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Discover Basingstoke, Hampshire

Basingstoke is a town in the borough of Basingstoke and Deane, in Hampshire, England. It is about 77 km (48 mi) southwest of London. It is a town with many roundabouts, leading to it being nicknamed the Doughnut City or Roundabout City. Basingstoke has a population of 84,000 people (2012 estimate).

Basingstoke, Hampshire, EnglandBasingstoke, Hampshire, England: Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:London_Road,_Basingstoke_-_geograph.org.uk_-_22428.jpg
Author: David Medcalf
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Basingstoke is stituated in a valley. The area has been inhabited since the Iron Age, as evident in the hillfort at Winklebury, about 3.2 km (2 mi) from the town center. The Romans also left their mark in the area, in the form of a Roman road that runs from Winchester to Silchester.

Basingstoke was already a market town when it appeared in the Domesday Book of 1086. During the English Civil War, the town was sympathethic to the Parliamentarians. Its local parish church St Michael's was damaged during the siege of Basing House between 1643 and 1645.

Milestones Museum, BasingstokeMilestones Museum, Basingstoke: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Milestones_Living_Museum,_Basingstoke_-_geograph.org.uk_-_40369.jpg
Author: Dave Jacobs
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Basingstoke began to industrialize from the 17th century. Among the industries in the town include textile, malting and brewery. The British luxury brand Burberry was founded in Basingtoke in 1856.

Basingstoke was severely damaged during the Second World War. After the war it experienced rapid redevelopment. A big shopping center was built in the heart of town, replacing many of the historic buildings that were destroyed in the war. Part of the shopping center was rebuilt in 2022 and rebranded as Festival Place.

St Michael's Church, BasingstokeSt Michael's Church, Basingstoke: Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Michaels_Church,_Basingstoke.jpg
Author: Roland Turner
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Visiting Basingstoke

Basingstoke can be reached from London by taking the M3 motorway until Exit 6. The town is just beside the motorway.

Places of Interest in Basingstoke


  1. Festival Place: Shopping center in Basingstoke which opened in October 2002.

  2. Milestones Museum: Museum providing a glimpse of the Victorian period by recreating the street scene of the era.

  3. St Michael's Church, Basingstoke: Anglican parish church in Basingstoke, a Grade I listed building. Much of it was built in the 16th century.

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.

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