Where Is Basingstoke?

Basingstoke is a town in the north of Hampshire in the UK.  It has a population of around 150,000 and is the third largest settlement in Hampshire.

It is 48 miles southwest of London and 30 miles north of Southampton.  

Although it is thought of as a new town, it is in fact a market town with history that goes back many hundreds of years.  It was mentioned in the Doomsday Book, and it was only in the 1950s that it started expanding significantly to accommodate what was known as the "London overspill".

Basingstoke is a prosperous town with a standard of living that's above average.  It has been in the past the butt of many jokes with its many roundabouts and high rise office buildings.  It was dubbed "Boringstoke" by some who were under the misconception that the town doesn't have much going on.

But that has changed in recent years, especially with the complete redevelopment of the town centre as "Festival Place" which replaced and expanded the old town centre shopping area.  This now includes an expanded range of shops as well as a new cinema and new bars and restaurants.

The two other shopping areas are The Malls, and the Top of the Town.  There are plans for The Malls to be regenerated following the dominance of Festival Place.  The Top of the Town area is the historic part of Basingstoke and includes the town's Willis Museum and the Haymarket Theatre as well as a number of shops and locally run shops and the main Post Office.