82-689: The Princes Hall in Aldershot , England is a 600-seat theatre / receiving house which presents a varied programme of music , ballet , comedy , pantomime . An additional three function rooms named the Princes Suite, the Edinburgh Suite and the Tichborne Suite (after the prominent Aldershot family) are available for hire for conference, parties and weddings. The Theatre is owned and managed by Rushmoor Borough Council . The Princes Hall also hosted
164-572: A vaccination centre during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Princes Hall was awarded the Devereux Cup in 2008 for its contribution to the arts. The Princes Hall website www.princeshall.com won Best Recreation or Tourism Website at the 2008 Hantsweb Awards Commissioned by Rushmoor Borough Council as a civic hall after the demolition of the town's Theatre Royal in 1959 and the Hippodrome theatre in 1961,
246-560: A canteen. In her autobiography, Seacole wrote: 'We set to bravely at Aldershott to retrieve our fallen fortunes, and stem off the ruin originated in the Crimea, but all in vain...'. The venture is believed to have failed through lack of funds and the two being declared bankrupt. The Aldershot Military Tattoo was an annual event dating back to 1894. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Aldershot Command Searchlight Tattoo held at
328-588: A chorus line of naked men and women less than half his age. In 1980, Grant played the title role in John Arden 's BBC radio adaptation of Don Quixote , with Bernard Cribbins as Sancho Panza . In 1986, he played a cockney detective inspector in The Red Telephone Box , a comedy thriller by Ken Whitmore on BBC Radio 4 . On stage he later played Autolycus in Shakespeare 's The Winter's Tale for
410-470: A four horse chariot". Many agreed with Decimus Burton that the statue looked ridiculous since it was out of proportion. It was nicknamed "The Archduke" and was a popular topic in the satirical magazine Punch . Queen Victoria claimed that the statue ruined the view of the skyline from Buckingham Palace , and she privately proposed that the statue be moved. The Duke, who had only sat for the sculptor on two or three occasions, suddenly became very attached to
492-564: A free tabloid, ceased publication. Following the demolition of the Theatre Royal and Hippodrome theatres in 1959 and 1961, the local council opened its own Princes Hall in 1973 as an entertainment venue. Another entertainment venue and arts centre is the West End Centre on Queens Road which is popular for small-scale theatre, music and comedy. Sam Leach, their then agent and wanting to become their manager, attempted to introduce
574-669: A further 675 secondary school places being created at the Alderwood and Wavell schools. A mix of infants and juniors exists, including Park Primary School and St Michael's (C of E). The infant schools are Talavera, Wellington Primary, and Bell Vue Infant School. Junior schools include: Newport County, Talavera, Wellington Secondary and St Joseph's Primary (Catholic). Aldershot has only one secondary school, Alderwood School (formerly Heron Wood School and The Connaught School), though Ash Manor School , Farnham Heath End School , All Hallows Catholic School and The Wavell School are all local. In
656-565: A gardener were killed in a car bomb attack on the 16th Parachute Brigade headquarters mess . A further 19 people were injured. The bombing was claimed by the Official IRA as revenge for the Bloody Sunday massacre. The only army officer killed was Captain Gerry Weston, a Catholic British Army chaplain. An area to be developed into a memorial garden was used to mark the 40th anniversary of
738-613: A gesture of forgiveness and goodwill, the Freedom of the Borough of Aldershot was conferred on the Canadian Army on 26 September 1945 in a ceremony held at the town's recreation ground . In the following year Aldershot's military prison the 'Glasshouse' was burned down in prison riots. A substantial rebuilding of the barracks was carried out between 1961 and 1969 by the architecture and engineering firm Building Design Partnership . The work
820-539: A gift from aviation pioneer Patrick Young Alexander to the British Army, a fact which is recorded by a plaque near the observatory door. It reads: "Presented to the Aldershot Army Corps by Patrick Y Alexander Esq 1906". The former Wesleyan church on Grosvenor Road has a 100-foot tower that can be seen for miles around the town and which is described as " the only significant tower in the town". Opened in 1877,
