History Fleet, Hampshire

1 history

1.1 days (to 1904)
1.2 part of urban district council (1904 - 1974)
1.3 part of hart district council (1974 onwards)

history

view of fleet pond. railway line 100 metres left of picture.

the site of fleet heathland in northern part of crondall hundred. name fleet derived norman french word la flete meaning stream or shallow water - reference fleet pond fish had been taken monks in winchester in medieval times.

early days (to 1904)

the area become fleet had shallow , sandy soil, of boggy or covered in gorse , bracken held little attraction agriculture and, compared chalk lands in west of county, fleet area has yielded few archaeological finds. isaac taylor s map of hampshire (1759) shows 3 habitations in area later become fleet.

in 1792 basingstoke canal opened. canal passed through town site, apart few inns serve passing trade had little effect on locality. apart farnham reading road, site remained largely undeveloped until construction of london , south western railway, opened in 1840. in year church - christ church become heart of new ecclesiastical parish of ewshot , crookham built midway between villages of crookham , ewshot. parish included area become town of fleet. railway company promoted fleet pond destination day excursions , many people came down london skate on pond during winter. attracted number of gentry, particularly retired army officers, moved area bounded fleet road, elvetham road , reading road north , laid foundations of become known locally blue triangle .

by 1860 charles lefroy, local squire, commissioned saints church – in blue triangle area in memory of wife had died in 1857. architect william burges. ecclesiastical parish of ewshot , crookam split 2 in 1862, northern section based on saints church becoming new parish of fleet. on 23 june 2015 roof of saints church destroyed fire in suspected arson attack.

the development of fleet accelerated when land south east of blue triangle sold development in 1882 which, unlike blue triangle, laid out in grid pattern. there few old buildings in fleet, of modern town formed around victorian buildings.

as part of urban district council (1904 - 1974)

under local government act 1894 many of duties had been shouldered ecclesiastical parishes transferred new civil parish , crookham, fleet , crondall each gained elected parish council. in 1904 civil parish of crookham split 2 - crookham village , church crookham church crookham , fleet rural parish being merged form fleet , church crookham urban district.

as in many parts of britain, there building boom between first , second world wars. fleet contains structures built in 1960s such line of shops on left of picture below.

as part of hart district council (1974 onwards)

fleet has expanded in past few decades new residential areas being built @ ancells farm, zebon copse (in neighbouring church crookham) , elvetham heath. completed in 2008, elvetham heath 1 of uk s largest new housing developments, has added 3,500 inhabitants fleet s population, bringing total population around 35,000, 20% increase in less decade.

two earlier developments in fleet involved double opening on 10 may 1991, hart shopping centre, opened officially hrh duchess of york , hart leisure centre on hitches lane (towards church crookham).

although fleet has traditionally been dormitory town housing commuters london, has several business parks, occupied information technology companies.

a plan add new multiplex cinema abandoned; gym built on proposed site instead.