Frimley
Frimley is a town in the borough of Surrey Heath, in Surrey, England. It lies approximately south-west of central London. The town is of Saxon origin, although it is not listed in Domesday Book of 1086.
History
The name Frimley is derived from the Saxon name Fremma's Lea, which means "Fremma's clearing". The land was owned by Chertsey Abbey from 673 to 1537 and was a farming village. More recently, it was a coach stop on a road between London and Portsmouth and Southampton for about four hundred years.Frimley was not listed in Domesday Book of 1086, but is shown on the map as Fremely, its spelling in 933 AD.
Frimley Lunatic Asylum was opened in 1799; it catered for both male and female patients, and received four patients from Great Fosters, Egham. Magistrates visited in 1807 and ordered the proprietors to stop chaining the patients.
An 1811 inventory from Frimley Workhouse can be seen on the Surrey County Council website.
The present St. Peter's Church was built in 1826, replacing earlier buildings. The building has a balcony running around three sides of the interior. Dame Ethel Smyth once preached from the pulpit.
In 1904, the Brompton Hospital Sanatorium was established in Frimley to treat tuberculosis patients; it closed in 1985. Dr Marcus Sinclair Paterson was the first medical superintendent, and he developed a system of treatment called 'graduated labour' which generated a lot of interest from other health professionals. The treatment used controlled levels of physical activity.
In 1930, Marjorie Foster became the first woman to win the Sovereign's Prize for shooting. She received £250, a gold medal and a personal telegram from the King. She was carried in a chair by the spectators while she was filmed by Pathe News. She was returned to Frimley on their fire engine and toured the village. Frimley gave her a car paid for by public subscription.
In 1931, the staff at Frimley Cottage Hospital were unable to save the life of Lieutenant Hubert Chevis, who had been admitted, along with his wife Frances, after eating poisoned partridge meat. He died of strychnine poisoning. The case remains an unsolved murder mystery.
On 2 December 1958, a Hunting-Clan Vickers Viscount 732 crashed on a test flight following a major overhaul. While flying at 10 minutes after takeoff from London Airport, the aircraft lost its starboard wing. This caused the aircraft to crash near the village and catch fire, killing all six occupants. Accident investigators established the reverse operation of the elevator spring tab as the probable cause. Incorrect maintenance of the spring tab mechanism and failure to notice the tab's faulty operation as a result of negligence on the part of maintenance personnel, who were responsible for inspecting the aircraft before returning it to service, involved the pilot in command in involuntary manoeuvres that overstressed the aircraft. This in turn resulted in the aircraft's right wing breaking off.
In 1959, the Cadet Training Centre at Frimley Park was formed following the 1957 publication of the Amery Report.
Amenities
The main shopping street includes a branch of Waitrose and some smaller shops, several restaurants, charity shops, a post office, a number of estate agents, solicitors, opticians, betting shops and an insurance broker. There are two public houses: the Railway Arms and the White Hart.Frimley Park Hospital lies within the boundaries. One of the major employers in the town is BAE Systems, which occupies a building off Lyon Way.