902-662: A holiday to Goa in India to recover and on their return, it seemed things were finally going right again. They moved to a small cottage in Church End Twyning, about a mile south of Twyning , near Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire with the ambition of making a fresh start. Grant lived very reclusively and neighbours would only see him when he was trimming his hedge. His "new life" did not last, as once more substantial bills continued to arrive and work did not. In despair, Grant made
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#1732858349705984-464: A lack of work and his considerable debts. This eventually led to a suicide attempt. In 1987, he disappeared from his home in Leicestershire for five days; it later emerged that he had taken the ferry to Dublin intending to kill himself. "I was in a horrible state", Grant said during an interview with Pamela Armstrong after the event, "I just had to get out of the house. I left the house and thumbed
1066-436: A lift to Melton Mowbray , and then got a train to Birmingham New Street where I sat sobbing in a station buffet . Everyone ignored me. Normally I get asked in the street something like 'When you back on telly then?', but not this time". Grant started to write his first note to his wife Kim, intending her to receive it after he had killed himself. "Tears streamed down my face as I wrote", he recalled. After hours of pounding
1148-460: A mecca for Hardcore, and it was regularly sold out during this time. At the height of the club's popularity, a teenager's death from a suspected overdose of ecstasy was the catalyst that saw dance music leaving the club and had a negative impact on the hardcore dance scene in the Aldershot area. Union Street and Wellington Street at the centre of the town's shopping district were pedestrianised in
1230-472: A one-off pilot Milk-O alongside his On the Buses co-star Anna Karen , an attempt to reinvigorate his career by means of a similar character, a milkman who spent his time fighting off amorous housewives he was delivering to. However, this did not lead to a series, and Grant never acted for television again. In 1981, he appeared in a touring production of the once-controversial revue Oh! Calcutta! , accompanied by
1312-661: A small party of NCOs and men of the Royal Engineers arrived in November 1853 in the area that is today Princes Gardens , they were the first soldiers to arrive in Aldershot. At this time, the area was heathland with the only building in sight being the Union Poor House , built in 1629 as a sub-manor for the Tichborne family and later used as the local workhouse and a school. It was one of five permanent local buildings purchased by
1394-644: Is Aldershot Town who compete in the Football Conference . Before 1992 the local club was Aldershot , which folded on 25 March 1992, while playing in the Football League Fourth Division . The current club was formed shortly afterwards and achieved five promotions in its first 16 seasons to return to the Football League in 2008. The previous Aldershot club's biggest success arguably came in 1987, just five years before closure, when they became
1476-642: Is also a Tesco superstore located at the rear of the development. Aldershot has many parks, playgrounds and open spaces for sport, play and leisure, including Aldershot Park , Brickfields Country Park , the Municipal Gardens , Manor Park and the Princes Gardens , the latter three a short walk from the town centre. The legacy of the Army has meant that the land for leisure use, as well as protected areas for flora and fauna, has been preserved over many years. On
1558-565: Is billed as the United Kingdom's first Buddhist community centre. With the influx of large numbers of Nepalis into the area in recent years giving Rushmoor the largest Buddhist community in the United Kingdom, a temple and community centre to cater for their spiritual and secular needs was required. The centre was formally opened on the High Street by the 14th Dalai Lama in June 2015. When
1640-762: Is close to several major roads, including the M3 and the A3 . Its nearest dual-carriageway roads are the A31 to the south, which heads east towards Guildford and the A3; to the east, the A331 which heads north towards Farnborough and the M3. Bus services from Aldershot are provided by Stagecoach South . Since the closure of Aldershot bus station in May 2023 passengers now access the bus services at various on-street stops around
