# Basingstoke



## Hellsbells (Nov 19, 2015)

My boyfriend has an interview there. We've been wanting to move out of london & buy somewhere together for years. We could afford it outside of London. And this job is a good one that would lead to other, very well paid work in the future. But it's in Basingstoke   And the very thought of Basingstoke makes my heart sink. EVen though I've never been there and don't really know that much about it. 

Does anyone know anything about Basingstoke? I think if we did move there, I'd probably want to live on the outskirts in one of the nearby villages. I'm not really interested in amazing (or any) nightlife. I'm happy with somewhere quiet, a few nice restaurants, theatre, some kind of local community, good places to cycle. It doesn't really matter tbh, as it's close enough to London. I just don't want to live somewhere that's an apsolute, isolated shithole. 

All hypothetical obviously as he hasn't actually been offered the job yet - I'm just struggling to be remotely enthusiastic about it. He wants to us to go and visit Basingstoke this weekend & i'm already slightly dreading it.


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## gosub (Nov 19, 2015)

Cliddesden or Oakley


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## Bob_the_lost (Nov 19, 2015)

Amazingstoke.


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## Hellsbells (Nov 19, 2015)

Bob_the_lost said:


> Amazingstoke.



is that sarcastic or geniune 
Give more details please!


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## Puddy_Tat (Nov 19, 2015)

know it a bit.  was contemplating moving that way when i had a job south of reading.

will gather some thoughts later.


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## DJWrongspeed (Nov 19, 2015)

Yes Amazingstoke it is, go pass on the train and you'll understand 

It used to have a nice old town centre before the 60s developers moved in.

That said, the way property prices are going I sympathise with you. Winchester is down the line on the railway perhaps? Farnborough up the line isn't much more appealing tbh but you're nearer London if that's what you want. There is alot of great countryside around there that's for sure.


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## mauvais (Nov 19, 2015)

Only ever visited there. It doesn't have a good reputation - feels a bit like Milton Keynes, all in all.

Have you thought about what your maximum commute(s) would be? Lots of nice Hampshire small towns and villages - I live in one, albeit too far for there - so I would do what you're thinking and live somewhere outside.

Also prices will be pushed up by the ease of commuting to London, which is easy by the M3 or by train, so if you can find somewhere that actually makes that more difficult, you might face less demand from wannabe or exiled Londoners - who ruin everything - and get better value out of it.


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## Boudicca (Nov 19, 2015)

You could live in Winchester, 20 minutes away on the train.


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## stavros (Nov 19, 2015)

I was born there and grew up about ten miles away. I think it's grown massively since the 80s and it's become a de facto commuter town (about 40 minutes to Waterloo). I think it's OK, although it's somewhat of a halfway house between Reading and Southampton/Portsmouth, not to mention county town Winchester down the road. There are good train connections to those places, and the station is right in the middle of town.

At one point the AA tower was the tallest building between longitudinal lines through London and New York.

If it bothers you though the town and the surrounding areas are very Tory.


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## mauvais (Nov 19, 2015)

Boudicca said:


> You could live in Winchester, 20 minutes away on the train.


True. Very expensive though, on normal people's terms anyway, being a combination of posh and London commutable again. Plus that Winch/Basingstoke commute might be made difficult at peak times by the volume of people commuting all the way into London - packed trains potentially from Weymouth. It depends.


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## Hellsbells (Nov 19, 2015)

My boyfriend would obviously be working in Basingstoke. I would hope to find part time local work & commute to London maybe twice a week. I do sessional teaching work atm  & tend to work outside the rush hour. 

Countryside is a big plus for me. A tory concrete Milton Keynes type town is  a HUGE negative.


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## mauvais (Nov 19, 2015)

Have you got a car? Do a tour of towns and villages, e.g. Hartley Wintney, the other suggestions on the thread, even Alton. See what kind of size of place you think will work for you.


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## Sweet FA (Nov 19, 2015)

Blazingstoke innit bruv.


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## Nanker Phelge (Nov 19, 2015)

It's awful. My parents made me live there once. A boring and soulless place. I escaped never to return. I don't even like visiting.


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## Puddy_Tat (Nov 19, 2015)

My take on it all (I've been in Wokingham-ish for the last 10 years, but did live in Fleet when I moved to this general area, and was seriously considering Basingstoke at one point.)

First off, I've no idea what sort of household / budget is involved here.

Yes, much of Basingstoke is 1950s - 70s 'new town' and some of it is less than great.  Although there's usually more greenery at street level in a new town than in (say) victorian terraced streets.  Some new towns are fairly good for cycling, this has more on cycling in and around Basingstoke.