Frimley Business Park is to the west on a north–south road, the A331. It has offices of the Environment Agency, Genesys Telecommunications, AMD and Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
Demography
The usual number of residents in the ward, 6,178, belies the observation that this is the largest and most commercial settlement of the GU16 postcode, which also covers the southernmost, Heatherside/Parkside, Camberley and the distinct villages of Frimley Green, Mytchett and Deepcut.Employment
The working population worked as set out below in the official industry categorisations in 2011:| Sector | % in Frimley | South East | UK |
| A Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing | 0.1 | 0.7 | 0.8 |
| B Mining and Quarrying | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
| C Manufacturing | 7.0 | 7.2 | 8.8 |
| D Electricity, Gas Steam and Air Conditioning Supply | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
| E Water Supply; Sewerage, Waste Management and Remediation Activities | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.7 |
| F Construction | 7.2 | 8.0 | 7.7 |
| G Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and Motor Cycles | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.9 |
| H Transport and Storage | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.0 |
| I Accommodation and Food Service Activities | 4.2 | 5.0 | 5.6 |
| J Information and Communication | 6.6 | 5.5 | 4.1 |
| K Financial and Insurance Activities | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.4 |
| L Real Estate Activities | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.5 |
| M Professional Scientific and Technical Activities | 7.2 | 7.5 | 6.7 |
| N Administrative and Support Service Activities | 4.9 | 5.2 | 4.9 |
| O Public Administration and Defence; Compulsory Social Security | 5.1 | 6.0 | 5.9 |
| P Education | 8.1 | 10.1 | 9.9 |
| Q Human Health and Social Work Activities | 18.6 | 11.6 | 12.4 |
| R to U | 4.8 | 5.1 | 5.0 |
Nationality
The ward is relatively representative of the nation as a whole in terms of national identity:| % of Usual residents who stated in 2011 they had a non-British identity only | Surrey Heath | South East | England |
| 8.2 | 6.6 | 7.1 | 8.3 |
Economic status
The proportions of those retired, unemployed and who were students in 2011 were extremely close to the regional average whereas those in the economically inactive category were fewer:| Category | Frimley | Surrey Heath | South East | England |
| Retired | 13.6 | 13.5 | 13.7 | 13.7 |
| Unemployed | 3.4 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 4.4 |
| Full-time Student | 3.3 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3.4 |
| Economically inactive: other | 1.3 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.2 |
| Economically inactive: looking after home or family | 4.0 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
Those who replied that again there were no people in the household with English as their main language formed a proportion of the population 0.1% less than the national average.
Religion
Transport
is a stop on the line between Ascot and Aldershot; services are operated by South Western Railway.Stagecoach South and White Bus Services operate local bus routes, which connect the town with Aldershot, Camberley, Farnborough, Woking and Yateley.
The town is situated close to the junction of the A325 Farnborough Road and A331 Blackwater Valley Relief Road, which provides a link to the M3 motorway at junction 4.
Education
There are a number of schools in Frimley including: The Grove Primary School, Ravenscote Junior School, Tomlinscote School and St Augustine's Roman Catholic Primary School.Sport
Frimley Town Football Club was formed over 100 years ago. It runs four teams and the first team competes in the Senior Division of the Aldershot & District Football League. The club is based at Chobham Road recreation ground.Notable people
Births
- James Cobbett, famous cricketer and considered by many as the finest all-rounder of his day, was born in Frimley on 12 January 1804.
- Jonny Wilkinson, a fly-half for England Rugby Union and one of the most famous players in international professional rugby was born in Frimley Park Hospital in 1979.
- Lady Louise Windsor granddaughter of Elizabeth II and niece of Charles III was born in Frimley Park Hospital in 2003.
- The Earl of Wessex grandson of Elizabeth II and nephew of Charles III was born in Frimley Park Hospital in 2007.
- Paul Darke, academic, artist and disability rights activist, was born in Frimley.
- Toby Flood was born in Frimley in 1985.
- Chris Benham was born in Frimley on 24 March 1983. He has played county cricket for Hampshire.
- John McFall, British Paralympic sprinter, was born on 25 April 1981 in Frimley.
- Other sportsmen born in Frimley include cricketers James Lawrell and Richard Ingleby Jefferson, footballers Vic Niblett, Matty Stevens, Martin Kuhl and Danny Byrne and racing drivers Ben Clucas, Ricky Collard and Rob Collard.
- Garth Walford, recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Sir Harry Broadhurst, Air Chief Marshal of the Royal Air Force
- Lucy Rose, folk-musician
- Greg Bateman, premiership rugby player for Leicester Tigers, formerly of London Welsh and Exeter Chiefs
- John Paul Wellington Furse GCB, OBE, VMH, Naval Officer who became a Rear-Admiral, painter and botanical illustrator and later a plant hunter
Residents
- Daphne du Maurier wrote most of her fourth novel, Jamaica Inn, in 1935 in Frimley where her soldier husband Frederick Browning was based.
- Dame Ethel Smyth, English composer and suffragette grew up in nearby Frimley Green and later purchased One Oak Cottage in Frimley. Her family moved to Frimley Green in 1867 when her father was given command of the Royal Artillery at Aldershot. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith grew up in Frimley with his parents and brother.