1722-559: Is commonly known, is the Aldershot Military Stadium, Aldershot. Blackwater Valley Runners are a social running club and organise many local races. Opened in 1930, Aldershot Lido is a traditional outdoor leisure pool that contains 1.5 million gallons of water situated on a 10-acre (4.0 ha) site. The original land was a lake that had become overgrown with weeds. It was bought by the Borough Council in 1920 for £21,000 and
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#17328583497051804-566: Is intricately detailed including musculature and veins. It was designed and built by Matthew Cotes Wyatt who used recycled bronze from cannons that were captured at the Battle of Waterloo . It took thirty men over three years to finish the project. Originally, in 1846, the statue was erected at Hyde Park Corner , London on the Wellington Arch . However, Decimus Burton , architect of the arch, had tried to veto this plan for his preferred "figure in
1886-691: The Sooty Show , Little and Large , The Krankies , Val Doonican , Barbara Dickson , Danny La Rue , Lenny Henry , Dan Snow , Norman Wisdom , Des O'Connor , Alvin Stardust , The Hollies , Joan Armatrading and Katherine Jenkins . It has also attracted many top comedians including Jimmy Carr , Frank Skinner , Rhod Gilbert , Sarah Millican , Lee Mack , Al Murray , Russell Kane , Jethro , Harry Hill , Bobby Davro , Freddie Starr , Russell Brand , Omid Djalili , Rob Brydon , Ross Noble , Lee Nelson , Russell Brand and Ken Dodd . Ever since it opened
1968-553: The Birmingham Repertory Theatre . In 1990, it was announced that On the Buses would be revived as a new show called Back on the Buses , and the entire cast, including Grant, Reg Varney , Stephen Lewis, Doris Hare , Michael Robbins and Anna Karen would appear on Wogan . Back on the Buses eventually fell through when funding from STV was not forthcoming. The project was to have been backed by STV's executive producer Bryan Izzard who had produced seven episodes of
2050-518: The British Army . This led to a rapid expansion of Aldershot's population, going from 875 in 1851 to in excess of 16,000 by 1861 (including about 9,000 from the military). Mrs Louisa Daniell arrived in the town at this time and set up her Soldiers' Home and Institute to cater for the spiritual needs of the soldiers and their families. During this period Holy Trinity church , the Presbyterian church ,
2132-675: The Foreign Secretary in Harold Wilson's Labour government ; this play later transferred to the West End. After George Brown's resignation from the Government on 15 March 1968, the character of George Brown was switched with Barbara Castle , as the plot required a cabinet minister. In January of that year, Grant appeared as The Major in a six-part radio comedy drama The 17-Jewelled Shockproof Swiss-Made Bomb , featuring Peter Coke . It
2214-609: The Hundred of Crondall referred to in the Domesday Book of 1086. The Church of St Michael the Archangel is the parish church for the town and dates to the 12th century with later additions. There was almost certainly an earlier church on the site. Cistercian monks from the nearby Waverley Abbey established granges or farms on their outlying estates, including one at Aldershot by 1175 for sheep grazing. We do not know when monks from
2296-601: The Piccadilly Theatre in Instant Marriage , a musical farce, for which he wrote the book and lyrics, with music by Laurie Holloway . Grant had by now started to make film appearances, including Sparrows Can't Sing (1963), and the film version of Till Death Us Do Part (1969). He returned to the Theatre Royal, Stratford, in 1967, and starred in the satirical play Mrs Wilson's Diary as George Brown ,
2378-881: The Royal Artillery , he made his stage debut in 1952 as Sydney in Worm's Eye View at the Court Royal, Horsham . Grant's first London appearance was in The Good Soldier Schweik at the Duke of York's Theatre in 1956, and he spent several years at the Theatre Royal Stratford East before getting the lead role in the musical Blitz! at the Adelphi Theatre in the West End for two years. In 1964, he appeared at
2460-515: The Rushmoor district, Hampshire , England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, 31 mi (50 km) south-west of London . The town has a population of 37,131, while the Aldershot Urban Area – a loose conurbation , which also includes other towns such as Camberley and Farnborough – has a population of 243,344; it is the thirtieth-largest urban area in
2542-603: The Rushmoor Arena presented displays from all branches of the services, including performances lit by flame torches. At one time the performances attracted crowds of up to 500,000 people. The Tattoo was organised to raise money for military charities. By the end of the 1930s, the event was raising around £40,000 annually. The Tattoo's modern format, the Army Show, was cancelled in 2010 by the Ministry of Defence due to budget cuts. It
