Hedge End

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Map sources for Hedge End at grid reference SU4912

Hedge End is a town located in Hampshire in England. It is situated 4 miles east of the City of Southampton and immediately west of the village of Botley and lies within the administrative borough of Eastleigh.

1 Origins and Development
2 Education
3 Radio Station
4 Performing Arts
5 References

[edit] Origins and Development

It is believed the original settlement got its name from a farm at the end of a hedge on the road from Botley. The original settlement was a rural farming community dating from the 13th century and in the early 19th Century consisted of two or three cottages. In the late 19th Century, Hedge End became known as the 'Strawberry Village', with a substantial market garden and strawberry growing areas. The church of St John the Evangelist was built in 1874 and Hedge End was constituted a civil Parish in 1894.

The second half of the 20th century saw a rapid growth of the village with office parks, out-of-town superstores and new residential areas on the main transport route of the M27 motorway. Hedge End is situated on Junction 7. The population grew rapidly from an estimated 1,000 in the 1950s to around 17,978 in 2001. It is projected to reach 21,456 in 2012.^[1] The nearby village of Botley was far more well known and considered more likely to grow than Hedge End, but, when the M27 was built, living close to the new motorway became more desirable. For this reason Botley has not grown as much as Hedge End, and is projected to shrink between 2001 and 2012.

OpenStreetMap tracklogs around Hedge End

The most recent major development in Hedge End parish has been that of Grange Park, situated to the North and East of the village centre. It has continued to grow extensively for several years, almost reaching the village of Fair Oak. In the early 1990s the village gained a railway station, a stop on the Eastleigh-Portsmouth line, and in 1992 the Parish Council was upgraded to Town Council status.

There has been recent controversy in following the discovery of underground oil reserves in the Grange Park area, just a few yards from Berrywood Primary School and recently built houses and apartments.

Despite the growth in population, some attempts to improve local facilities such as the addition of a cinema have been unsuccessful, although a library, golf centre and a children's paddling pool are among the amenities that have been built.

The number of pubs has not increased in proportion to the population, but the village centre, has a Fish & Chip shop, Indian, Chinese and Pizza take aways.

[edit] Education

The town is served well by Wildern Secondary School, which has won acclaim for having the most Apple Mac computers of any secondary school in the United Kingdom. Wildern currently holds around 1,800 pupils. The Wildern site, on Wildern Lane near the town centre, houses a high-tech media facility known as the "d@rt Centre" (d@rt representing Digital Art"). It also has a recently renovated sports centre which serves the local community with a large sports hall, indoor heated swimming pool, toddlers' swimming pool, gym facilities and a professional dance studio. The school also has a £250,000 Multi Use Games Area (MUGA), an all-weather surface similar to Astroturf that was opened by former Southampton Football Club captain Jason Dodd.

[edit] Radio Station

The town has its own radio station - Skyline on 102.5FM (http://www.skylinecommunityradio.co.uk/) ^[2] which is non-profit and exists to promote and support community organisations and events. The station broadcasts reach up to 110,000 people in Hedge End, nearby Botley and West End and beyond. The station was initially funded by grants and by founder David Gates and now relies on competitively low cost advertising from local businesses. This aims to cover the necessary running costs i.e. radio licensing, utility bills and performing rights fees for the music played on air. All the people involved in the station are unpaid volunteers. Skyline produces a wide variety of programmes: rock, country, pop, local bands, easy listening and regularly features interviews from local community groups from the arts, environment and altruistic societies.

[edit] Performing Arts

The award-winning Performing Arts Company practise Monday and Sunday nights in the HEYCA (Hedge End Youth and Community) centre opposite The Fountain pub. Recent shows include Fame, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Summer Holiday, all of which have been met with popular support and positive reviews from the local media. The group has been active for over ten years and started producing shows at Wildern School. Following a long period performing at the Eastpoint Centre in Thornhill, the company has now progressed to The Point, Eastleigh, its biggest venue yet. The company welcomes members from ages 14 to 30, of any ability, who wish to improve their singing, dancing and acting, while getting the opportunity to meet new people and gain confidence on the stage.