The outer fringes contain quite a bit of 1980s / 90s 'barratland' sort of development.  Like most new towns, there's a reasonable mix of housing styles / sizes.

There are old bits still in the town centre and surrounding areas, e.g. Old Basing, older bits of Chineham (incidentally, it's pronounced as in Chin 'em, not like shine ham.)

Some of the worst bits of crappy 1960s concrete in the town centre have gone - the 'Dallas, Hampshire' skyline of town centre offices is slightly out of place.  And there are a few fairly dire pre-2008 crash 'luxury apartments' in the town centre which are a bit meh.

Personally, I find the town / shopping centre a bit less meh than some. 

Ultimately each to their own - I couldn't face the prospect of moving to a rural village, and the idea of being able to live within walking distance of work / shops / pubs again would be good. (my idea of an ideal commute is about a 15 minute walk, that's along a bus route in case it's raining, and with a decent pub about half way...)

Also bear in mind that the rural villages close to Basingstoke are generally bloody expensive.  And as has been mentioned, full of tories except for the ones that have gone ukip.  (This has info on the local council's political composition, it does (for what it's worth) have some labour councillors unlike some places in the south east - Wokingham for example has one labour councillor now, and the local party saw that as quite an achievement...)

And in the villages you're going to be largely dependent on the car/s, as like with most places, rural bus services have been cut and are likely to get cut more.  And I don't know how Hampshire are at gritting rural roads.

Stagecoach is the main bus operator - links to their Basingstoke network map on this here page.

Agree with the idea that Winchester is damned expensive (and has a reputation for being a bit snobby)

Hartley Wintney (as mentioned) is also damn expensive - possibly a bit twee for some - big on antiques shops, and a traditional 'cricket on the village green' sort of place.  It's also a bus or car journey to either Fleet or Winchfield stations.

Hook or Fleet may be worth a look - a commute to Basingstoke would be against the peak traffic flow, and would be handier for London.

Alton's not bad, although the trains from there to London are kinda slow.

Places a bit west of Basingstoke (the Oakley - Overton - Whitchurch direction) are cheaper than places east of Basingstoke, they are less sought after by London commuters as the Salisbury / Exeter line is not electrified and is a lot less frequent.

The Milestones Museum is not bad and had a reasonable cafe last time I went (it's next to the leisure park thingy where the park & ride bus runs from.)

Destination Basingstoke has more.  This is a more alternative view.

Visit.  Go and see what you think.


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## mauvais (Nov 19, 2015)

Puddy_Tat said:


> Alton's not bad, although the trains from there to London are kinda slow.


Yeah, but when you have your inevitable London-derived breakdown, you can do this:







and shout out, 'FUCK YOU FANCY LONDON, FUCK YOU WORK, I'M GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TODAY, _ON A STEAM TRAIN'._

And then actually do that.

It's the little things, you know. Foxtons wouldn't give you insight like that.


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## Chilli.s (Nov 19, 2015)

The countryside is lovely, the town itself is shit.


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## keybored (Nov 19, 2015)

Amazingstoke isn't "vibrant", but nor is it "stabby".

Tough choices. Where are you moving from?


Hellsbells said:


> I just don't want to live somewhere that's an apsolute, isolated shithol


It's a satellite town within easy commutable distance of London. It's not an isolated shithole. 


Hellsbells said:


> I'd probably want to live on the outskirts in one of the nearby villages.


.
Well, then you do want to live in an isolated (but less than shit)hole.


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## souljacker (Nov 19, 2015)

Come and live in Reading. Basingstoke is full of wankers.


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## fredfelt (Nov 19, 2015)

Hellsbells said:


> ..I'm just struggling to be remotely enthusiastic about it....



You'll find a lot of that in Basingstoke.


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## gosub (Nov 20, 2015)

Puddy_Tat said:


> My take on it all (I've been in Wokingham-ish for the last 10 years, but did live in Fleet when I moved to this general area, and was seriously considering Basingstoke at one point.)
> 
> First off, I've no idea what sort of household / budget is involved here.
> 
> ...




Extra 700 houses on the cards at Winchfield (consultation published Wednesday) to take advantage of double decker trains and possible Jnct 4c on the M3.

Bus services poor, if you aren't in the town centre, you will need a car.

Cliddisden /Oakley not cheap either.  Avoid the estates that have grown up like satellites since the 60's souless.   the Victorian development  slap bang in the centre Brookvale, Southview would not be a bad latteral think Brookvale has more soul.


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## Pickman's model (Nov 20, 2015)

publishers palgrave macmillan are based in basingstoke


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## BigMoaner (Nov 20, 2015)

move to croydon. probably same prices and a london borough.

i have lived near basingstoke and apart from the great fishing round there, well, it just doesn't really hold much attaction for me. give me stabby and dirty thornton heath any day of the week.


