About North Camp
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The History of North Camp
North Camp is a self-contained southern suburb of Farnborough. North Camp was the original Victorian town centre for Farnborough. Farnborough is located on the Surrey-Hampshire border, approximately 50 km south-west of London in southern England.
Farnborough is internationally known for its airfield, site until recently of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, and for hosting the biennial Farnborough International Airshow.
North Camp, Aldershot
Image credit : http://www3.hants.gov.uk/hampshire-museums/aldershot-museum/local-history-aldershot/barracks.htm
The original wooden huts in North Camp were built by Mr Hemmimgs, a civilian contractor at a cost of £100,263.
Following the Barracks Act of 1890, North Camp was rebuilt, with barracks of Blenheim, Lille, Malplaquet, Oudenarde, Ramillies and Tournay forming the lines. The new barracks wew built by Henry Wells, a locally based building contractor. The lines then became known as the Marlborough Lines.
North Camp takes its name, and owes its origins to, the military north camp that lay on the north side of the Basingstoke Canal - Aldershot at the time was divided into two camps, north and south. Between 1851 and 1861 the population of the parish of Farnborough rose from 477 to 5,529 (of whom 3,929 were military), by 1911 the population of the parish had risen to 11,500.
This development rapidly overshadowed the original settlement of Farnborough which was situated further north around Farnborough Street. Towards the end of the 19th century St Mark's Church was built to cater for the increase and shift in the centre of gravity of the population.
The rise of the population also coincided with the coming of the railways. Photographs of the 1920s show the streets of North Camp crowded with shoppers.
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Forever Farnborough: Flying the Limits, 1904-96by Peter J. Cooper |
The military camps of Aldershot straddled either side of the Basingstoke Canal. The two camps were connected by a pontoon bridge, site of the present Iron Bridge. It was a common sight to see Redcoats running from the ale houses in North Camp to get across the pontoon bridge before the evening curfew.
On the main Farnborough Road, close to the toll gate, immediately south of the canal, stood the Row Boat Inn. Previously the haunt of bargemen, it did a roaring trade, first with the camp contractors, then the squaddies. It was a proud boast of the Landlady that she could draw a barrel of beer in fifty minutes and keep up the rate all day. The inn soon attracted prostitutes, which resulted in the army ordering its closure. When the notice to quit was ignored, the army sent in the sappers. The inn was demolished in 1856.
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Farnborough Past By Jo GosneyThis is the first comprehensive account of the history of Farnborough and the author's third book on the town, from the Normans who built the ancient parish church through the medieval potters, stagecoach travellers, an exiled Empress of France to Colonel Cody and the flying machine. |
Sherlock Holmes was called upon to investigate a murder in North Camp - 'The Adventure of the Crooked Man' (published in the collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes).
Much of the location filming for the hit TV series Soldier, Soldier took place in North Camp as well as a few episodes of 'Pie in the Sky'.
Extracts from http://www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/nth-camp.htm
All reasonable effort to contact the author, Keith Parkins, has been made.
North Camp Train Station
North Camp station, on the former South Eastern Railway's Redhill to Reading line, opened in 1858 though it is believed the current station buildings were constructed a few years later. The station is named for the eponymous military camp in the area which opened three years before the station.
Farnborough: A Pictorial History: One Hundred Years Under the Flight PathFarnborough is renowned for its International Air Show, but few of the many visitors know how it achieved that fame. A hundred years ago, in 1905, the army moved their Balloon Factory from Aldershot to government land in South Farnborough, just behind the Swan. This marked the beginning of an era of experimental flying and research that took Britain to the forefront of aviation development. The Balloon Factory evolved into the Royal Aircraft Establishment, which was the major employer in the town for nearly half a century. While numerous books have been written on the subject of the early pioneers and the work carried out at the RAE, little research into the local people who have lived with flying, year in and year out for more than a century, has been undertaken. This new book fills that gap, cleverly combining the history of a town, its people and the evolution of flight as they developed and changed together in a stunning pictorial record of everyday life. Numerous superb images of early 20th-century Farnborough show the progression from carriage to car, from trains to planes, and from war to peace. Many of the pictures record scenes that have long since disappeared and offer rare insight into life and industry in times past. This charming and beautifully presented book will be of interest to both inhabitants and visitors, and will fascinate aviation historians. |
Click on the link below to purchase the book from Amazon.co.uk Farnborough: A Pictorial History: One Hundred Years Under the Flight Path |
South Farnborough Infants School
At the time when a new school for North Camp was planned, this part of Farnborough was developing rapidly. The military community was growing and Cody had flown a few yards across Laffan’s Plain! To cater for the growing number of children in the area, the County of Southampton Education Committee surveyed the waste ground in Queens Road then built the school to accommodate 380 children.
It opened at 9 am on Monday, 8th January 1912. With £4 supplied as petty cash from head office in Winchester, the headmaster Mr W.W. Miller started the “Queens Road Council School”.
Even though the building maintains many original features, Mr Miller would probably be amazed to see how the school has thrived and the innovative use being made of the wonderful space today.
