Aldershot - History

History

The name may have derived from the name of "Alder" trees found in the area (Alder-holt meaning copse of Alder trees), indicating that it was a wet, boggy place. Aldershot, Alreshete, dates back to an Anglo-Saxon settlement. Aldershot was included as part of the old Hundred of Crondall referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086. The map of Hampshire in the 1722 edition of William Camden's Britannia or Geographical Description of Britain and Ireland shows a symbol for habitation in Aldershot in the Crundhal (Crondall) hundred.

Prior to 1850, Aldershott (as it was spelt then) was little known. The area was a vast stretch of common land, a lonely wasteland unsuitable for most forms of agriculture with scant population. As it existed at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, the extensive settlement of Crondall in the north-east corner of Hampshire was certainly Scandinavian, for among the customs of that great manor, which included Crondall, Yateley, Farnborough, and Aldershot, that of sole inheritance by the eldest daughter in default of sons prevailed, as over a large part of Cumberland, and this is a peculiarly Norse custom. It was regarded as a dangerous area (at one time it had almost as bad a reputation as Hounslow Heath), the stretch of the London to Winchester turnpike that passed through it between Bagshot and Farnham (now known as the Farnborough Road) was the scene of highway robberies. There were many tales of highwaymen holding up coaches. Dick Turpin is said to have operated in the area having his headquarters near nearby Farnborough, and there were sightings of Springheeled Jack.

In 1854, at the time of the Crimean War, the heath land around Aldershot was established as an army base with Aldershot at its centre. This led to a rapid expansion of Aldershot's population going from 875 in 1851, to in excess of 16,000 by 1861 (including about 9,000 from the military). The town continued to grow, reaching a peak in the 1950s.

Queen Victoria was a regular visitor to Aldershot and a Royal Pavilion was erected for her use. For her Jubilee Review (21 June 1887), 60,000 troops lined up in the Long Valley. They stretched from the Basingstoke Canal to Caesar's Camp. Royalty and VIPs from all over Europe and the British Empire attended the event.

A substantial rebuilding of the barracks was carried out between 1961 and 1969 by Building Design Partnership. The town was designated an "Experimental Site" by the government and various new building technologies were employed with mixed success.

In 1974 Aldershot Borough and Farnborough Urban District were merged to form the Borough of Rushmoor under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972. It is claimed that Aldershot's town centre has declined in the latter half of the 20th century.

In 2004 some former Gurkha soldiers were given the right to settle in the UK. As many had previously been based in Aldershot, the town became host to a growing Nepalese population; between 2004 and 2008 the Nepalese population of Rushmoor grew to approximately 7000 people. After a 2009 campaign, the government allowed former Gurkha soldiers who had served for more than four years, and their families to settle in the UK. Between 2009 and 2011 Rushmoor's Nepalese population increased by approximately two thousand people. The rise in the local Nepalese population led Gerald Howarth, Member of Parliament for Aldershot, to request government assistance to expand local public services to meet the needs of the growing local population. Howarth was later criticised for suggesting Nepalese migrants be dispersed across the UK.