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## Teaboy (Nov 20, 2015)

Hellsbells said:


> My boyfriend has an interview there. We've been wanting to move out of london & buy somewhere together for years. We could afford it outside of London. And this job is a good one that would lead to other, very well paid work in the future. But it's in Basingstoke   And the very thought of Basingstoke makes my heart sink. EVen though I've never been there and don't really know that much about it.
> 
> Does anyone know anything about Basingstoke? I think if we did move there, I'd probably want to live on the outskirts in one of the nearby villages. I'm not really interested in amazing (or any) nightlife. I'm happy with somewhere quiet, a few nice restaurants, theatre, some kind of local community, good places to cycle. It doesn't really matter tbh, as it's close enough to London. I just don't want to live somewhere that's an apsolute, isolated shithole.
> 
> All hypothetical obviously as he hasn't actually been offered the job yet - I'm just struggling to be remotely enthusiastic about it. He wants to us to go and visit Basingstoke this weekend & i'm already slightly dreading it.



Its a fucking hole.  Live in Reading, it has much more going for it and it convenient enough for Basingstoke and dead easy to get to London from.


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## Nanker Phelge (Nov 20, 2015)

fredfelt said:


> You'll find a lot of that in Basingstoke.



Apathy is rife there.


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## fredfelt (Nov 20, 2015)

I went to 6th form college in Basingstoke.  

I recall at the end of term _the _nightclub, Martines, had end of term parties where you'd get pissed from around two in the afternoon.  On one occasion it was raided by the police for underage drinking and we all had to line up in Market Square (sadly now redeveloped again, into another nondescript commercial area), for identity checks.

The nightclub was in the basement of the car park pictured below.  On occasion I'd pop out, climb the stairs, and enjoy this view when having a spliff.






For a big night out we went to Reading.


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## Nanker Phelge (Nov 20, 2015)

Martine's was fucking bonkers.

Got my first pair of sta-prest off that market....and my first harrington....and ramones tee


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## chilango (Nov 20, 2015)

Reading? Reading? People are recommending Reading as an alternative to Basingstoke. I think that answers your question.


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## Teaboy (Nov 20, 2015)

chilango said:


> Reading? Reading? People are recommending Reading as an alternative to Basingstoke. I think that answers your question.



Quite.  And Reading is light years ahead of Basingstoke.


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## chilango (Nov 20, 2015)

Though to answer the OP, Reading doesn't have many good restaurants, cycling in town is awful. There's theatre I think. Community of a sort here and there, though this is limited. Rocketing property prices. Lots of ex-London types move here (whether that's good or bad depends I guess). There's the odd bright spot but it is the worst place I've ever lived. Sorry Readingites.


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## Johnny Doe (Nov 20, 2015)

Reading vs BasVegas


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## Hellsbells (Nov 20, 2015)

These are the responses I imagined I'd get. 
The point is though - my boyfriend has an interview in Basingstoke for a decent job with future potential - he's not been offered an interview anywhere else and he's been trying for quite a while. We both want to move out of London & we want to buy a place together. We wouldn't have to actually live IN Basingstoke. And it wouldn't be forever. My boyfriend's plan would be to stay there a couple of years, when he'll have the job experience to apply for much better work, and then move somewhere else where we'd actually want to stay and settle down. 
I'm still very wary though. It scares me that it would be a massive mistake. 

btw - I've been to Reading & it depressed me


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## purves grundy (Nov 20, 2015)

"Basingstoke 35 miles!!"


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## Johnny Doe (Nov 20, 2015)

EVENTS - Destination Basingstoke


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## chilango (Nov 20, 2015)

Hellsbells said:


> These are the responses I imagined I'd get.
> The point is though - my boyfriend has an interview in Basingstoke for a decent job with future potential - he's not been offered an interview anywhere else and he's been trying for quite a while. We both want to move out of London & we want to buy a place together. We wouldn't have to actually live IN Basingstoke. And it wouldn't be forever. My boyfriend's plan would be to stay there a couple of years, when he'll have the job experience to apply for much better work, and then move somewhere else where we'd actually want to stay and settle down.
> I'm still very wary though. It scares me that it would be a massive mistake.
> 
> btw - I've been to Reading & it depressed me



Everyone in Reading moved here "for a couple of years"


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## Teaboy (Nov 20, 2015)

Hellsbells said:


> These are the responses I imagined I'd get.
> The point is though - my boyfriend has an interview in Basingstoke for a decent job with future potential - he's not been offered an interview anywhere else and he's been trying for quite a while. We both want to move out of London & we want to buy a place together. We wouldn't have to actually live IN Basingstoke. And it wouldn't be forever. My boyfriend's plan would be to stay there a couple of years, when he'll have the job experience to apply for much better work, and then move somewhere else where we'd actually want to stay and settle down.
> I'm still very wary though. It scares me that it would be a massive mistake.
> 
> btw - I've been to Reading & it depressed me



There are some nice villages around the area and Alton is OK I think, well it seemed that the few times I've been there.  Problem is these villages are all well within commuting distance of London and are therefore not cheap. 

