Crondall

The weather station is sited in the centre of Crondall, which is a hamlet three miles west of Farnham, with a population of about a thousand. An Old English crundel was a chalk-pit or quarry, and the word has survived in the name of Crondall. The remains of these quarries can still be seen as large depressions on the local golf course. The "Hundred of Crondall" was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086. King Alfred the Great bequeathed the Hundred of Crondall to his nephew Eltham in 885. In 975 it was handed over by King Edgar to the monks at Winchester; and remained in their hands until 1539. The Hundred of Crondall was divided into 'Manors', Itchell, Ewshot, Crokeham, Well, Feldmead, Dippenhall, Farnborough and Aldershot. A fine panoramic view of this beautiful part of Hampshire may be gained from Queens View looking from East to West across Crondall. It takes its name from the fact that Queen Victoria admired this view whilst inspecting the garrisoned troops at nearby Aldershot "Home of the British Army". Oliver Cromwell is reputed to have stayed in the Plume of Feathers in October 1645, when the siege of Basing House was in progress The 12th Century Norman parish church, All Saints, Crondall has been called 'The Cathedral of North Hampshire'. It replaced a Saxon church on the same site and the Saxon font remains from that period. The east end of the nave dates to 1170. Among notable interior features are the dogtooth mouldings of the chancel arch and the imposing arcades and foliate capitals of the Nave. The Crosses made by Pilgrims can clearly be seen etched into the door walls.