Headley Down
| Headley Down | |
|---|---|
 Headley Down
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| Headley Down shown within Hampshire | |
| OS grid reference | SU840361 |
| Civil parish | |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Bordon |
| Postcode district | GU35 8 |
| Dialling code | 01428 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| EU Parliament | South East England |
| UK Parliament | |
Headley Down is a village within the civil parish of Headley in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England surrounded on two sides by Ludshott Common, a National Trust heathland reserve. The village began with a few buildings in the 1870s and became a thriving community that in the 20th century outgrew the parish centre of Headley.
Headley Down is 36 miles (58 km) south west of London and 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Headley village centre. Nearby are the villages of Grayshott to the east and Churt to the north.
The area was called Headley Down on maps as early as 1801, and from about the 1870s houses began to be built by people wishing to live or holiday in the healthy environment for which the Hindhead area was notable. It was also described as Headley Common on a map (of about 1868) of the large Wishanger Manor Estate.
The side-roads in Headley Down were laid out in a grid system at least as early as 1909, rather than radiating out from a central point such as a church.
The Land of Nod estate predates Headley Down, possibly established in the early 18th century; an owner of the estate believed its name derived from an earlier incumbent by the name of Cane or Keyne, an excommunicant, and is a reference to the biblical story of Cain's banishment. The estate lies mainly to the north of the village. Kelly's Directory of 1895 lists J Henry Christian as a private resident of the Land of Nod.
Headley Down was formally named in March 1923 when the Post Office proclaimed that "the official name of the Telephone Call Office which has been established on Stone Hill will be Headley Down". A temporary wooden building in Carlton Road erected in the 1960s housed the post office, where it remained until incorporated into Whittle's store (subsequently Londis) in Eddeys Lane.
During the Second World War the area was home to several camps for Canadian soldiers. Erie camp was a military detention centre and was built on the Land of Nod estate owned by Major L Whitaker; it was designated by the War Office as a "Military Prison and Detention Barracks" from at least 1946 to 1948. The camp was subsequently occupied by civilians and gradually replaced by an estate of 350 houses and named Heatherlands. The estate was completed by 1977. From early April 1944, 107 Regiment (King's Own) Royal Armoured Corps trained with Churchill tanks on Headley Down in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. There were other military units based on Headley Down: on the current Windmill Estate, at the back of The Mount, and down Headley Hill Road and Barley Mow Hill.
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Wikipedia