Reading's OK actually, just a bit dull.  It's got a decent town centre and the Oracle which is good for shopping and eating as well.  Basingstoke has nothing like that.


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## chilango (Nov 20, 2015)

Teaboy said:


> There are some nice villages around the area and Alton is OK I think, well it seemed that the few times I've been there.  Problem is these villages are all well within commuting distance of London and are therefore not cheap.
> 
> Reading's OK actually, just a bit dull.  It's got a decent town centre and the Oracle which is good for shopping and eating as well.  Basingstoke has nothing like that.


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## Teaboy (Nov 20, 2015)

chilango said:


>



I take it you've either never lived there or you went to uni there?


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## Hellsbells (Nov 20, 2015)

well i'm going there tomorow so will take a look myself. I may have a totally different opinion. 
I grew up in Birmingham and 20 years ago no one would dream of moving there because it had such a crap reputation. And pretty much all of that was wrong!


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## chilango (Nov 20, 2015)

Teaboy said:


> I take it you've either never lived there or you went to uni there?


Reading? I live there.


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## skyscraper101 (Nov 20, 2015)

I used to like Reading when it was smaller but these days not so much. Every new development that takes place seems to make it even more bland.


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## Teaboy (Nov 20, 2015)

chilango said:


> Reading? I live there.



Well you know its OK then.  Unless of course you live in Whitley or Woodley or Tilehurst or anywhere on the Oxford Rd or Woodcote or Southcote......


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## chilango (Nov 20, 2015)

Teaboy said:


> Well you know its OK then.  Unless of course you live in Whitley or Woodley or Tilehurst or anywhere on the Oxford Rd or Woodcote or Southcote......



Yeah, it's "ok".


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## Boudicca (Nov 20, 2015)

Lots of language schools here in Bournemouth Hellsbells so you could live by the sea and make him commute back up to Basingtoke?


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## Teaboy (Nov 20, 2015)

Anyway, I've had a think about some positives for Basingstoke and all I came up with that it has decent road and rail links to London and the South Coast, so it's easy to escape from.

Oh, and it's not Swindon, so every cloud eh?


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## gosub (Nov 20, 2015)

Nanker Phelge said:


> Martine's was fucking bonkers.



At least none of the bouncers in Martines tried to kill you


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## gosub (Nov 20, 2015)

Teaboy said:


> Quite.  And Reading is light years ahead of Basingstoke.



Reading may have more going for it, but not 2.5-hours-in-bed-a-week more going for it


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## gosub (Nov 20, 2015)

Harry Smiles said:


> Reading vs BasVegas


 nearest casino to Basingstoke is in....Reading


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## Teaboy (Nov 20, 2015)

gosub said:


> Reading may have more going for it, but not 2.5-hours-in-bed-a-week more going for it



It bloody well does.


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## Teaboy (Nov 20, 2015)

Anyway OP, just live in Clapham and get boyfriend to catch the fast train each morning.


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## souljacker (Nov 20, 2015)

I live in Reading and can confirm it's a shithole. But if you are going to live round here, it's better than the other options i.e blazingstoke, bracknell, swindon. Even Oxford, which you'd expect to be pretty decent with all them brainy students, is a dump.


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## Hellsbells (Nov 20, 2015)

Oxford isn't a dump - I like Oxford! How can you call it a dump  And even if I was a millionaire and could afford to live in Clapham, I wouldn't want to live there. 
Anyway, will report back after my trip to Basingstoke tomorow. I'm determined to prove you all wrong now and come back all optimistic and full of lovely photos


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## mauvais (Nov 20, 2015)

Hellsbells said:


> I'm determined to prove you all wrong now and come back all optimistic and full of lovely photos


Well it's cloudy, so all you need is a plane...


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## souljacker (Nov 20, 2015)

Hellsbells said:


> Oxford isn't a dump - I like Oxford! How can you call it a dump  And even if I was a millionaire and could afford to live in Clapham, I wouldn't want to live there.
> Anyway, will report back after my trip to Basingstoke tomorow. I'm determined to prove you all wrong now and come back all optimistic and full of lovely photos



There is something about the place. I aways go there thinking it would be great and come away a bit dissapointed.


