Yateley
Yateley is a town in
Hampshire,
England, near the
River Blackwater and is a northewestern
suburb of the Blackwater Valley
conurbation. It lies just north of the A30 national route, some 56 km (35 miles) west-southwest of London and 24 km (15 miles) south of Reading.
Yateley Hall in the town dates from the
thirteenth century, but the town itself was mentioned in the
eleventh century Domesday Book. Through the next few centuries it would develop into a coach-hub between
London and
Reading, finally establishing itself as a residential area with local businesses and light service industries.
It is flanked by Blackbushe
Common, the Blackwater River valley and Trilakes Country Park. It is a mainly commuter town with excellent private car links to London, Reading,
Aldershot and
Guildford but a very poor standard of public transport. It is also linked by
Blackbushe Airport complex, which caters for leisure flights and small business flight operations. The complex also contains a thriving car auction, a go-kart track, an abandoned
WW2 airfield and is the venue for the popular
Blackbushe Sunday Market.
The Reading Road acts as the town's main business link, with numerous shops and other businesses located along this road. Yately also has a village green with
cricket club, a church, a golf course, and several traditional pubs.
Yateley a fairly affluent area. Approximately 75% of residents are in the ABC1 social class category.
Yateley had a population of 15,663 according to the
2001 census.
Local legend, The Parson of Darby Green, a
Highwayman, used Yateley and the Reading Road as his main stamping ground.
The name
"Yateley" derives from the
Middle English "Yate" meaning
"Gate" and
"Lea" which is a
river crossing or
bridge. As the old entrance to Yateley was a small bridge across the River Blackwater near Trilakes, that Yateley is right on the border of the three counties
Hampshire,
Berkshire and
Surrey, and that the town's logo is a
three-styled gate with
keys and a
tudor rose (from the period of county-boundary formation) identifies its meaning.
The Dog and Partridge public house in Yateley used to be the official headquarters of the
Official Monster Raving Loony Party. Its one-time feline leader, Catmandu, was tragically run over on Reading Road.
In the hit British TV mockumentary
The Office, lead character David Brent explains to the audience
"When I'm finished with Slough there's… Reading, Aldershot, Bracknell, you know. I've got Didcot, Yateley…". There is a medium-sized business park located near Blackbushe Airport which has all the hallmarks of Slough's business estate.
The town falls under the siren test area of
HMRP Broadmoor, with a siren test occurring every monday at 10 am. It sounds similar to an air-raid siren.
Some of the first meetings to put together the
Gunpowder Plot took place in Yateley, which led to one residential area's roads being named after some of the conspirators, such as
Robert Catesby, Throgmorton, and Ryves.
It is the home of the Yateley and District Lions [
1].
In the
Test the Nation programme on English and spelling broadcast on
BBC television, the overall winner from the Internet was a man from Yateley; however (ironically), the programme actually spelt it "Yately".
Richard "Abs" Breen, from the boyband
5ive went to Yateley Comprehensive, as did Terry Abbot, lead vocalist/guitarist from (the now split) band
Vex Red and now currently in
Septembre.
For a list of local schools see the list of
Hampshire schools.
Yateley School (School Lane) and
Frogmore Community College (Reading Road) â€" Comprehensive secondary schools catering for around 2000-2500 students. They also both have leisure centres, and Yateley School has a 6th Form.
Yateley Junior School and Westfields Junior School â€" each cater for around 500 students. Yateley Junior School maintains strong connections to the
Church of England. There is also an infants school located near the junior school. Also Potley Hill, located next to Frogmore community college caters for 300-400 students
Yateley Manor School â€" an independent (i.e. fee-paying) school catering for around 500 pupils aged 3 to 13.[
2]
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The Yateley Forums*
h2g2 Yateley Edited Guide Entry
