Crookham Village

Crookham Village is located south-west of Fleet, in northeast Hampshire, England and lies within the Hart District.

For other uses, see Crookham (disambiguation).

Crookham Village

A preserved 1960s Aldershot and District Traction Company bus (a Dennis Loline III) passes an old cottage in Crookham Village
Crookham Village
Location within Hampshire
Population3,648 [1](2001 Census)
4,037 (2011 Census)[2]
OS grid referenceSU792524
• London42 mi (68 km)
Civil parish
  • Crookham Village
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townFLEET
Postcode districtGU51, GU52
Dialling code01252
PoliceHampshire
FireHampshire
AmbulanceSouth Central
UK Parliament
WebsiteCrookham Village Parish Council

History

Crookham (formerly Crokeham) dates back at least as far as the Domesday Book, although Crookham Village and Church Crookham did not become separate entities until the founding of the Christ Church in 1840.[3][4] It is this church for which Church Crookham is named. Whilst Church Crookham has become largely subsumed in the urban dormitory town of Fleet, Crookham Village lies across the Basingstoke Canal from its neighbour, in a more rural setting.

The village centre has evolved around scattered ancient cottages, many of which are timber-framed. Agriculture and horticulture are important industries, and hops were grown and kiln-dried in the parish until 1974. Crookham was formerly noted for brick making and potteries which produced coarse red ware of the flower-pot-type. A traditional Mummers play is performed outside two of the public houses and on the village green each Boxing Day.

Notes of Interest

The Basingstoke Canal passes through Crookham Village, and a wharf once existed at the historic former Chequers public house, now rebuilt and renamed The Exchequer. Here, timber was loaded and coal unloaded. A picnic area is now at the site, and the towpath provides is used by walkers. Another local pub, the Fox and Hounds (now reckoned to be in Church Crookham or Fleet), was host to the Fleet Folk club from the 1960s until 2001 when redevelopment work at the pub removed the venue. The club was run independently of the pub management in a separate function room and gained a reputation for featuring high quality musicians in the tiny room, often early appearances by artists later to become famous. The Spice Merchant (formerly the Black Horse) is the village's other pub.

One of the old houses to the south-west of the village is claimed to have been formerly King Henry VIII's holiday home, where he stayed during the hunting season to hunt deer (the namesake of the district of Hart).

Between 1963 and 1965, Crookham was home to future US astronaut Al Worden while he served on secondment to the Empire Test Pilot School at nearby Farnborough. In 1971 he became one of only 24 men to have flown to the moon when he served as Command Module Pilot of Apollo 15.

Twin towns
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the United Kingdom

Crookham Village is twinned with Lévignen, France.[5][6][7] Groups of families from one town cross the Channel for weekend stays with families from the other, alternating between visiting and hosting each year.

References
  1. "Neighbourhood Statistics: Parish Headcounts". Retrieved 16 February 2008.
  2. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  3. Church Crookham.co.uk. "Church Crookham: A pleasant village in Hampshire, England". Retrieved 28 November 2006.
  4. Hampshire Treasures: Volume 3 ( Hart and Rushmoor), Page 32 - Crookham Village
  5. Hicks, Charles. "Crookham Village Twinning with Lévignen, France". Crookham Village Parish Council. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  6. Hart District Council's guide to Hart Archived February 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "British towns twinned with French towns [via WaybackMachine.com]". Archant Community Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 12 July 2013.

Further reading
  • Rose, B. (2001). Family walks around Fleet, Crookham and Crondall. Fleet: Footmark. ISBN 0-9527363-7-3
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