With a population of just over 80,000, Basingstoke is a town that resides in the North East of Hampshire which saw its growth in the nineteen sixties primarily as an old market town. Basingstoke has expanded rather rapidly due to the necessity for commercial towns following World War II, where communities had to be created because of the shortage of housing seen in this time frame.
Regardless of the new housing structures built, there is countryside that surrounds the area and Basingstoke is known as a very prosperous town. There is evidently a high living standard amongst the community as unemployment is considerably low in Basingstoke. Due to the continual development of the town, there are now several areas where visitors can spend their time.
For leisure activities visitors can go to Basingstoke's Leisure Park, situated in the town centre. Families can enjoy the wide range of facilities available such as ice skating, bowling and swimming. The swimming pool Aquadrome, is regarded as one of the best in England. It also has a multiplex cinema, Odeon, where you can watch all the latest films released in this fun and exciting environment.
When it comes to shopping, nothing can beat Festival Place, which is based in the city centre and has a variety of over 165 top end retailers including H&M, Oasis, TK Maxx, Zara any many more. It is actually the primary shopping centre in Hampshire with a car park facility for up to 3000 cars. Festival Place is not only a shopping centre. It has a multiplex cinema, a library and a Sports Centre. It also has a spectacular nightlife where you can find night clubs, cafes and many bars.
For Theatre performances, The Haymarket has a wide variety of shows & is the largest Theatre in Basingstoke. It has currently been taken over by new management, The Anvil Trust. The Haymarket has gone under severe refurbishment and re-opened to the general public in 2007. New spaces have been created, for instance the introduction of ?The Exchange? which is a performance area built near the bar located at the lower part of the theatre. From drama to dance, The Haymarket Theatre has it all.
Basingstoke has many things to offer visitors, one of them being Eastrop Park, the Greenflag winner of 2008. Only a short walk from the Festival Place, it has a diverse range of activities for all ages including a tree trail, child play area, a swimming pool and miniature golf. Eastrop Park also has a wildlife area where platforms have been created for you to observe all wildlife, especially the kingfisher, a bird that can be viewed on the river.
Another 2008 winner of the Greenflag award is The War Memorial Park consisting of beautiful garden features and historic trees. Visitors can walk though this well preserved nature landscape and may wish to spend time in the play area, which has been refurbished recently alongside a newly built skating park, tennis court and sports pitch. This park is also located in central Basingstoke and free parking can be found at Crossborough Hill.
Prior to this, Basildon would have been best known as a rather small village however, 1951 was a year of change which saw the entrance of new residents that evidently had a tremendous effect on population figures. In present day, Basildon has well over 120, 000 local residents.
Now, Basildon is a thriving city where you can find the Eastgate Shopping Centre, which consists of many top end retailers such as Debenhams and HMV, and has more than 100 stores that cater to all demographics. A more current shopping attraction would be the Westgate Shopping Park which has been completed in construction recently.
Many of Basildon's local residents commute to London which is why trains are a convenient method of transport. The area has three Railway Stations, Pitsea Railway Station, Laindon Railway Station and centrally based, Basildon Railway Station which was built in the early seventies.
For a more cultural experience of Basildon, the newly built Basildon Arts Trust Gallery is home to Modern Art Exhibitions which had it its opening in 2004. It is easy to find as it is based in the town centre and is seen as increasingly relevant to schools, families and just the overall community, as guest artists can feature in the Exhibition.
There are also two major Museums based in Pitsea & Laindon known as The Motorboat Museum (Pitsea) and the Plotlands Museum (Laindon). Created in 1986, The Motorboat Museum is United Kingdoms most trusted authority in relation to motor-boats and sporting. There are many authentic & notorious pieces of sporting memorabilia and boats.
Architectural designs in Basildon include St Martin's Bell Tower in St Martin's Square and the Mother and Child Statue based in Basildon Town Square. The St Martins Bell Tower is a tower made from steel and glass. Its opening took place in 1999 by Queen Elizabeth II in order to mark the millennium. Standing 85 ft tall, holding 10 bells, its design and outlay could be described as neo-gothic and innovative.
Small nature reserves are also apparent in Basildon, the dominant one being the Noak Bridge Nature Reserve which has a mixed grass land of up to 20 acres alongside scrub and small ponds. The huge variety of grass and flowers causes butterflies and dragonflies to emerge around the seven ponds creating a beautiful landscape.
Moving on to the business district of Basildon, here we find the centre of business and employment which lies through the Thames Gateway. An astounding 25 percent of Essex's overall manufacturing output is accomplished in this Industrial Estate. Regardless of the fact that close to one third of its workforce travels to London and back daily, it actually has the same amount of workers coming in and is renowned for being one of the most important business centres due to its alliance with major conglomerates including Abbey National, Fords, First Data, International Financial Data Services, York International, Konica UK and many more commercial employers.
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