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Basingstoke

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Basingstoke is a large town in Hampshire, England. It is 48 miles (77 km) southwest of London, 30 miles (48 km) northeast of Southampton, 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Reading and 19 miles (31 km) northeast of Winchester. In 2008 it had an estimated population of 82,913. It is part of the borough of Basingstoke and Deane. Basingstoke is often nicknamed "Doughnut City" or "Roundabout City" due to the number of roundabouts.

Often mistaken for a "new town", Basingstoke is an old market town expanded in the 1960s as part of a plan of London County Council, Hampshire County Council and Basingstoke Borough Council. It was developed fast to accommodate part of the London 'overspill' as seen in the Greater London Plan, 1944.[1]

References

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  1. Stokes, Eric (1980). Basingstoke – Expanding Town. The Workers’ Educational Association. p. 15.