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## Nanker Phelge (Nov 20, 2015)

gosub said:


> At least none of the bouncers in Martines tried to kill you



No. True.

That was Magnums.


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## Hellsbells (Nov 20, 2015)

souljacker said:


> There is something about the place. I aways go there thinking it would be great and come away a bit dissapointed.



Dissapointed is a bit different to it being a dump though, although I kind of know what you mean. Visiting is also different to living there. Obviously.


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## gosub (Nov 20, 2015)

Nanker Phelge said:


> No. True.
> 
> That was Magnums.


Bad hat choice.


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## Nanker Phelge (Nov 20, 2015)

gosub said:


> Bad hat choice.



Happens


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## gosub (Nov 20, 2015)

Nanker Phelge said:


> Happens


shouldn't though.


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## Nanker Phelge (Nov 20, 2015)

gosub said:


> shouldn't though.



Ha ha...you're telling me.


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## Bahnhof Strasse (Nov 20, 2015)

Another vote for Hartley Wintney as a nice place to live. Good for a twice weekly commute to London too.


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## Hellsbells (Nov 20, 2015)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Another vote for Hartley Wintney as a nice place to live. Good for a twice weekly commute to London too.



Well, I could afford either a garage or a retirement flat there


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## Bahnhof Strasse (Nov 20, 2015)

Hellsbells said:


> Well, I could afford either a garage or a retirement flat there






Farnborough then.


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## Hellsbells (Nov 20, 2015)

Bahnhof Strasse said:


> Farnborough then.



Looks just about affordable. What's it like there....?


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## gosub (Nov 20, 2015)

Hellsbells said:


> Looks just about affordable. What's it like there....?


changed since I knew it.  tumbley is now a Mcdonald's


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## Bahnhof Strasse (Nov 20, 2015)

Hellsbells said:


> Looks just about affordable. What's it like there....?




Pretty


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## Hellsbells (Nov 20, 2015)

Would it be better to rent in London for the rest of my life, spending all my savings and probably never being able to live with my boyfriend? 
Is it that bad?


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## fredfelt (Nov 20, 2015)

Hellsbells said:


> Oxford isn't a dump - I like Oxford! How can you call it a dump  And even if I was a millionaire and could afford to live in Clapham, I wouldn't want to live there.
> Anyway, will report back after my trip to Basingstoke tomorow. I'm determined to prove you all wrong now and come back all optimistic and full of lovely photos



I managed to escape from a village near Basingstoke, and ended up in Oxford.

Trying to be positive, I know a couple who are happy with living in Basingstoke - they have a young family and it ticks the boxes for them - safe, quiet, well connected.

Enjoy your trip to Sunny Basingstoke!


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## Johnny Doe (Nov 20, 2015)

gosub said:


> nearest casino to Basingstoke is in....Reading


I was thinking of Basildon. Must read thread next time


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## hash tag (Nov 21, 2015)

Farnborough, from my last visit, I imagine is very up and coming e it can only get better. Trouble with that area is much of it is squaddie area.
If I were to move back that way, Farnham would be a good starting point.


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## chilango (Nov 21, 2015)

fredfelt said:


> Trying to be positive, I know a couple who are happy with living in Basingstoke - they have a young family and it ticks the boxes for them - safe, quiet, well connected.



That's the thing isn't it?

These sort of towns are "booming" with couples and young families wanting somewhere convenient. So towns like Reading are full of every convenience you might need. Waitrose, Pizza Express, John Lewis, branches of the "Lounge" chain etc etc etc.


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## fredfelt (Nov 21, 2015)

You might want to take a look at Silchester for some low key tourism on your trip to Basingstoke - there's a Roman wall and amphitheatre there


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## miss direct (Nov 21, 2015)

Hope you find something positive about it on your trip today. 
For what it's worth, I liked living in Wolverhampton even though most people in the UK would probably think it's rubbish - there are always good things about places - eg crap city centre but beautiful Victorian park. I bet there's some good things there too.


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## Puddy_Tat (Nov 21, 2015)

hash tag said:


> Farnborough, from my last visit, I imagine is very up and coming e it can only get better. Trouble with that area is much of it is squaddie area.
> If I were to move back that way, Farnham would be a good starting point.


 
hmm at farnham - kinda expensive / tory - although there is an arts centre with semi resident cat

hmm at farnborough - it's a while since i've been but much of it is also 60s London overspill / new town sort of thing.  and the town centre (although think there was a redevelopment plan) was to match


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## Hellsbells (Nov 21, 2015)

Trip postponed till tomorrow. It'll be lovely & sunny so a better day
 to be continued...


