Coordinates: 51°10′36″N 1°02′01″W / 51.17677°N 1.033553°W
| Lasham | |
  Lasham
Lasham shown within Hampshire |
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| Population | 466 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Parish | Lasham |
| District | East Hampshire |
| Shire county | Hampshire |
| Region | South East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ALTON |
| Postcode district | GU34 |
| Dialling code | 01256 |
| Police | Hampshire |
| Fire | Hampshire |
| Ambulance | South Central |
| European Parliament | South East England |
| List of places: UK • England • Hampshire | |
Lasham is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 3.4 miles (5.5 km) northwest of Alton, just off the A339 road.
The nearest railway station is Alton, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) southeast of the village.
Lasham Airfield was once famous as a wartime airfield. It is now a well-known gliding centre. The centre of the village still retains much of its original character.
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Until recent times, the name was pronounced 'Lass-ham' but 'Lash-am' now predominates.
Many of the houses have been modernised and extended e.g. the Old Post Office and Pear Tree Cottage which used to be the home of the blacksmith. In the grounds of Pear Tree Cottage stands an 18th century building which held the forge and blacksmith's shop. The village pond is fed by local springs and is regularly cleaned out, now it is the home of waterfowl and there is a large stock of goldfish.
The village gave its name to a Ham class minesweeper, HMS Lasham.
Economy
Lasham Airfield
The airfield was constructed in 1942 for use by RAF squadrons on active operations. A beech avenue that was planted by George Jervoise in 1809 was demolished to make way for it. To build the airfield, the road between Herriard and Lasham was closed and a new concrete road, which is now part of the A339, was built to the west by Italian labourers and Italian prisoners of war. The airfield is now a major centre for the sport of gliding, see also article on Lasham Airfield. The airfield is also used by ATC Lasham Ltd who service Boeing airliners. They are the major employer in the area.[1]
Humbly Grove Oil Field and Gas Storage
The Humbly Grove oil field, east of the airfield, was discovered in 1980 and production began in 1984, with up to 1000 barrels a day of crude oil being piped to the terminal at Holybourne, near Alton. In 1995 the oil field was developed into an underground gas storage facility, with a gas pipeline linking it to the national gas grid at Barton Stacey. The replenished gas cap on the oil field increased the pressure on the remaining oil, boosting production and increasing the lifetime of the extraction.[2]
Lasham parish
For around 200 years Lasham was part of the Herriard Park estate and until recent reorganisation, Herriard and Lasham were served by the same vicar, with the rectory being in Lasham. Today it comes under the benefice of Shalden, Bentworth and Lasham. The church of St Mary was constructed in 1866 on the site of an old Saxon church.
Water supply
Church Farm at Lasham was managed by Mrs Beatrice Jervoise during WWI and she was so very concerned over the shortage of water that she brought in a dowser. He was so successful that Major and Mrs Jervoise founded the Herriard and Lasham Water Company and reservoirs were constructed in Lasham Wood to hold the water. Water was then pumped from here to Lasham, Herriard, Shalden, Bentworth, Wield, Tunworth, Weston Corbett, Ellisfield, Medstead, Bradley and Preston Candover.
Transport
The village was formerly served by the Bentworth and Lasham railway station on the Basingstoke and Alton Light Railway, until its closure in 1932.
References
- ^ ATC Lasham Ltd
- ^ "Star Energy - Humbly Grove Gas Storage". 14 April 2009. http://www.pesgb.org.uk/PESGB/S4/S4_LonApr09.asp. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
External links
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