Article from http://www.southfarnborough-inf.hants.sch.uk/2517-index/2517-about-our-school.htm
The Farnborough Urban District Council Crest
ARMS: Per fess dancettée Azure and Gules in chief two Wings conjoined and expabded fesswise and in base a Fir Tree couped Or.
CREST: On a Wreath of the Colours in front of two Fern Leaves in saltire Vert a a Cross couped between two Roses Or.
Motto 'FIDES ET JUSTITIA' - Faith and justice.
Granted 23rd January 1934.
The three points formed by the division of the shield refers to three turmuli in thre district and suggests its antiquities. The wings allude to the Royal Air Force, of which Farnborough was the birthplace and the fir tree stands for the pine woods prominent in the area.
The fern leaves refer to the derivation of the place name from Ferneberga. The cross symbolises the town's religious life and the roses derive from the insignia of the County.
The Borough of Rushmoor was formed by the amalgamation of the Borough of Aldershot and the Farnborough Urban District.
Rushmoor's Crest
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Motto 'STRENGTH IN UNITY'
Granted 7th August 1975
Information Requests
I have found someone who I think is an ancestor in the 1881 census who is a soldier stationed in barracks at North Camp. Have you any idea how I find out which regiment he was in etc as I need to try and find his service record to see if it is the person I think it might be? The census record only suggests which hut he was in and doesn't appear to give any details of which regiment.
Is it possible to find out which regiments were at North Camp Aldershot in 1861?
All help greatly appreciated
I am a Dutch national living in the UK. My father was stationed in the Ramillies Barracks in Aldershot, to train for service in the Dutch army, in Indonesia. We have been down to the site and he recognised various things in the surrounding area. It would be great if I could find some pictures and other info on these barracks to present to him. He is very interested in his years in the Dutch army and subsequent years in Indonesia, but is frustrated by the lack of info.
If anyone could point me in the right direction or have info available, then I would be very grateful for this.
Thank you very much,
Falco van der Gragt.
falcovandergragt@hotmail.co.uk
Can anyone advise which newspapers covered the Farnborough area in 1901. Did it have a local paper or was it covered by the Hampshire Chronicle and the Aldershot News?
I would be grateful for any information as I am trying to trace the inquest report for a soldier who died there in 1901.
Thank you for your time
June Schutrups
What defines the area of North Camp?
This is a subject that seems to have caused angst to many members of the local community recently and in the past. There are arguments of North Camp being a territory of Aldershot with a few suggesting the area we all know, love and live in is actually called South Farnborough. To some this may be a case of dividing themselves from Aldershot, to gain, in some peoples opinion, a more upmarket address or people just plain don't like the term. I apologise if you are an advocate of South Farnborough and don't fall under one of these categories and I would encourage anyone with views to email me about this subject.
Extract from www.hants.gov.uk
"North Camp, Aldershot
Situated north of the Basingstoke Canal, North Camp has grown into a mixture of civilian and military life. Although the term formally applies to the military town, local shops and businesses in the area have developed into a small community known locally as 'North Camp'."
The website also refers to the area as "North Camp, Farnborough" and "North Camp town centre" !
When I first started this website I spent many months collating information on the area and had to draw my own conclusion as to the boundaries for this purpose. The map I roughly devised travelled along the Farnborough Road from Boundary Road up to the Basingstoke Canal and across to the A331 up to the North Camp train station and then down Park Road, Sycamore Road and finally joing up again with Boundary Road. Issues, News and Events affecting the surrounding areas are also included on the website to give a bigger picture of how we fit into the scheme of things.
As the boundary for Farnborough ends at Lynchford Road it is undeniable that the area from Lynchford Road up to approximately Boundary Road can rightfully be called South Farnborough, the term of North Camp means much more though, it relates to a community and strength in unity more than just a geographic location as well as a very proseperous area of shopping and local business.
If we are to be exact and strict over the rightful use of the term many people are quick to point out that North Camp protrudes from Lynchford Road Southwards into the military area, as the first row of shops one and a half miles opposite in Aldershot was actually the South Camp, with the Basingstoke Canal roughly marking the centre line. It's only natural though that over the years the shopping district of North Camp Village, (Another story!), is so called because on the military side of Lynchford Road there are no shops only military service quarters and facilities.
At a recent North Camp Matters meeting the issue of boundaries rose again with a more interesting answer. The question was who do we allow membership to the organisation? We all know the roughly defined boundaries of working and living in North Camp but we have members who are based a good few miles outside the area, so the answer was to allow anyone with an interest in North Camp to be offered inclusion on proceedings. The day people start telling us that they have an interest in 'South Farnborough' as opposed to North Camp we may then think about changing our definitions!
On a quick note for those who may have experienced confusion, the area of North Camp is roughly defined above but North Camp Village is a term that has been used in recent years to reflect the growing business community made up of many unique and traditional shops based primarily in Camp Road including but not limited to Lynchford Road, Queens Road, Alexandra Road and Peabody Road.
The opinions in this article are my own but have been deduced from talking to many residents and traders in the area in which we live and work. If anyone would like to discuss further a topic could be opened on the North Camp Forum at www.northcampforum.co.uk or alternatively you can email me at steve@northcampvillage.co.uk
Discussion Forum