Bagshotis a large village in theSurrey Heathborough ofSurrey,England,[2]approximately 27 miles (43 km) southwest of central London. In the past, Bagshot served as an importantstaging postbetween London,Southamptonand theWest Country,evidenced by the originalcoaching innsstill present in the village today.
| Bagshot | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Bagshot Location withinSurrey | |
| Population | 5,592 (2011 Ward)[1] |
| OS grid reference | SU907632 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bagshot |
| Postcode district | GU19 |
| Dialling code | 01276 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| UK Parliament | |
Much of the land surrounding Bagshot is owned by theMinistry of Defence.The village is adjacent to junction 3 of theM3 motorway.Bagshot railway stationis on the line betweenAscotandAldershotand train services are run bySouth Western Railway
Bagshot is part of thecivil parishof Windlesham, which has a population of 17,000 and also includes the neighbouring village ofLightwater.[3]
History
edit
The place-name 'Bagshot' is first attested in thePipe Rollsof 1165, where it appears asBagsheta.It was the name of a wood, and may have meant 'Bacga's wood'.[4]
Recent excavations have shown that settlements of Bagshot date back as far as pre-Roman; before these excavations it was thought that the earliest settlements in Bagshot were late Saxon. LateBronze Agesettlements have been identified in the area, and iron smelting appears to have been a major 'industry' in the locality. Bagshot at one time included aRoyal forest.It had a Royal hunting lodge certainly through Stuart and Tudor times, now calledBagshot Park,which is now the residence ofPrince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh.
In Elizabethan times (late 16th century) Bagshot prospered due to its position on the main London to the West Country road (The Great South West Road, now classified as the A30). As with many villages on main coaching routes, Bagshot developed services, inns for the stagecoach passengers, and stables to provide the coaches with fresh horses.Ann Nelson's "Exeter Telegraph" would stop for 20 minutes at Bagshot on its 17 hour journey to Devon.[5]
The prosperity of the Great South West Road created its share ofhighwaymen,one of the most notorious being William Davis, a local farmer who lived near what is known locally as theJolly Farmerroundabout in Camberley. He was eventually caught at the White Hart Inn in Bagshot and later was hanged at the gallows in Gibbets Lane in Camberley. Not one to avoid suspicion, he always paid his debts in gold! It was after him that the pub was called the Golden Farmer. The Golden Farmer (now Jolly Farmer), was eventually sold to American Golf Discount Store, who still use the old building.
Churches
editBagshot has four churches:Church of England(St. Anne's);Roman Catholic(Christ the King);Methodist,Evangelical(Brook Church).
St Anne's Church was built in 1884[6]in aGothic Revivalstyle under the patronage ofPrince Arthur, Duke of Connaught[7]who lived in the nearbyBagshot Park.It is a building in red brick with stone detail under aslateroof. The east window was dedicated in memory of Prince Arthur's youngest brotherPrince Leopold, Duke of Albany(d. 1884). There is a bell tower with a peal of eight bells. It is agrade II listed buildingand is situated in aconservation area.
Sport and leisure
editBagshot has two multi-purpose sports fields and a cricket field.
Curley Park Rangers, the youth football club, meet regularly and play on pitches in bothLightwaterand Bagshot. The CPR clubhouse is located at the Bagshot pitch.
White Hart Royals, the football team of the White Hart pub in Bagshot village, compete in the Camberley & District Sunday Football League.
Bagshot Cricket Club runs a number of adult and under 16 teams and complete in the Thames Valley League, the Three Counties League and the West Surrey Youth League.
Bagshot Tennis Club has four floodlit courts and fields teams in the Woking League.
Swinley Forest,which borders Bagshot to the north, provides some of the best mountain biking in South-East England, with many off-road 'single-track' trails available as well as plenty of fire roads. Mountain biking and walking is free.[8]Swinley Woods was considered as a venue for the mountain biking event of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Other clubs and organisations include Bagshot Concert Band, the Surrey Heath Archaeology and Heritage Trust, Bagshot Gymnastics Club, Camberley and Bagshot Metal Detecting Club and local branches of theScouts,Royal Air Forces Association,Women's Instituteand Camberley Rifle & Pistol Club. It is also a short distance from The National Clay Shooting Centre and the Bisley shooting ranges.
Bagshot Village Community Library is situated on the High Street and in addition to the usual library services provides Story and 'Rhymetimes' for the local toddler community.
Lightwater Country Park was accessible by crossing the M3 footbridge- this has since been demolished.
Today
editPennyhill Park Hotellocated at the far western edge of Bagshot is where theEngland rugby teamtrain.[9]Bagshot Park,home ofPrince Edward, Duke of Edinburghis located on the northern edge of the village. The A30 leaving Bagshot to the southwest for Camberley has a large roundabout on it called theJolly Farmerafter a public house that used to stand in its centre, now used as a Golfing Store.
The local borough,Surrey Heath,was mainly aConservativearea, and the council had been led by the Conservatives from its founding in 1974 until the Liberal Democrats captured a majority in the2023 local election.Bagshot itself is, however, represented by oneLiberal Democratand two Conservative borough councillors. At the 2024 General election, the [Surrey Heath UK Parliamentary constituency] also voted for Professor [Al Pinkerton] of the Liberal Democrats who gained a majority of 5640 over the Conservatives.
Notable people
edit- Brian May(born 1947), English musician, lead guitarist ofQueen,with a famous guitar store in Bagshot
- Steve Backshall(born 1973), English naturalist and television presenter
- Moiya Kelly(1934–2023), English actress
References
edit- ^"Bagshot Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics".Neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 4 July 2015.Retrieved3 July2015.
- ^"About Bagshot Village".Bagshotvillage.org.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 23 September 2015.Retrieved22 May2015.
- ^"Windlesham Parish Council".Archivedfrom the original on 2 February 2019.Retrieved17 June2020.
- ^Eilert Ekwall,The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names,pp. 23 and 407.
- ^"The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Exeter Road, by Charles G. Harper".gutenberg.org.Archivedfrom the original on 2 September 2018.Retrieved2 September2018.
- ^"Bagshot Village – St Anne's Church".Bagshotvillage.org.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 4 March 2016.Retrieved22 May2015.
- ^"Bagshot Village – Duke of Connaught".Bagshotvillage.org.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 3 March 2016.Retrieved22 May2015.
- ^"Trails".Swinley Bike Hub.Retrieved30 April2024.
- ^"England choose Pennyhill Park"(PDF).Pennyhillpark.co.uk. 21 August 2008. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 5 October 2011.Retrieved22 May2015.
External links
edit
- About Bagshot Village
- The origins of Bagshot
- Bagshot Village
- Surrey County Council."Bagshot".Exploring Surrey's Past.Retrieved30 May2017.