Camberley
| Camberley | |
|---|---|
 St Michael's, Camberley |
|
 Camberley
|
|
| Camberley shown within Surrey | |
| Area | 16.78 km2 (6.48 sq mi) |
| Population | 37,916 (2011 census) |
| • Density | 2,260/km2 (5,900/sq mi) |
| OS grid reference | TQ234561 |
| Civil parish |
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| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CAMBERLEY |
| Postcode district | GU15, GU16, GU17 |
| Dialling code | 01276 |
| Police | Surrey |
| Fire | Surrey |
| Ambulance | South East Coast |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Camberley /ˈkæmbərliː/ is a town in Surrey, England, 31 miles (50 km) southwest of Central London, between the M3 and M4 motorways. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire; the boundaries intersect on the western edge of the town where all three counties converge on the A30 national route. It is the main town in the borough of Surrey Heath. Camberley's suburbs include Crawley Hill, Yorktown, Diamond Ridge, Heatherside, and Old Dean.
Before the 19th century, the area now occupied by Camberley was referred to as Bagshot or Frimley Heath. An Iron Age fort known as Caesar's Camp was situated to the north of this area alongside the Roman Road The Devil's Highway. The Intenarium Curiosum, published in 1724, describes a collection of Roman pottery around the area, and a further collection was discovered at Frimley Green in the late 20th century. In the Middle Ages, the area was part of Windsor Forest.
In the 17th century, the area along the road through Bagshot Heath (now the A30) was known as a haunt of highwaymen, such as William Davies - also known as the Golden Farmer – and Claude Duval. The land remained largely undeveloped and uncultivated due to a sandy topsoil making it unsuitable for farming. In A tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain, written between 1724 and 1726, Daniel Defoe described the area as barren and sterile; "a mark of the just resentment shew'd by Heaven upon the Englishmen's pride... horrid and frightful to look on, not only good for little, but good for nothing". A brick tower was built on top of The Knoll in the 1770s, by John Norris of Blackwater. It may have been used for communications but there is no firm evidence. The remains are now known as The Obelisk.
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Wikipedia