Ash Vale
| Ash Vale | |
| Surrey | |
|---|---|
 The Basingstoke Canal Aqueduct by Ash | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU891524 |
| Location: | 51°16’12"N, -0°43’12"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 5,686 (2011) |
| Post town: | Aldershot |
| Postcode: | GU12 |
| Dialling code: | 01252 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Guildford |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Surrey Heath |
Ash Vale is a village in the very west of Surrey beside the larger village of Ash to the north. It is seven miles from Guildford but is closer to the Hampshire towns of Aldershot and Farnborough, the centres of which are each about two miles away, immediately across the two crossings of the River Blackwater, to the south-west and north-west.
Geography
Ash Vale's extent is on two sides clearly demarcated, by the river to the west and at a few locks' higher elevation by the parallel Basingstoke Canal to the east – across these boundaries are, respectively, Aldershot Garrison (a military town) and the large Surrey Heath Ministry of Defence ranges and training areas. The latter is a co-managed County Wildlife Site, for instance Ash Ranges at 2,439 acres and Pirbright Ranges at 2,765 acres, with various access days and parts (see the Wildlife's Trust website).[1] The type of soil of the east, the heath is very acidic, sandy and loamy which makes up just 1.9% of English soil and 0.2% of Welsh soil, which gives rise to pines and coniferous landscapes, such as pioneered at Wentworth and Foxhills estate and is good for biodiversity.[2]
Two branch railway lines cross in the middle of the village without forming a junction. In the north of the village are Ash Vale railway station and North Camp railway station, on the London-Aldershot-Alton Line and the Reading-Guildford-Gatwick Line respectively. In addition, trains run through Ash Vale from Guildford to Ascot via Aldershot. The village owes its development to the Garrison and to the railways.
Economy and amenities
Although Ash Vale was a small semi-military community of the post-war era, the village is now largely a commuter settlement, relying on the half-hourly 40-minute railway connection to Waterloo (there are also local services). While 417 employed residents worked at/from home in 2001, the remaining 1306 commuted, of whom 682 responded they commuted less than three miles.
Holly Lodge (Primary) School is next to Carrington Park, which has playground facilities and a route between nearby North Camp Station and Mytchett Lake and Basingstoke Canal Visitor Centre on the Basingstoke Canal. The canal's towpath runs through the village. Within the park are recycling facilities.
Parks and Nature reserves in Ash Vale
- Carrington Recreation Ground, off Lysons Avenue
- Snaky Lane Local Nature Reserve, off Stratford Road
- Avondale Park, Avondale
- Lakeside Park, Lakeside Road
- Park off Hawker Road, Old Farm Place Estate
- Park off Beaufort Road, Old Farm Place Estate
- Park off Old Farm Place, Old Farm Place Estate
South of the village are:
- Lakeside Park nature reserve
- Willow Park Fishery
- Ash Parish Allotments
The Normandy Youth Centre serves the area by sponsoring community-based programs targeting youth in the area (especially marginal groups and minorities) for the purpose of increasing exposure to educational opportunities and building a stronger community.[3]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Ash Vale) |
References
- ↑ "Surrey Wildlife Trust: Ash Ranges". http://www.surreywildlifetrust.org/reserves/show/9.
- ↑ Cranfield University National Soil Resources Institute
- ↑ Award for Mother Who Transformed Her Village Template:Webarchive; 18 October 2010 article; at Get Surrey News; retrieved 30 January 2013.
- Jenkinson, Sally (1990). Ash and Ash Vale – A Pictorial History. Chichester: Phillimore. ISBN 0-85033-773-9.