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2624-546: The Surrey border can be found Rowhill Nature Reserve which is popular with nature-lovers, dog owners, walkers and joggers. Aldershot has many sports facilities including the Rushmoor Gymnastics Academy, Aldershot Tennis Centre, Aldershot Bowling , Aldershot Pools and Lido , Aldershot Garrison Sports Centre, Alderwood Leisure Centre (formerly Connaught Leisure Centre) and Alpine Snow Sports (Dry Ski Centre). Formerly
2706-562: The UK . Aldershot is known as the Home of the British Army , a connection which led to its rapid growth from a small village to a Victorian town. The name is likely to have derived from alder trees found in the area (from the Old English 'alor-sceat' meaning copse, or projecting piece of land, featuring alder trees). Any settlement, though not mentioned by name, would have been included as part of
2788-711: The Union Building , the Royal Garrison Church and other churches. Until 1993, the town served as headquarters for the Royal Corps of Transport and the Army Catering Corps , until they were merged into the Royal Logistic Corps and moved to Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut . Queen Victoria and Prince Albert showed a keen interest in the establishment and development of Aldershot as a garrison town in
2870-508: The War Department in 1854 as part of the development of the new Aldershot Camp, and was used by the Army from 1854 to 1879 as No 2 Station Hospital. In later years, it saw a variety of uses before being redeveloped as flats. Aldershot railway station is a stop on the Alton Line ; South Western Railway runs services between London Waterloo , Alton , Guildford and Ascot . Aldershot
2952-511: The Wesleyan church and Rotunda chapel were built in the town centre to cater for the spiritual needs of the increasing numbers of troops in the nearby camp and the growing civilian town. In August 1856, on her return from the Crimean War and "wishing to be with her sons in the Army", Mary Seacole with her business partner Thomas Day is said to have arrived in Aldershot where they attempted to open
3034-532: The 1850s, at the time of the Crimean War . They had a wooden Royal Pavilion built, where they would often stay when attending reviews of the army. In 1860, Albert established and endowed the Prince Consort's Library , which still exists today. To celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, 25,000 British and Colonial soldiers marched from Laffan's Plain near Farnborough, reviewed by Queen Victoria. Beside
3116-582: The 1970s when the Wellington Centre, a covered shopping centre, was built over the site of the town's former open-air market. As of 2020, Union Street East is undergoing regeneration; the project has been referred to as Union Yard. During the 1980s and 1990s, the Victorian shopping arcade and various other period buildings in Wellington Street were demolished to allow for the building of an extension to
3198-488: The 314 men of the Royal Army Medical Corps who lost their lives in the Boer War of 1899-1902 is located at the top of Gun Hill. An outline planning application has been agreed for the redevelopment of some of the former Military Town. The Aldershot Urban Extension will bring some 3,850 new homes, two new primary schools, a children's day-care centre, additional secondary school places, community facilities, waste recycling and landscaping to an area of 150 hectares. In 2013,
3280-467: The Abbey first came to Aldershot but the first documentary evidence is from 1287 when the Crondall Rental records that at 'Alreshate the Monks of Waverlye hold 31 acres of encroachment'. This area ran from the church of St Michael's down to the area around the present Brickfields Country Park while the grange itself was near the church. John Norden 's map of Hampshire, published in the 1607 edition of William Camden 's Britannia , indicates that Aldershot
3362-522: The Beanstalk (2001), and Dominic Wood in Cinderella (2002). The pantomime has been produced and directed by Hopkins Associates since 1994 (celebrating 20 years of pantomime in 2013) and is written by James Barry. Since 2005 the Princes Hall has produced many well-known and well-attended fairy tales . These have included: Sleeping Beauty (2005), Beauty and the Beast (2006), The Wizard of Oz (2007), Peter Pan (2008), Snow White (2009), Cinderella (2010), Aladdin (2011), Beauty and