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## hash tag (Nov 21, 2015)

Fleet, when I was last there had a good feel to it and had a reasonable high street and good road n rail links. Believe church crookham isn't bad either. Camberly is awful overpriced  commuter town.


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## Puddy_Tat (Nov 21, 2015)

hash tag said:


> Camberly is awful overpriced commuter town


 
and with a pretty balls-aching train service to london - a few slowish (about 1 hour 10 to waterloo) through trains in peak hours, but mostly involving changing at ascot...


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## stavros (Nov 21, 2015)

hash tag said:


> Fleet, when I was last there had a good feel to it and had a reasonable high street and good road n rail links. Believe church crookham isn't bad either.



Church Crookham is basically a suburb of Fleet, with slightly bigger houses. I think they were separate once upon a time, but it's only about a mile from there to Fleet high street.

People ask me where I'm from and I say Hampshire, near Fleet, and they almost always respond "Oh, as in Fleet services?". It seems this particular stop on the M3 is famed the world over.



Harry Smiles said:


> Reading vs BasVegas



Bas Vegas is actually in Essex.







I'm amazed we've managed to have three whole pages on the topic of Basingstoke. I'm proud of you, Urban.


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## mauvais (Nov 21, 2015)

stavros said:


> People ask me where I'm from and I say Hampshire, near Fleet, and they almost always respond "Oh, as in Fleet services?". It seems this particular stop on the M3 is famed the world over.


It's no Tebay, is it. It's not even Charnock Richard, Cliff Richard's poorer brother.


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## hash tag (Nov 22, 2015)

That reminds me, didnt Sooty live nearby in Mytchett?
Very good local beer


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## Puddy_Tat (Nov 22, 2015)

hash tag said:


> Very good local beer


 
hog's back 'hop garden gold' is even better

although not so easy to ask for when you've already had a few...


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## BigMoaner (Nov 22, 2015)

Lot of racists in that area ime


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## Puddy_Tat (Nov 22, 2015)

BigMoaner said:


> Lot of racists in that area ime


 
variable

there is something about the 'new towns' although most have grown and had new people move in, not just the people who moved there in the 50s and their descendants - but there is a kind of 'white working class made good' tory cuntitude (this was noticeable in 1957 in 'family & kinship in east london' where researchers looked at the east end and new estates on the london fringes.

While nowhere is guaranteed dickhead free, Reading (as has been mentioned) is quite multi-cultural, Basingstoke & Deane (that's the whole district not just Basingstoke town) is estimated about 94% white, Hart District (includes Fleet, Hook, Hartley Wintney) 98%.  There has been a growth in Nepalese (ex Gurkhas and families) community in the last decade or so.


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## gosub (Nov 22, 2015)

hash tag said:


> That reminds me, didnt Sooty live nearby in Mytchett?
> Very good local beer


  Studio was there, the Corbett's lived in Yateley


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## BigMoaner (Nov 22, 2015)

Fair comment Pudddy. I found the attitudes a bit "everything beyond this town is rubbish" quite common. The opposite of "cosmopolitan" if u like, which is perhaps understandable and not necessarily negative


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## stavros (Nov 22, 2015)

Puddy_Tat said:


> While nowhere is guaranteed dickhead free, Reading (as has been mentioned) is quite multi-cultural, Basingstoke & Deane (that's the whole district not just Basingstoke town) is estimated about 94% white, Hart District (includes Fleet, Hook, Hartley Wintney) 98%.



My primary school photo:


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## UrbaneFox (Nov 22, 2015)

Hellsbells said:


> These are the responses I imagined I'd get.
> The point is though - my boyfriend has an interview in Basingstoke for a decent job with future potential - he's not been offered an interview anywhere else and he's been trying for quite a while. We both want to move out of London & we want to buy a place together. We wouldn't have to actually live IN Basingstoke. And it wouldn't be forever. My boyfriend's plan would be to stay there a couple of years, when he'll have the job experience to apply for much better work, and then move somewhere else where we'd actually want to stay and settle down.
> I'm still very wary though. It scares me that it would be a massive mistake.
> 
> btw - I've been to Reading & it depressed me




I did that, years ago when I was career mad. Stayed 18 months, most of the time was spent escaping and trying to get another job.

I was a truly dreadful place to live. The best thing being it was about 40 minutes from London. Winchester was OK, prettily boring, and it was great if you wanted to go cycling or walking.

I had to leave the town in order to say sane. ps the job was crap. 

Anyway, this is the Baz Gaz.
Basingstoke Gazette | The latest news, sport and leisure from Basingstoke and north Hampshire 
The nickname is the grooviest thing about the place.


