Sandhurst is a town and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest borough in Berkshire, England. It is in the south eastern corner of Berkshire, and is situated west-southwest of London, north west of Camberley and south of Bracknell. Sandhurst is known worldwide as the location of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (often referred to simply as "Sandhurst", "The Academy" or "The RMA"). Despite its close proximity to Camberley, Sandhurst is also home to a large and well-known out-of-town mercantile development. The site is named "The Meadows" .

Geography

Sandhurst is in South East England near the junction of Berkshire, Hampshire, and Surrey. The town has four main districts, from west to east: Little Sandhurst, Sandhurst (central), and College Town, with Owlsmoor to the northeast. North of the town are Edgbarrow Woods and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) called Sandhurst to Owlsmoor Bogs and Heaths which includes the nature reserve of Wildmoor Heath. To the east is Broadmoor Bottom, an expanse of heathland together with fir tree plantations. This backs onto the high-security Broadmoor Hospital.

Sandhurst is bordered, on the south, by the River Blackwater, and several of the Yateley Lakes along its course are within the parish, notably Trilakes with its country park. This is also the county boundary with Hampshire at Blackwater. The town of Crowthorne is to the north, the village of Finchampstead to the west, and Camberley, across the Surrey county boundary, is on its southeastern side. This is the closest sizeable town, though Sandhurst is also only south of the new town of Bracknell. The soil is sandy, with a subsoil of sand and gravel.

thumb|300px|New College buildings

thumb|upright|Old College buildings

thumb|Passing out parade

thumb|right|upright=1.2|The 149th Sovereign's Parade in front of Old College

thumb|New colours are presented to RMAS, June 2005. [[Prince Harry (at attention, to left of horse) is on parade.]]

thumb|Open Day at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

thumb|Royal Memorial Chapel south aspect

right|thumb|The Church of St Michael and All Angels

Transport

Sandhurst lies just off the A30, which is away from junction 4 of the M3 motorway. It is also located from the M4, via the Crowthorne bypass (A3095) to Bracknell and the A329(M) towards Reading.

Sandhurst railway station is a stop on the North Downs Line; trains are operated by Great Western Railway. Services run between Gatwick, Guildford and Reading.

Stagecoach South operates bus route 3 between Yateley and Camberley every 15 minutes except on Sundays; alternate services extends to and from Aldershot.

Local government

Sandhurst has representation through several tiers of government – town council, unitary authority, and parliamentary (UK). Its Town Council is divided into four wards, Central Sandhurst, Little Sandhurst, College Town and Owlsmoor, all represented by twenty-four councillors. It is also part of the Bracknell Forest District. The ancient parish of Sandhurst also covered Crowthorne, until this became an ecclesiastical parish in its own right in 1874 and a civil parish in 1894. The current mayor of Sandhurst is Councillor Parm Panesar.

History

Saxon and Medieval periods

The name of the village is Anglo-Saxon and originates from the sandy soils and the hurst (a wooded eminence) of the area. In early 14th century records, Sandhurst appears as part of the township of Sonning, a large minster parish spreading over much of eastern Berkshire, These lands belonged to the Bishops of Salisbury. There were two manors in Sandhurst: ‘Hall’ in the grounds of what is now the Royal Military Academy and ‘Sandhurst’ on the site of Sandhurst Lodge.

Tudor to Georgian periods

In the early modern era, Sandhurst parish was a small farming community on the very edge of Windsor Forest, Sandhurst Walke being an important forest division subject to forest laws.

  • Max and Harvey, twin musicians and social media stars.
  • John Sands, born in Sandhurst, emigrated to Australia and founded John Sands printing company.
  • Dinky Diamond, drummer of Sparks died in his house here.

References

Sources

  • PH Ditchfield (1923), The Victoria County History of Berkshire.
  • Sandhurst Town Council Website: History Page
  • Sandhurst Town Council Website: FAQ Page
  • Sandhurst Town Council
  • Royal Berkshire History: Sandhurst
  • Sandhurst Weather Station