Blackwater is a small town in the northeastern corner of Hampshire, England, lying in the county's Hart District. It lies in the extreme northeast corner of the county, about away from London.
Location
It is situated on the borders of both Berkshire and Surrey about north of Farnborough, west of Camberley and east of Basingstoke on the A30 road. Blackwater is situated west-southwest of London. An old marker stone signpost near the Agincourt nightclub on the A30, in western Camberley marks 30 miles, and the centre of Blackwater is less than one mile from that point. This relative proximity to the capital has made the town popular with commuters. Blackwater is part of the Blackwater Valley conurbation which includes the towns of Farnborough, Aldershot, Camberley, Sandhurst, Yateley, Frimley and Farnham. The River Blackwater flows through the length of this urban area. The town lies at the point where the A30 trunk road from London to Land's End crosses the River Blackwater. It is served by Blackwater railway station which is on the main line almost precisely midway between Reading and Guildford.
History
The first recorded mention of Blackwater was in 1281, when it was known as Bredeford. It grew around the Brydrs Ford crossing across the River Blackwater. The White Hart Parade of shops and offices, to the west of Blackwater station, is named after the White Hart coaching inn that occupied the site in the late 19th century.
Transport connections
Trains from Blackwater station operate with a half-hourly service to Reading, and half-hourly service to either Gatwick Airport or Redhill via Guildford. Trains do not operate directly to London, requiring a change to London Paddington at Reading, or to London Waterloo at Guildford or Wokingham. At peak times, some additional trains operate; which usually go only as far as Shalford. Trains are operated byGreat Western Railway. People requiring Farnborough North for either the Sixth Form College or for London-bound trains from nearby Farnborough Main are advised that these are on stopping services only, not all trains stop at Farnborough North as Blackwater operates both fast and stopping services. The A30 road runs directly through Blackwater, going directly over the station. The town is also very close to the M3 and M25. Buses to Camberley operate every 15 minutes via Route 3.
Local economy
Blackwater is a gateway town into Hampshire on a main national route. The 'high street' area is a dual-carriageway which passes over Blackwater railway station, as well as passing over the River Blackwater itself. Aldi, and shortly after a new Lidl supermarket was built opposite Aldi in 2003, taking up most of the shopping floorspace in the town. Blackwater has two public houses, Mr Bumble and The Royal Swan. There are two parades of shops which include food outlets, a pharmacy, a newsagent and a vinyl record store. The largest nearby town is Camberley, which provides many jobs for residents of Blackwater due to its wide range of shops, particularly within The Mall, Camberley. Other nearby towns include Sandhurst, home to the Royal Military Academy. Sun Microsystems were a major employer in the Blackwater Valley and their UK headquarters were in Blackwater at Guillemont Park, at the M3 motorway junction on the site of the former Guillemont Barracks. Following Oracle's acquisition of Sun in 2009, employees were relocated to Oracle's UK headquarters in the Thames Valley Park.
Suburbs
There are two suburban villages to the north, Frogmore and Darby Green, which are considered by Hart District council to be districts of Blackwater. Frogmore has its own modern village hall, village green, church and a small shopping parade. Darby Green has a shopping parade and a small youth centre. There is also a modern medical surgery between the two villages on Frogmore Road. The village of Hawley, which has its own village hall, primary school, church, private leisure centre and equestrian centre, lies less than to the south on the road towards Farnborough.
Popular culture
A major portion of Wilkie Collins's 1859 novel The Woman in White is set at the house of the character Sir Percivel Glyde, Blackwater Park, in Blackwater, Hampshire.
