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Bisley, Surrey

Coordinates:51°19′48″N0°38′24″W/ 51.330°N 0.640°W/51.330; -0.640
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Bisley
St John the Baptist Church
Bisley Camp
Bisley is located in Surrey
Bisley
Bisley
Location withinSurrey
Area3.66 km2(1.41 sq mi)
Population3,965 (Civil Parish)[1]
•Density1,083/km2(2,800/sq mi)
OS grid referenceSU9560
Civil parish
  • Bisley
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWoking
Postcode districtGU24
Dialling code01483
PoliceSurrey
FireSurrey
AmbulanceSouth East Coast
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Surrey
51°19′48″N0°38′24″W/ 51.330°N 0.640°W/51.330; -0.640

Bisley/ˈbɪzliː/is a village andcivil parishin the Borough ofSurrey HeathinSurrey,England, approximately 25 miles (40 km) southwest of central London. It is midway betweenWoking(to the east) andCamberley(to the west). The village had a population of 3,965 in the2011 Census.

Much of the west of the parish is covered by an acidicheath,which is used by theMinistry of Defence.TheNational Shooting Centre,headquarters of theNational Rifle Association,is within the historic bounds.Coldingley Men's Prisonis also in the village.

The village is close to junction 3 of theM3 motorway.The nearest railway station is atBrookwood,on theSouth West Main Line.

History

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The name 'Bisley' was first recorded in the 10th century as 'Busseleghe'. Its manor was from earliest written records under the feudal lordship ofChertsey Abbeyas part ofGodley Hundred.It is derived from the old English words 'Bysc', meaningbushes,and 'Leah', aclearing.Therefore, it means clearing where bushes grow or in the bushes.[2]The versions recorded in the 13th century were Busheley and Bussley, from such Westminster and Lambeth Palace rolls as theAssize Rolls.[3]

Inmedievaltimes, the village continued to be the southern holding of theChertsey Abbeyestate. 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 timberchancel,since replaced.[3]The church features amedievalbell 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 ofSt John the Baptist', and was said to have medicinal powers. Its waters were used for localbaptismsuntil the early 20th century.[4]The building is Grade II*listed.[5]

A lateTudormonarch granted the manorial lands and revenues of Woking, Chobham, and Bagshot, havingdissolvedChertsey 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 theEarl of Onslow,heirs to many of the lands of the originalEarldom of Surrey and Arundel.[3]

ActorBarry Evansattended Bisley boys' school, which was anorphanagerun byShaftesbury Homes.[6]

Economy

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Coldingley Prison

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Coldingley Prison– aCategory Cprison. Several streets were laid out and built-up to house prison officers.

Amenities

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School and shops

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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 2013Ofstedreport awarded it a rating of Good.[7]

Playing field

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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 ofFarnborough Town F.C.

National Shooting Centre

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Main article:National Shooting Centre

In 1890, the village became the location for theNational Rifle Association's Imperial Meeting (the Association's National Championship), which moved there fromWimbledon.[8]The competition is hosted on the ranges at Bisley Camp having outgrown theWimbledon Commonranges which had previously been used. The NRA of the UK also moved its headquarters from London to Bisley Camp.[9]

Sport

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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 rivalsWisley.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-builtInline HockeyRink which is used for league and national events by BiSHA and BiPHA.

Demography and housing

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2011 Census Homes
Output area Detached Semi-detached Terraced Flats and apartments Caravans/temporary/mobile homes shared between households[1]
(Civil Parish) 676 343 201 89 1 0

The average level of accommodation in the region composed of detached houses was 28%, the average that was apartments was 22.6%.

2011 Census Key Statistics
Output area Population Households % Owned outright % Owned with a loan hectares[1]
(Civil Parish) 3,965 1,310 36.3% 51.7% 366

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

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Rail

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The nearest railway station isBrookwood,which has adjoining car parks and fast and slow tracks and a part-non-segregated cycle link. City destinations from Brookwood includeSalisburyandWinchesterand most popular destination isLondon.

Road

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The entire parish is bisected by one main road, theA322 road,which develops a dualled status further north where it joins theM3.Its serves as the main link from western Woking to the motorway network and an alternative link for theGuildfordarea to western destinations.

Further reading

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  • 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

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  1. ^abcKey Statistics; Quick Statistics: Population DensityArchived11 February 2003 at theWayback MachineUnited Kingdom Census 2011Office for National StatisticsRetrieved 21 November 2013
  2. ^History
  3. ^abcH. E. Malden, ed. (1911)."Parishes: Bisley".A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3.Retrieved8 December2013.
  4. ^Barbara Aitken, "Holy Wells in Surrey"Folklore64.2 (June 1953), p. 350.
  5. ^St John the Baptist, Bisley – Grade II* –Historic England."Details from listed building database (1030064)".National Heritage List for England.Retrieved8 December2013.
  6. ^Barry EvansArchived5 February 2008 at theWayback Machine
  7. ^"Find an inspection report and registered childcare".8 October 2020.
  8. ^Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Bisley".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 5.
  9. ^NRA Official HistoryArchived31 May 2015 at theWayback Machine
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Wikimedia Commons has media related toBisley, Surrey.
  • Bisley'Parishes: Bisley',A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3(1911), pp. 398–399.
  • Surrey County Council."Bisley".Exploring Surrey's Past.Retrieved30 May2017.
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