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3444-408: The Beast (2012), Peter Pan (2013), and Snow White (2014). From 2006 to 2008 the Princes Hall hosted a professional ice show in the main auditorium during the summer. Over 14 tonnes of crushed ice were used to create the ice rink on the main stage, on which over 30 Russian ice skaters and acrobats performed. These were Snow White on Ice (2006), Peter Pan on Ice (2007) and Beauty and
3526-405: The Beast on Ice (2008). Since 2010 the Princes Hall has also been the location of the Aldershot Visitor Information Centre. Services available include advice on things to do and see locally, books, maps and guides, local accommodation, events and information as well as train and bus time tables. Aldershot Aldershot ( / ˈ ɔː l d ər ʃ ɒ t / AWL -dər-shot ) is a town in
3608-439: The Beatles to London agents by promoting shows at The Palais Ballroom, on the corner of Perowne Street and Queens Road in Aldershot on 9 December 1961. Leach wanted to organise a 'battle of the bands' between The Beatles and Ivor Jay and the Jaywalkers from London. The show was not advertised properly and, as a result, only 18 people attended. The local newspaper, The Aldershot News , failed to publish Leach's advertisement for
3690-475: The British soldiers, marched men from Canada, India, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Aldershot Military Town comes under its own military jurisdiction. It was home to the Parachute Regiment from its formation in 1940 until it moved to Colchester Garrison in 2003. Many famous people have been associated with the Military Town, including Charlie Chaplin , who made his first stage appearance in The Canteen theatre aged 5 in 1894, and Winston Churchill , who
3772-403: The Farnborough Road) was the scene of highway robberies. At one time it had "almost as bad a reputation as Hounslow Heath ". Dick Turpin is said to have operated in the area having his headquarters nearby in Farnborough , and there were sightings of Spring-heeled Jack . In 1854, at the time of the Crimean War , Aldershot Garrison was established as the first permanent training camp for
3854-442: The MoD announced a £100 million investment to expand Aldershot Garrison and bring 750 more service personnel and their families to settle in Aldershot. A statue of the first Duke of Wellington mounted on his horse, Copenhagen, is situated on Round Hill behind the Royal Garrison Church. The statue is 30 ft (9.1 m) high, 26 ft (7.9 m) from nose to tail, over 22 ft (6.7 m) in girth, weighs 40 tons and
3936-620: The Princes Hall has hosted a popular annual pantomime for three weeks every December. The first pantomime held was Puss in Boots in December 1972 starring Tommy Trinder . Subsequent productions have included Harry H. Corbett in Robinson Crusoe (1973), Bob Grant in Cinderella (1974), Melvyn Hayes in Aladdin (1975), Roger Kitter in Jack and the Beanstalk (1976), John Junkin in Red Riding Hood (1977), Anna Karen in Dick Whittington (1979), Clive Dunn , Janet Fielding and Valentine Dyall in Aladdin (1983), Dave Lee Travis in The Pied Piper (1984) and Babes in
4018-466: The Princes Hall was built on the site of the old Warburg Barracks and was designed by Building Design Partnership . It opened in November 1972 with a gala concert by Kenny Ball and the Jazzmen and was named for HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh who officially opened the centre on 22 May 1973 and who said: "I'm sure this centre will be a tremendous success. I can’t help feeling that you should all jump up and start dancing. In case there are any doubts –
4100-415: The UK. The rise in the Nepalese population led Gerald Howarth , Conservative Member of Parliament for Aldershot, to request government assistance in expanding local public services to meet the needs of the growing population. On 22 February 1972, Aldershot experienced the first in a series of mainland IRA attacks. Seven people, six of whom were civilian support staff, including five catering staff and
4182-521: The Wellington Centre known as The Galleries. The Galleries has remained almost vacant for many years now and is currently under consideration for proposed redevelopment into a mixed use retail and residential scheme, with potential commercial leisure space. In 2003, a health check of the town centre concluded that, "Aldershot is experiencing promising signs of revitalisation, particularly in the shopping core". This revitalisation failed to materialise, with prominent traders such as Marks and Spencer leaving