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## mauvais (Nov 22, 2015)

I forgot to add that Basingstoke is somewhere I sometimes (alarmingly often) go by mistake. There's about a million different exits for Winchester on the M3, and if you're holding out for the last one but miss it, you have to go to Basingstoke or at least its environs before you can turn around, like a sad hostage of your own making, which gives you a good twenty minutes or so to contemplate your place in the universe and the apparent glory that isn't actually having to live there.

So, how did the search go?


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## Puddy_Tat (Nov 22, 2015)

mauvais said:


> So, how did the search go?


 
we haven't had a report yet...

has Hellsbells disappeared into the vortex that is basingstoke?


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## Hellsbells (Nov 23, 2015)

Yes I did return & in one piece too!

Tbh I'm a bit confused by comments in this thread.  Ok so Basingstoke wasn't the most exciting or beautiful place but it certainly (imo) wasn't half as awful as you'd all led me to believe. Ok so the constant roar of traffic wasnt great & nor were some grim high rise tower blocks in the centre. But there were plenty of green spaces, some nice roads & houses, decent shopping centre & a decent pedestrianised high street. People seemed friendly & really helpful when we were lost. No one was too busy to stop & help. 

Don't know. Maybe I have low expectations or find different things important to people on this thread. I'm not interested in pubs or night life & a really buzzy, lively place. I'm happy with somewhere quiet that's good for cycling and walking.

Anyway my boyfriends interview is next week & although I'm still not hugely excited at the thought of potentially moving to Basingstoke, it wouldn't be THAT bad living there for a couple of years.


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## mauvais (Nov 23, 2015)

What does your BF do? What kind of industry?


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## Hellsbells (Nov 23, 2015)

mauvais said:


> What does your BF do? What kind of industry?


Landscape management. He would be improving the open spaces of Basingstoke!


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## stavros (Nov 23, 2015)

mauvais said:


> you have to go to Basingstoke or at least its environs before you can turn around,



But they've very kindly given you hundreds of easy opportunities to turn round:


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## hash tag (Nov 23, 2015)

That might explain why Milton Keynes has so many roundabouts


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## stavros (Nov 24, 2015)

Yes, Basingstoke was known as Doughnut City on account of the proliferation of the above, but I think MK exceeds it nowadays. There's no use in hanging on to past glories.


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## hash tag (Nov 25, 2015)

Sorry to hijack your thread Hells and hope all goes well with B/F and move to Hants.
Anyway, back to roundabouts ( alomost worthy of a thread), I always thought the Magis Roundabout was in Colchester  Magic Roundabout (Colchester) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

BUT, wait, there is this 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Goodness, what madness there is when you can't do anything else! http://www.roundaboutsofbritain.com/


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## Bahnhof Strasse (Nov 25, 2015)

mauvais said:


> I forgot to add that Basingstoke is somewhere I sometimes (alarmingly often) go by mistake.



You're not alone: http://www.urban75.net/forums/threads/one-night-in-basingstoke.117478/


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## RoyReed (Nov 25, 2015)

They have a kite festival every year, so it's not all bad


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## Puddy_Tat (Nov 25, 2015)

hash tag said:


> Sorry to hijack your thread Hells and hope all goes well with B/F and move to Hants.
> Anyway, back to roundabouts ( alomost worthy of a thread), I always thought the Magis Roundabout was in Colchester  Magic Roundabout (Colchester) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
> 
> BUT, wait, there is this
> ...


 
there is (or was) one in hemel hempstead, and one at benfleet on the A13.

the swindon one is in a league of its own because the others you don't really see the whole darn thing at once so it is easier to process it one bit at a time


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## isvicthere? (Nov 25, 2015)

stavros said:


> At one point the AA tower was the tallest building between longitudinal lines through London and New York.



Mark Steel quoted this when his R4 show did Basingstoke, and he observed that MOST of what lies between London and NY is the Atlantic Ocean.


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## stavros (Nov 25, 2015)

isvicthere? said:


> Mark Steel quoted this when his R4 show did Basingstoke, and he observed that MOST of what lies between London and NY is the Atlantic Ocean.



True dat, but you've also got almost all of the rest of the UK, Ireland, almost all of Spain, a large part of France, Portugal, Boston and Montreal. Anyway, it's been beaten by the Spinnaker in Portsmouth I think.


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## mauvais (Nov 25, 2015)

That was never true anyway. It was finished in 1970 and it's 274ft.

BT Tower, Birmingham, 1966, 499ft.

CIS Tower, Manchester, 1962, 387ft.

City Tower, Manchester, 1965, 351ft.

And so on. Go home Basingstoke, you're drunk.


