Arms of the former Farnborough Urban District Council
Farnborough is a town in the county of Hampshire in the south of England. It is perhaps best known as the home of the Farnborough Air Show, an event that takes place once every two years.
Farnborough lies in north-east Hampshire, close by the Surrey-Hampshire border. The border is defined by the River Blackwater. Over the other side of the river lies the county of Surrey.London is about 33 miles (50 km) further to the north east, and can be reached by rail or via the M3 motorway, which runs north of the town. The main road, named Farnborough Road, enters the town from Camberley to the north, and continues into Aldershot to the south.
The town is the home of Saint Michael's Abbey . The Imperial Crypt there is the burial place of Napoleon III (1808 - 1873), Emperor of France, and his wife Empress Eugenie (1826 - 1920). The crypt of St Peter's Old Parish Church is also believed to house the remains of many of the Earls of Anglesey.
There is also a football team based there, called Farnborough Town F.C..
The airshow takes place at Farnborough Airfield, situated between Farnborough and Fleet and the site of the historic Royal Aircraft Establishment.
Closely associated with Farnborough Airfield is Samuel Cody. Cody, or Col Sam Cody as he was known, was one of the early pioneers of aviation.
Against strong opposition by the local community, Farnborough Airfield has been turned into a business airport within the last few years. Opposition to the business airport has been chronicled by Blackwater Environmental Justice (alternative link). FARA was formed by the local community to oppose the airport expansion. The airport is operated by TAG Aviation.
Comprising one-third each, airport operator and users, local councils and local community, Farnborough Airport Consultative Committee (FACC) meets three times a year to discuss and hopefully resolve problems caused by the airport to the local community. The meetings are open to the public. Reports of the proceedings are usually covered by the local press ('Farnborough Mail' or 'Farnborough News') and 'Indymedia UK' (search for FACC or Farnborough Airport).
External links