Fair Oak
| Fair Oak | |
| Hampshire | |
|---|---|
 Fair Oak War Memorial, and the oak | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SU493187 |
| Location: | 50°57’58"N, 1°17’56"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 9,900 (2011, with Horton Heath) |
| Post town: | Eastleigh |
| Postcode: | SO50 |
| Dialling code: | 023 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Eastleigh |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Eastleigh |
Fair Oak is a large village to the east of Eastleigh in Hampshire.
The village has a Church of England parish church, four pubs, 'The Old George', 'The Cricketers', 'The New Clock Inn' and 'The Fox and Hounds', and a village hall.
There are three schools: infant, junior, and a secondary school.
Parish church
_(6).JPG)
The parish church, St Thomas, was originally built in 1863 to serve as a chapel of ease within the parish of Bishopstoke with its church of St Mary.[1]
The village has been the location for Christian outreach programmes in recent years.
History
Fair Oak takes its name from a tree in the Square which was felled and replaced on 30 February 1843. A fair took place under the tree in June every year until 1918, and local historians believe this provided the tree, and subsequently the village around it, with its name.[2]
Documentary evidence exists of a settlement in the area called Cnolgette recorded in the year 901.[2]
The village has a history of sand quarrying, with some of the newer parts built over old restored quarries.[3] In November 1830, during the Swing Riots, a group of labourers destroyed threshing machines in and around the village.[4]
Fair Oak was established as a civil parish in its own right in 1894, covering an area of 1,680 acres which previously formed the eastern end of Bishopstoke parish.[5]
In 1908, Fair Oak was described:
The village of Fair Oak consists of widely scattered houses and farms reaching from Crowdhill on the north to Horton Heath on the south. From Crowdhill, part of which is in Fair Oak, a fine view can be gained of the surrounding country, the Itchen valley stretching away to the south-west towards the Solent, and the chalk downs which lie round Winchester sweeping away to the north.[5]
At this point Crowdhill consisted of a Wesleyan chapel and approximately three houses, with Stocks Farm lying between Crowdhill and the centre of Fair Oak itself, where St Thomas' Church had a number of houses grouped around it. An inn, smithy, and church schools were nearby, and some cottages adjoined the road to Knowle Hill. Horton Heath was included in the civil parish and at that time, consisting of a post office, the Rising Sun Inn, Hammerley Farm and a Union Chapel, was considered "a detached portion of Fair Oak village".[5]
A number of country houses were sited around Fair Oak village. These included Fair Oak Park to the east, whose grounds covered about 120 acres. To the north-east stood Stroudwood, while south-west of the village was Fair Oak Lodge, whose estate again covered about 120 acres and contained a lake known as Quobleigh Pond, which itself covered an area of about 7 acres and was noted for supporting a variety of water fowl species.[5] Originally a convent dating from the 16th century, Fair Oak Lodge is in Allington Lane and was extended in the 19th century.[2] The building now houses The King's School, which purchased the property in 1987.[6]
Wyvern Community School was opened in 1965 and was renamed Wyvern Technology College in 2000. Then in 2012 the name was changed again to Wyvern College as a result of the school's conversion to an academy. The uniform crest was also changed slightly to a golden dragon.
The name of the parish was changed in 1983 from "Fair Oak" to "Fair Oak and Horton Heath" to reflect the expansion of the latter settlement over the previous two decades.[2]
Stoke Park Wood
Stoke Park Wood to the north-west of the village (a remnant of the Forest of Bere) lies partly in Fair Oak and partly in the neighbouring parish of Bishopstoke. With many bridleways running between the two villages via the woods, it is possible to walk from one village to another without setting foot on any other public highway. The woods cover some 512 acres and are primarily of evergreen trees; the sandy soil and long grass is home to wildlife including dormice, grey squirrels, pine martens, deer and adders. Several brooks run through the wood.
Popular sites include the Eastleigh Falls, a semi-natural rapidly flowing chalk stream which supports a variety of locally rare plant and animal species. The site has been recognised as important habitat for Northern crested newt (Triturus cristatus).
There are ongoing efforts by local activists to classify the area as a site of special scientific interest in order to ward off proposed development projects. In 2015 a group of local volunteers saved 250 trees from destruction by transplanting them from Stokewood Park to Knowle Lane.[7]
Sport and society
- Scouts: 7th Eastleigh Scouts and 8th Eastleigh Scouts.
- Cricket: Fair Oak Cricket Club (one of Hampshire's biggest cricket clubs_. The home ground is Lapstone Park, at the end of Pavilion Close in Fair Oak.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Fair Oak) |
- St Thomas, Fair Oak
- Fair Oak and Horton Heath Parish Council
- The Eastleigh Photograph Archive
- Stoke Park Woods - YouTube
References
- ↑ A History of the County of Hampshire - Volume 3 pp 308-310: Parishes: Bishopstoke (Victoria County History)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Reader, Melvyn (2013). "Area Profile for Fair Oak and Horton Heath Parish". Eastleigh Borough Council. https://www.eastleigh.gov.uk/media/123115/08AreaProfiles-ParishesInEastleighBorough-FairOakHortonHeath-20140811b.pdf.
- ↑ British Geological Survey (1987), Southampton. England and Wales Sheet 315. Solid and Drift Geology, 1:50,000 Series geological map, Keyworth, Nottingham: British Geological Survey, ISBN 0-7518-0754-0
- ↑ Patterson, A. Temple (1966). A History of Southampton 1700–1914 Vol.I An Oligarchy in Decline 1700–1835. The University of Southampton. p. 154.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 A History of the County of Hampshire - Volume 3 pp 308-310: Parishes: Bishopstoke (Victoria County History)
- ↑ "King’s School, The (Fair Oak Lodge) | Hampshire Garden Trust Research". Hampshire Gardens Trust. http://research.hgt.org.uk/item/the-kings-school/.
- ↑ "Volunteers replanted 250 trees from Stokewood Park to Knowle Lane". https://eastleigh.online/t/eastleigh-borough-council-and-biodiversity/533.