About the village of Bagshot, Surrey
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Bagshot is in the North West corner of both the county of Surrey and the diocese of Guildford. It is situated on the A30 (London to Southampton and the South West of England) where this is crossed by the Guildford to Reading road. The M3 motorway forms Bagshot's southern boundary and the village is immediately adjacent to junction 3.
The neighbouring villages are: Windlesham, Sunningdale and Chobham to the east, Lightwater and Bisley to the south, and Frimley to the south west. Local towns are Camberley some 5 miles (8 km) to the south-west, Bracknell about 5 miles (8km) north-east, Windsor 10 miles (16 km) north, Woking 8 miles (13 km) south east and the Cathedral town of Guildford 12 miles (20 km) south. London Heathrow airport is about 15 miles (24 km) drive.
Geography
Bagshot is on the outer edge of the 'green belt' (an area surrounding London in which development is restricted in order to contain the urban spread), the natural vegetation of the area is heath land (from which the administrative borough of Surrey Heath derives its name). The village is separated from its neighbours by open land, most of it heath. Much of this surrounding land is owned by the Ministry of Defence, and some is Royal Estate.
The village is compact and the housing extends over less than 2 miles (3 km).
History
Bagshot is of Saxon origin, originally in a parish with Windlesham. Coaching inns were the major reason for Bagshot's original prosperity (the village is on the main road from London to the West Country), together with a Royal hunting lodge favoured by the Stuart kings (now known as Bagshot Park and which is again a Royal residence with its occupation by Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex).
See here for more about the origins of Bagshot .
Growth of the village occurred during the first half of the 19th century, largely due to the coaching trade and agriculture, especially market gardening. The opening of the main line railway from London to Southampton and beyond in 1838 destroyed the coaching trade with a resultant depression, but the opening of the local railway line 20 years later promoted renewed growth, particularly with the nursery gardens being better able to supply London's Covent Garden market.
Bagshot separated from Windlesham to become its own ecclesiastical parish in 1874 and the Church was built 10 years later, largely with the patronage of the Duke of Connaught.
St Anne's Church has twice been honoured by a visit from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother , on the first occasion to commemorate the centenary of the building, and more recently to unveil a memorial plaque to Lady Patricia Ramsay ( Princess Patricia ).
Development, Housing & Infrastructure
There is a three-tier local government structure: Surrey County Council ; Surrey Heath Borough Council and Windlesham Parish Council (local government names in rural areas can cause some confusion as a Parish Council is the smallest unit of local government, it is unconnected with the church).
Significant growth has occurred in the size of the village since the 1950's, and especially since the late 60's. The general area having been earmarked in the national and county strategic plans for growth. Most of the housing has been built as diverse estates, though none is excessively large and the essential characteristics of a large village have not been destroyed.
There is an adequate range of shops centred on the High Street. Perhaps still harking back to Bagshot's coaching origins, there are a surprising number of public houses, restaurants and 'take away' cooked food vendors, a lot of their trade coming from outside the village.
Recreation facilities in Bagshot are afforded by two multi-use sports fields and a cricket field . Each have a pavilion / social club and one used to have a youth centre run by the county. There is a tennis club and several local golf clubs. An indoor centre with comprehensive facilities including swimming is available in Camberley, other facilities abound in the area. The members of the cricket club are trying to date the origins of cricket in Bagshot,  information about the club or old photographs especially in the 19th century.
[416.304] [Jun 16]
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There are play areas with equipment suitable for small children (though under supervision) at the very north end of Freemantle Road and to the right of the amenity buildings on the edge of Connaught Park field at the end of Whitmoor Rd .
Bagshot boasts its own Concert Band , there are a couple of Church halls which are used for a multiplicity of purposes, but no cinema or theatre.  There are Scouts and Guides, and Curley Park Rangers are our youth football club.
Roads in the area are good, though the through routes can become congested during the rush hour. The proximity of the M3, 'A' roads and the railway (Bagshot has its own station) make for good connections to London and elsewhere.
Social factors
The population of Bagshot is a little over 5000. Age ranges are widely spread, though due to the housing developments there are probably more in the 25 - 50 age group than the national average. Bagshot is a very pleasant village to live in, and this itself engenders an 'affinity' with the village.
There is no single large employer in the area. There are a range of small businesses in the village, though most residents are employed outside of Bagshot, typically within a radius of 15 miles (25 km), a few commute to London. Unemployment is probably well below the national average.
Crime rates in the whole area are low.
Schools
There are infant and junior schools in Bagshot. The infant school was established in 1870 and served all the children of the village (at that time a child's formal education did not last for many years). The local junior school is Connaught School , like so many things locally it is named after the Duke, though it post dates him by quite a while. St Anne's Church has a very good relationship with the schools and they visit the church a few times a year, for example for their Harvest Festival service.
The local secondary school ( Collingwood ) is a 'Technology College' situated just outside Bagshot's boundaries. Including the Sixth Form College there are over 2000 students.
There are a number of pre-school groups of various types, and the nearest of these visit the church for their Nativity play.
Churches