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Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway

BasingstokeClosed railway lines in South East EnglandLight railwaysRail transport in HampshireRailway lines closed in 1936
Railway lines opened in 1901Standard gauge railways in EnglandUse British English from November 2015
Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway track section
Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway track section

The Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway was a standard gauge railway in Hampshire, UK. The 12 mi (19 km) line, which opened on Saturday, 1 June 1901 with no formal ceremony, ran between Basingstoke and Alton. It was the first railway authorised by the Light Railway Commission to be built under the Light Railways Act 1896.In January 1917 much of the track was removed. But the line was relaid and re-opened in August 1924 largely because of pressure from local landowners, farmers and agricultural workers. Passenger services ended in 1932 but a goods service from Basingstoke as far as Bentworth and Lasham continued until 1936. Most of the line was then lifted for a second time. However, two short stretches of track at either end of the railway were left in place. These were used for shunting goods traffic until 1967. The northern section was from Basingstoke to the Thornycroft factory, and from Butts Junction to Alton Park at the southern end.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway
Great Western Cottages, Basingstoke and Deane Oakridge

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N 51.269133333333 ° E -1.0879611111111 °
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Basingstoke Railway Station Car Park

Great Western Cottages
RG21 5NG Basingstoke and Deane, Oakridge
England, United Kingdom
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Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway track section
Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway track section
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Basingstoke
Basingstoke

Basingstoke ( BAY-zing-stohk) is the largest town in the county of Hampshire. It is situated in south-central England and lies across a valley at the source of the River Loddon, at the far western edge of The North Downs. It is located 30 miles (48 km) north-east of Southampton, 48 miles (77 km) south-west of London, 27 miles (43 km) west of Guildford, 22 miles (35 km) south of Reading and 20 miles (32 km) north-east of the county town and former capital Winchester. According to the 2016 population estimate, the town had a population of 113,776. It is part of the borough of Basingstoke and Deane and part of the parliamentary constituency of Basingstoke. Basingstoke is an old market town expanded in the mid-1960s, as a result of an agreement between London County Council and Hampshire County Council. It was developed rapidly after the Second World War, along with various other towns in the United Kingdom, in order to accommodate part of the London 'overspill' as perceived under the Greater London Plan in 1944. Basingstoke market was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and it remained a small market town until the early 1960s. At the start of World War II, the population was little more than 13,000. It still has a regular market, but is now larger than Hampshire County Council's definition of a market town.Basingstoke became an important economic centre during the second half of the 20th century and houses the locations of the UK headquarters of Motorola, The Automobile Association, De La Rue, Sun Life Financial, ST Ericsson, GAME, Barracuda Networks, Eli Lilly and Company, FCB Halesway part of FCB, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions (the leasing arm of BNP Paribas in the UK) and Sony Professional Solutions. It is also the location of the European headquarters of the TaylorMade Golf Company. Other industries include IT, telecommunications, insurance and electronics.

The Anvil, Basingstoke
The Anvil, Basingstoke

The Anvil is a concert hall and a performing arts centre in the town of Basingstoke in Hampshire, UK. Built on a site originally set aside for the third phase of Basingstoke's shopping centre, The Anvil was built to tackle what was then seen as a 'cultural desert' in the Basingstoke area. The aim of the project was to raise the profile of the Borough and to establish it as a major regional centre with a range of first class facilities. Twenty years since its opening, it is still not exactly clear how effectively these aims have been fulfilled, but the Hall seems quite popular within the local area. The building's name reflects its unusual shape, particularly when seen from the western approach as it vaguely resembles the horn end of a traditional blacksmith's anvil. It has also been likened to the bow of a ship. The hall plays host to a variety of touring productions, stand up comedians, live bands, opera, and most famously classical music. The hall is designed to be multi purpose, and has multiple stage formats that fit shows according to their needs, plus a removable proscenium to cater for more theatrical performances that require more than a standard 'black box' stage, notably opera and pantomime. The auditorium has adjustable seating and considered some of the finest acoustics of any concert hall in Europe. The acoustic design was by Richard Cowell of Arup Acoustics. There is a small second auditorium, The Forge, which primarily plays host to acoustic and folk acts.