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## isvicthere? (Nov 25, 2015)

stavros said:


> True dat, but you've also got almost all of the rest of the UK, Ireland, almost all of Spain, a large part of France, Portugal, Boston and Montreal. Anyway, it's been beaten by the Spinnaker in Portsmouth I think.



Not sure if Spain, Portugal or Portsmouth lie between London and New York.


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## mauvais (Nov 25, 2015)

isvicthere? said:


> Not sure if Spain, Portugal or Portsmouth lie between London and New York.


Might want to familiarise yourself with longitude then 

Of course, Manchester isn't on the way from London to New York, not unless your pilot's pissed. But then neither is Basingstoke.

So, Fanum House, Basingstoke. _Possibly _the tallest building, when built, between London, and Paramaribo, Suriname.

Well done Basingstoke.


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## gosub (Nov 26, 2015)

mauvais said:


> Might want to familiarise yourself with longitude then
> 
> Of course, Manchester isn't on the way from London to New York, not unless your pilot's pissed. But then neither is Basingstoke.
> 
> ...



Manchaster is closer to great circle than Basingstoke is, and it wouldn't be down to the pilot NATS chose the track dependant on what the jetstream is donig


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## stavros (Nov 27, 2015)

Green Wing was filmed at North Hampshire Hospital, my birthplace on the edge of town.


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## Hellsbells (Nov 30, 2015)

Just to update - looks unlikely I'll be moving to Basingstoke afterall (phew! ) 
BF had his interview this morning & although he said it went well on his part, it was apparently all a bit odd. The job sounded crap, riddiculously stressful & a huge step down from what BF does currently. At the end of the interview, BF was asked if he was 'still interested in the job'! Never heard of any interviewer asking that kind of question before.


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## stavros (Nov 30, 2015)

I'm sure I've been asked it. Interviews are meant to be two-way, presenting the applicant with a chance to learn more about the employer and their prospective role.

My commiserations on the death of the Basingstoke dream.


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## hash tag (Dec 1, 2015)

The employers obviously knew their were "limitations" to the job and I would guess that they had lost an employee or two 
at short notice recently.
Sorry you will not be moving to the country like. If it wasn't meant to be.....


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## Yeezy (Dec 1, 2015)

Nanker Phelge said:


> It's awful. My parents made me live there once. A boring and soulless place. I escaped never to return. I don't even like visiting.



Yes, Basingstoke is a god awful place.

Hatch Warren does have a Sainsburys local to it I suppose though.  Not a redeeming feature in the least, but convenient.


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## hash tag (Feb 19, 2016)

I here this place has some recently restored stained glass and as the scaffolding is still up, you can get up close and personal for a week or two. My other three quarters will love it, so im hoping to get down here this weekend, weather willing ( want good light ). The Vyne


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## Bahnhof Strasse (Feb 19, 2016)

hash tag said:


> I here this place has some recently restored stained glass and as the scaffolding is still up, you can get up close and personal for a week or two. My other three quarters will love it, so im hoping to get down here this weekend, weather willing ( want good light ). The Vyne




Wow, very impressive


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## stavros (Feb 19, 2016)

The Vyne is also a secondary school in the town, although from memory it's fairly shitty, at least so I heard 20 years ago in my youth.


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## hash tag (Feb 19, 2016)

Hopefully my visit will not involve the school, just the stained glass in the big house.


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## Nanker Phelge (Feb 27, 2016)

stavros said:


> The Vyne is also a secondary school in the town, although from memory it's fairly shitty, at least so I heard 20 years ago in my youth.



My school used to fight 'em.


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## stavros (Feb 27, 2016)

Nanker Phelge said:


> My school used to fight 'em.



Which was that? John Hunt was the other one with the bad rep.


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## Nanker Phelge (Feb 27, 2016)

stavros said:


> Which was that? John Hunt was the other one with the bad rep.



I was John Hunt. It was the very violent...


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## stavros (Feb 28, 2016)

According to Wikipedia it is no more, but then quite a few have changed their names e.g. Harriet is now "The Costello School".


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## Nanker Phelge (Mar 6, 2016)

stavros said:


> According to Wikipedia it is no more, but then quite a few have changed their names e.g. Harriet is now "The Costello School".



Was knocked down...


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## isvicthere? (Mar 6, 2016)

Bob_the_lost said:


> Amazingstoke.



I suspect it's estate agent-ese, cf. Awesomestow.

Eta. There was a Basingstoke episode of Mark Steel's in Town on R4 a while back. Check for it on the iPlayer.

Eta again. Looks as though I've already been on this thread.


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## stavros (Mar 6, 2016)

Nanker Phelge said:


> Was knocked down...



I hope that doesn't happen to the Costello, but accidents will happen...


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