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#17328583497054264-449: The Wood (1991), Sally James in Dick Whittington (1985), Arthur English in Cinderella (1986), Johnny Ball in Jack and the Beanstalk (1988) and Mother Goose (1989), Keith Chegwin in Aladdin (1990) and Cinderella (1992), Danny John Jules and Nigel Pivaro in Jack and the Beanstalk (1994), Carmen Ejogo in Robin Hood (1995), Michael Fenton Stevens in The Wizard of Oz (2000), Bodger & Badger in Jack and
4346-429: The bombing in 2012. Aldershot Military Town is located between Aldershot and North Camp near Farnborough . It is a garrison town that serves as the location for the military presence in the area. It houses Aldershot Garrison's married quarters, barracks, Army playing fields and other sporting facilities. The military town includes some local landmarks, such as the Aldershot Observatory , Aldershot Military Cemetery ,
4428-399: The church served the Methodists of Aldershot for over 100 years and could seat 1,150 people until its closure in 1988. Today the original complex of church, Soldiers' Home and Hall has been converted into offices, a dental surgery, gymnasium and homes. Aldershot Buddhist Centre is a Buddhist temple and community centre catering for the Buddhists of Aldershot and surrounding area, which
4510-406: The country with 20% of the British Army being based in and around the town. Aldershot was home for two Infantry Divisions and a Cavalry Brigade in addition to large numbers of artillery, engineers, service corps and medical services. At the start of World War I , the units based at Aldershot became the 1st Corps of the British Expeditionary Force , and soon tens of thousands of new recruits came to
4592-426: The defence of the United Kingdom while much of the British Army was overseas. Additional units of the Canadian Army followed later creating the largest force of British Commonwealth troops ever to be stationed in the UK at one time. The Aldershot riot of July 1945 caused considerable damage to the town centre when disgruntled Canadian troops tired of waiting to be repatriated rioted in the streets for two evenings. In
4674-434: The eldest daughter in default of sons prevailed, as over a large part of Cumberland, and this is a peculiarly Norse custom. The first recorded mention of the manor of Aldershot is in 1573 in the will of Sir John White of Aldershot (c1512–1573), alderman of London and knighted when he became Lord Mayor of London (1563-4). He left Aldershot Manor to his son Sir Robert White of Aldershot (died 1599). He in turn left
4756-440: The first team to win the Football League Fourth Division promotion play-offs, at the expense of a far bigger club – Wolverhampton Wanderers . Bob Grant (actor) Robert St Clair Grant (14 April 1932 – 8 November 2003) was an English actor, comedian and writer, best known for playing bus conductor Jack Harper in the television sitcom On the Buses , as well as its film spin-offs and stage version. Grant
4838-461: The lack of trying". After the gig, the band went on to London to join an after hours jam at the Blue Gardenia Club. Weeks after this Brian Epstein became the group's manager. At the end of the 1990s and the start of the 2000s, an underground scene of rock bands cropped up around Aldershot. Notable bands include Reuben , Vex Red , Inter and Hundred Reasons . The Palace (previously The Palace Cinema, The Rhythm Station, Cheeks, Vox), influenced
4920-436: The large training centre in the Camp. This had a great effect on the civilian town as there was a great shortage of accommodation for the troops and many were billeted in local houses and schools. Aldershot played a vital role in the formation of Kitchener's Army , providing the core of the Army from 1914 onwards as well as treating the wounded brought back from the trenches in France and Flanders. The Cambridge Military Hospital
5002-448: The manor to be divided between his two daughters, Ellen the wife of Sir Richard Tichborne and Mary, the wife of Sir Walter Tichborne , brother of Richard. The 18th-century jurist Charles Viner lived in the town and printed his A General Abridgment of Law and Equity on a press in his home. In the 18th century, the stretch of the London to Winchester turnpike that passed through Aldershot between Bagshot and Farnham (now known as
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#17328583497055084-437: The place is now open". Entertainers and personalities who have appeared at the Princes Hall include Gene Pitney , Ivor Emmanuel , Billy Fury , Marty Wilde , Heinz , New World , Martha Reeves and the Vandellas , Bobby Crush , Charles Hawtrey , Kenny Ball , Tommy Trinder , Bobby Davro , Syd Lawrence , Geno Washington , Jools Holland , Jane McDonald , Anna Karen , Joe Brown , Harry Corbett and Matthew Corbett in
