Farnborough, Hampshire

Farnborough is a town in the Hampshire borough of Rushmoor in South East England. It is perhaps best known as the home of the Farnborough Air Show which takes place once every two years. The town is home to Farnborough Aerodrome and the international headquarters of BAE Systems.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Transport
- 3.1 Rail
- 3.2 Air
4 Education
5 Social
6 Sport
7 Gallery
8 Suburbs of Farnborough
9 Twinned towns
10 See Also
11 External links

[edit] Geography

Farnborough is situated in the northeast of Hampshire and near to the boundary with Surrey. The River Blackwater forms part of the boundary. It is located 53 km (33 miles) southwest of London.

Farnborough includes several small villages, including Cove and Southwood. Based in the town is the council of the local government district of Rushmoor. The district has borough status and also covers nearby Aldershot.

[edit] History

Farnborough was founded in Saxon times and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is formed from Ferneberga which means 'fern hill'.

The town is the home of Saint Michael's Abbey. The Imperial Crypt there is the burial place of Napoleon III (1808 - 1873), Emperor of the French, and his wife Empress Eugenie (1826 - 1920) and their son Napoléon Eugène, Prince Imperial, who was killed in South Africa aged 23, on (1st June 1879) by the Zulus. The crypt of St Peter's Old Parish Church [1] is also believed to house the remains of many of the Earls of Anglesey.

[edit] Transport

There are multiple forms of public transport, most commonly the Public Bus.

Arms of the former Farnborough Urban District Council

London can be reached by rail or via the M3 motorway, which runs north of the town. The main road, named Farnborough Road, enters the town from Camberley to the north, and continues into Aldershot to the south.

[edit] Rail

Farnborough is served by several railway stations:

Farnborough (Main) railway station for London Waterloo, Basingstoke, Southampton, Bournemouth and Salisbury.
Farnborough North railway station for Reading, Guildford and Shalford.
North Camp railway station for Reading, Guildford and Gatwick Airport.
Ash Vale railway station for Camberley, Ascot, Aldershot, Farnham and Alton.

[edit] Air

A noted airshow takes place at Farnborough Airfield, situated between Farnborough and Fleet and the site of the historic Royal Aircraft Establishment. Closely associated with Farnborough Airfield is Samuel Cody. Cody, or Col Sam Cody as he was known, was one of the early pioneers of aviation. A monument to the first jet fighter is sited on a roundabout along Ively Road. The replica Gloster E28/39 (based on the prototype) was erected as a tribute to its inventor, Sir Frank Whittle.

Farnborough Airfield was turned into a business airport operated by TAG Aviation. In October 2005, TAG applied to double their number of flights at weekends [2]. Opposition to the business airport has been chronicled by Blackwater Environmental Justice and FARA was formed by the local community to oppose the airport expansion.

[edit] Education

There are four main public secondary schools; The Wavell School, Cove School, Fernhill Secondary and Oak Farm Community School. There are also two private secondary schools; Salesian College (boys school) and Farnborough Hill Farnborough Hill School, Farnborough (girls school) both of which provide private sixth form education in expansion to the secondary schools. The town also has a Sixth Form College The Sixth Form College, Farnborough, which draws in around 3,000 students aged 16-19 from the surrounding area, as well as Farnborough College of Technology, specialises in GCSE's, A-levels and more vocational studies for students aged 16 onwards.

[edit] Social

There are a number of social clubs, and of course pubs and bars. One located just on the edge of Farnborough is called the Cody Sports and Social Club. Other pubs in the area are, The Tumble Down Dick on the Farnborough Road near the town centre. The Monkey Puzzle, which also has a Beefeater restaurant incorporated within. The Snow Goose, on Fernhill Road is ideally located in a residential neighbourhood. More pubs and clubs are also available in the area, notably in nearby Camberley - which is often the destination of choice for the younger generation on nights out.

[edit] Sport

The football team Farnborough Town F.C. who currently play in the Conference South League are based in the town. Farnborough Town FC. The team came to national prominence in 2003 when they managed to reach the 3rd round of the FA Cup, a significant achievement for a team this size.

Farnborough Rugby Football Club [3], a rugby union club is based at Tile Barn Close in Farnborough. They play in Hampshire Division 2 (2005/2006) although have recently been promoted to Hampshire Division One for the 2006/2007 season. They also have a thriving Minis and Juniors section [4] which caters for boys from 5 to 19 years of age and girls from 5 to 12 years of age.

Legendary cricket team FACC currently based in nearby Frogmore are planning a relocation to Farnborough.