From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Old Dean

Suburb of Camberley, Surrey, England

Summary

Suburb of Camberley, Surrey, England

Field	Value
official_name	Old Dean
country	England
region	South East
static_image_name	St_Martin's,_Old_Dean,_Camberley_in_2006.jpg
static_image_alt	A photograph of St. Martin's Church
static_image_caption	St. Martin's Church
static_image_2_name	Transmitter,_Bagshot_Heath_-_geograph.org.uk_-_121662.jpg
static_image_2_alt	A photograph of a TV transmitter that serves as a local landmark, due to its height it can be observed from far and wide.
static_image_2_caption	Bagshot Heath TV Relay Transmitter
area_total_km2	3.40
area_footnotes
population	5,650
population_ref	(2020)
os_grid_reference	SU889619
coordinates
post_town	CAMBERLEY
postcode_area	GU
postcode_district	GU15
dial_code	01276
constituency_westminster	Surrey Heath
civil_parish	N/A
london_distance_km	45
london_direction	NEE
shire_district	Surrey Heath
shire_county	Surrey
language	English
language1	French (during WWII, whilst officially Free French soil)
website
hide_services

The Old Dean is a suburb of Camberley in Surrey, England. The area starts approximately 1 km NNE from the town centre. The estate is built on the Olddean or Old Dean Common falling within the district of Surrey Heath Borough Council. It is bordered to the north by Barossa Common; to the east by Swinley Forest; to the south by the A30 (London Road); and to the west by Diamond Ridge Woods.

Properties in this area, built in the 1950s and 1960s, are mainly semi-detached and terraced, with a number of maisonettes on the northern edge of the estate. It was originally a council estate, however, under the Conservative government's right to buy scheme, a proportion of these properties are now in private ownership.

History

Most of the estate was built in the 1950s on the Old Dean Common for residents of heavily bombed areas of Greater London that were in Surrey, not the County of London between 1894 and 1965 and were made homeless after World War II, expanded by the Camberley Urban District, with county assistance, to be used in part as a London overspill estate. Many of the roads on the estate reflect this, being named after the London boroughs which paid for the expansion (the others are named after places on the common). They are Carshalton Road, Esher Road, Kingston Road, Mitcham Road, Surbiton Road, Sutton Road, Wallington Road, and Wimbledon Road.

When the estate was first constructed, the portion between the A30 and Upper College Ride, was littered with demolished concrete blockhouses and military installations, such as Nissen huts. An "ideal" playground for the dozens of children who moved there in the early 1950s.

In the early 21st century more affordable housing was added.

The Second World War

Free French Forces

From October 1940 until May 1945, the Old Dean Common was considered Free French soil with French as its official language, serving as a camp for Charles de Gaulle's Free French Army. The camp housed barracks and training grounds, initially consisting of tents, but by February 1941 had expanded to Nissen huts and a flag pole, and later a parade ground and other wooden structures.

Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération]] in [[Paris]] commemorating the [[Free French]] instruction camp on the Old Dean during the Second World War

Charles de Gaulle, Leader of the Free French, was known to visit the camp and inspect his troops. In addition the UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill was also known to have visited the camp on multiple occasions.

The connection to the Free French is maintained in the name of one of its primary schools: Lorraine takes its name from the Cross of Lorraine, from the French Region, the School's badge features the Free French insignia. When the school opened under the tutelage of Mr MacKean, the then French Ambassador attended the opening ceremony and read a message from General de Gaulle. In June 2005 surviving members of the Free French Lorraine 342 Squadron visited Lorraine School and presented a plaque to the school, which can be found in its hall.

Prisoner of War Camp

After the Second World War finished, the camp was transformed into an internment camp, holding German Prisoners of War.

Amenities

The estate has a parade of convenience and service shops which are near its centre, a doctor's surgery, three parks, a youth centre and three churches (Church of England St Martin's, Roman Catholic St Peter's & St John's and Newfrontiers' The Beacon Church).

Schools

The Old Dean has four schools:

Pine Ridge Infant School
Lorraine School & Nursery
Cordwalles Junior School
Collingwood College

Fire Station

The Old Dean is home to the Camberley Fire and Rescue Service. The station has the following equipment: two fire engines; a multi role vehicle; and an Unimog.

Media

The estate has been used as a location for filming scenes in the fictional BBC drama Holby Blue. Shots were filmed around the Old Dean including high speed police chases.

Transport

;Roads

The only through route serving the area is the A30.

;Public Transport The Stagecoach Gold bus service 1 connects the Old Dean with Camberley Town Centre and Aldershot.

Camberley railway station is centred 1.1 mi south.

Points of Interest

Telecommunications Mast

The estate is also home to the Bagshot Heath Telecommunications Mast, a microwave relay tower constructed by the General Post Office in 1965 that formed part of the GPO's microwave network. The tower originally relayed communications along two routes between the BT Tower and Bristol, and the BT Tower and Rowridge. Over the years the tower has hosted various antenna types and configurations, such as horns, shrouded parabolics and sectors.

References

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

camberley

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Old Dean — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report