5166-400: The rapid growth of the hardcore scene from 1992 to 1995. Weekly events included Fusion (Hectic Records) , Tazmania, Slammin' Vinyl and Future World. The club also groomed local talents such as DJ Sharkey , DJ Mystery, DJ Sy, DJ Unknown, Vinylgroover, DJ NS, Hixxy, MC Freestyle, MC Young, MC Smiley and Spyder MC. The location of Aldershot between Southampton and London meant the club became
5248-482: The series and the final spin-off film, Holiday on the Buses . His last acting role was in Funny Money at Devonshire Park Theatre from July 1998. In 1954, he married Jean Hyett; the marriage would end in divorce. In 1962, he married for the second time, to Christine Sally Kemp; they later divorced. He was in a relationship with On the Buses guest star Gaye Brown, until he broke up with her to date (and eventually marry) Kim Benwell. When Grant married for
5330-428: The show. In addition, Ivor Jay and the Jaywalkers failed to appear. However, the band and friends had their own fun after the show, drinking ale, playing football with bingo balls and dancing the foxtrot. The noise became so loud that a neighbour called the police who shut the event down. When interviewed in 1983 about the Aldershot gig, Paul McCartney described it as "the night we couldn't get arrested, but it wasn't for
5412-453: The statue and would not consider its removal from its arch. In 1885, the Prince of Wales handed over the monument to Lieutenant General Anderson, the commander of the Aldershot Garrison. The observatory is a circular red-brick building with a domed roof, and it stands on Queen's Avenue. Inside is a telescope , 8-inch refractor , mounted on a German-type equatorial mount with a clockwork drive. The telescope and observatory building were
5494-433: The streets of Birmingham , Grant instead caught the ferry to Dublin, "It was a horrible night on that boat", he continued. "I'd been to Dublin before and it seemed such a nice place. I wanted to end it all, either by jumping in the River Liffey or ironically under a bus." Grant stayed at a guesthouse in Dublin to think things over. He called Kim, but there was no answer; she was at the time filming an appeal to find him. On
5576-449: The strength of the appeal, Grant eventually returned to England, where his absence had caused a small stir, which allowed him to gain a few more acting jobs. A further long gap in employment led to another suicide attempt in 1995, this time by carbon monoxide poisoning . Grant was discovered just in time, slumped over the steering wheel of his car, which was filled with exhaust fumes, and admitted to hospital for treatment. He and Kim took
5658-430: The third time in 1971, with his On the Buses co-star Stephen Lewis as Best Man , there were huge crowds outside the register office . Consequently the couple had to abandon their hired Rolls-Royce and walk to the reception. A double-decker bus had been provided for the guests, but they had to walk as well. In the 1980s, he suffered from depression , bipolar disorder and other mental health problems, because of
5740-643: The town also hosted short circuit motor racing including speedway and stock car racing . Greyhound racing took place at Aldershot Stadium, and point-to-point racing at Tweseldown . Famous running club AFD has produced top runners. Aldershot Park hosts a number of sports facilities and organisations. Aldershot is home to arguably the most successful athletics club in British and European history, Aldershot, Farnham & District A.C. The club has produced many Olympians including Roger Hackney , Zola Budd , Lily Partridge and Steph Twell and specialises in middle – long distance running. The home of AFD , as it
5822-425: The town centre. In 2005, Rushmoor Borough Council documented the percentage of vacant shops at 10%, 8% and 7% respectively for Union Street, the Wellington Centre and Wellington Street. The Westgate Leisure Park, which opened in 2012–2013 and which fronts onto Barrack Road, includes a Cineworld cinema, a Morrisons supermarket, and several chain restaurants, including Nando's , Mimosa and Pizza Express . There
5904-528: The town centre. National Express coach services operate between London Victoria and Portsmouth twice a day. Farnborough Airport is located 5 miles (8.0 km) away, with Heathrow 29 miles (47 km) and Gatwick 43 miles (69 km) away. There are various schools in Aldershot. These will be joined by two new primary schools being built as part of the Aldershot Urban extension development of 3,850 houses. This development will also be served by
