987), Geology of the country around Southampton. ''Mem. British Geological Survey, Sheet 315 (England & Wales)'', Keyworth, Nottingham: British Geological Survey, 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 The Bracklesham Group (formerly Bracklesham Beds), in geology, is a series of clays and marls, with sandy and lignite, lignitic beds, in the middle Eocene of the Hampshire Basin and London Basin of England. The type section of the Bracklesham Gro ...
, with a small outlier capping Pylehill to the north.


Sports

Fair Oak is the location of one of Hampshire's biggest cricket clubs, the Fair Oak Cricket Club. The home ground is Lapstone Park, at the end of Pavilion Close in Fair Oak. The first team are the only team from Eastleigh Borough to play in the Southern Premier League. FOCC's third and fourth teams do not play in Fair Oak itself, but the club homes all four sides at Lapstone Park for training and events. The club was established in 1947. Fair Oak is the boyhood home of
1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...
500cc
motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
world champion,
Graham Noyce Graham Noyce (born 18 February 1957) is an English former professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1975 to 1984. Noyce was the 1979 500cc motocross world champion. __TOC__ Motocross career Growing up i ...
.


See also

*
List of places of worship in the Borough of Eastleigh There are nearly 70 current and former places of worship in the borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. Various Christian denominations and groups use 55 churches, chapels and halls for worship and other activities, and a further 12 build ...


References


External links


Fair Oak and Horton Heath Parish CouncilFair Oak & Horton Heath Local Community Magazine Stoke Park Woods Video
{{authority control Villages in Hampshire Borough of Eastleigh