Winklebury

Winklebury

Hawthorn Way
Winklebury
 Winklebury shown within Hampshire
DistrictBasingstoke and Deane
Shire countyHampshire
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town BASINGSTOKE
Postcode district RG23
Dialling code 01256
Police Hampshire
Fire Hampshire
Ambulance South Central
EU Parliament South East England
UK ParliamentBasingstoke
List of places
UK
England
Hampshire

Coordinates: 51°16′07″N 1°07′24″W / 51.2687°N 1.1234°WWinklebury is a large suburb located two miles north-west of central Basingstoke in the UK. Until the late 1960s Winklebury was a collection of small holdings but Basingstoke's growth as a London Overspill town saw the area developed for housing.

History

Historically the area has some of the oldest landmarks in Urban Basingstoke. It contains the remains of an iron age hill fort, now the site of Fort Hill Community School which was built in 1977. A Roman road from Winchester to Silchester runs along the western boundary and is still in use. As well as being a secondary school it appeals to the community by having clubs after school hours and a fully working gym and sports hall for members, as well as its own on-site playgroup, Library and resource centre, and Media / Music Suite.

Governance

Winklebury is a ward of Basingstoke and Deane and returns two councillors.[1]

Geography

To the North of Winklebury is the site of Park Prewett Hospital (1912–1997), now the separate civil parish of Rooksdown. The hospital was served by its own railway line until 1956 and the course of the old railway now forms the northern eastern boundary of Winklebury. The north western boundary is the footpath on the northern side of the A339.

Culture and community

Culture

Winklebury hosts a carnival procession known as the Winklebury Carnival every July. This consists of a number of floats and walking processions from various schools, clubs and churches associated with the estate. The Carnival also has an arena and fun fair which are hosted on the Winklebury playing fields.

There are also active Scouts and Guides groups in Winklebury. The guides groups meet at the Church of the Good Shepherd and Fort Hill School while the Scouts groups meet at Castle Hill School. The Scouts groups often feature in community events including the Basingstoke Gangshow, fun days and the Haarlem Jamborette every four years in the Netherlands.

Community facilities

Winklebury has three shopping areas: Winklebury Centre, Elmwood Parade and Watson Way. Winklebury Centre is the main precinct as it houses a handful of sub-par, low quality shops including John Burton's butchers, a Lloyds pharmacy, Greenways newsagent and Winklebury cycles. The centre also houses doctor's surgeries. Elmwood Parade houses a laundrette, a tanning salon, a hairdresser, a charity shop, a convenience store and Simms and Chips computer shop. Watson way shops consist of a newsagency/post office, a Chinese take away and a public house (The Winkle). Winklebury also has a Co-operative food supermarket previously operated by Somerfield.

Transport

Winklebury has a frequent bus service, operated by Stagecoach, to Basingstoke town centre via Houndmills. Stagecoach also operates a less frequent (Monday to Saturday only) bus service from Winklebury to South Ham, the North Hampshire Hospital, Popley and Chineham Centre.

Education

Winklebury has two infant schools, two junior schools, and a secondary school. The local schools are:

Religious sites

The Church of the Good Shepherd was built as part of the Winklebury Centre and is part of the Church of England Diocese of Winchester.[2]

Sport

Winklebury has a large playing field. The playing field has been re-development into new football pitches and a new football stand. Part of this development houses the offices for the Headquarters of the Hampshire FA.

Winklebury has its own youth football set up. The Winklebury Wizards play in the Peter Houseman Youth League (named after the late Chelsea player, Peter Houseman) in various age groups. From under 7s to under 10s, the teams play small sided football on reduced sized pitches. From under 11s to under 15s, the teams play 11-a-side matches on full sized pitches.

References

  1. ↑ "Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council > Your council > Your Elected Representatives > Wards Information > Councillors for Winklebury". 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  2. ↑ "The Good Shepherd, Winklebury". 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2011.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Winklebury.