5986-551: The town's West End can be found Rowhill School , a special school for students of secondary age unable to attend mainstream schooling for a variety of reasons. There are also two private schools, Salesian College and Farnborough Hill School in nearby Farnborough. The local press is the Aldershot News & Mail , a Surrey Advertiser Group broadsheet . At the end of November 2017, the Surrey-Hants Star Courier ,
6068-448: The viewers, and led to three feature films On the Buses (1971), Mutiny on the Buses (1972) and Holiday on the Buses (1973). The series was the peak of his career. When On the Buses finished, Grant found himself heavily typecast as Jack Harper and struggled to get other parts. He toured Australia in the farce No Sex Please, We're British , and continued to appear in musicals and pantomimes. In 1975, he wrote and starred in
6150-550: Was a market town. Prior to 1850, Aldershott was little known. The area was a vast stretch of common land , a lonely wasteland unsuitable for most forms of agriculture with scant population. As it existed at the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, the extensive settlement of Crondall in the north-east corner of Hampshire was certainly Scandinavian, for among the customs of that great manor, which included Crondall, Yateley , Farnborough, and Aldershot, that of sole inheritance by
6232-724: Was based there in the late 19th century during his time in the Army. The area also houses various military and regimental museums, including the Royal Army Physical Training Corps Museum and the Aldershot Military Museum , housed in a red-brick Victorian barracks. Until December 2007, the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces Museum was in Aldershot. It has since moved to the Imperial War Museum Duxford . The RAMC Memorial to
6314-533: Was born in Hammersmith , West London , on 14 April 1932, the son of Albert George Grant (1909–1985) and Florence (1909–2001), née Burston . He was educated at Aldenham School . Grant trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , working in his spare time as a frozen food salesman and also (coincidentally, in view of his later career) as a bus driver. After doing national service in
6396-472: Was briefly revived the following year and attracted 20,000 visitors. In 2012, it was styled as the Aldershot Garrison Show, a smaller free event held on Armed Forces Day . The Army Show was replaced in 2013 with a general Military Festival. Events were held across the town, including an art exhibition, live music, sports events and film screenings. In 1914, Aldershot had the largest army camp in
6478-651: Was sped up under government pressure, and various new building technologies were employed with mixed success. In 1974, Aldershot borough, which had been based at Aldershot Town Hall , merged with Farnborough urban district to form the Borough of Rushmoor under the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 . After a 2009 campaign , the British Government allowed veteran Gurkha soldiers who had served for more than four years, and their families, to settle in
6560-567: Was the first base hospital to receive casualties directly from the Western Front and it was here that plastic surgery was first performed in the British Empire by Captain Gillies (later Sir Harold Gillies ). From 1939 to 1945 during World War II , about 330,000 Canadian troops of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Canadian Infantry Brigades passed through Aldershot for training before being deployed for
6642-539: Was the focus of the council's improvement projects for the town. The Lido became an Olympic venue in 1948 when it was the site of the swimming event in the Modern Pentathlon of that year's London Olympic Games. The pool has extensive areas of shallow water for children to play including a large fountain at the centre. It also has a diving area and water slides. There is an adjoining 25 m indoor pool that allows all year round swimming. The local professional football team
6724-512: Was written by Roy Clarke and produced by Alan Ayckbourn . The programne was transmitted on the BBC Light Programme . Grant played the bus conductor Jack Harper in the television sitcom On the Buses , which ran for 74 episodes between 1969 and 1973; he co-wrote 11 episodes, and one special , with co-star Stephen Lewis (who played Blakey, the Inspector). It was an instant success with
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