| Fleet | ||||||||||||
The M3 motorway, which runs between Southampton and
London, has just two service areas one is at Winchester and the second
at Fleet. Until the 1950s Fleet was still a village which has over the
years expanded so much it is now a small town. A favourite spot for
Londoners who use to bring picnic hampers to sit by Fuglemere the pond
that is here. The name is quite apt as it means Wild fowl lake and
plenty of these appear when food is on hand, and the pond is under the
care of the local council who have made it a wildlife sanctuary.
It was also a favourite with local skaters in the winter when it used to
freeze over.
Talking of water a means of communication that runs through Fleet is the Basingstoke Canal which used to be a very busy waterway as it was found to be the quickest and easiest method to transport bricks and wood for the building of new homes and up unti the coming of the railway, the station which is nearby was built near the end of the 1830s, it used to carry coal but it was neglected and only recently a group of volunteers have cleared the canal and reopened it and made it a popular attraction for visitors. The local Cottage Hospital has had many alterations done to improve it over he years and today it is used mainly for the care of the elderly though an out patients clinic is held here which can provide both X-ray and physiotherapy, but surgery is normally carried out at nearby Basingstoke hospital. |
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