The Danes .UK

The Danes is a community who live in fifty four flats and maisonettes situated in Goat Lane in the borough of Basingstoke and Deane, Hampshire, England. 

The Danes is part of a story of settlement that has continued for over eight thousand years.

A photo of the last phase of building at The Danes is followed by a map of the area created in 1871. The light blue circle shows the site of The Danes that would be build 100 years later. Touch either image above to enlarge.

Basing is a settlement in the heart of Hampshire, England, that was first established in the early sixth century by the followers of Basa, the head of an old English tribe whose territory formed a part of the early Kingdom of Wessex.

Stoke is derived from the word ‘stoc’, a hamlet that depended on a larger nearby settlement. In the case of Basingstoke this larger place was Basing. Basingstoke today has a population exceeding 120,000, and Basing is now its smaller neighbour with a population of under 4,000.

The map above shows the area of The Danes as it was during the mid twentieth century, just prior to it being built. Newer buildings, including The Danes indicated with a pale blue circle, are also shown in faint outline.

Simplified A to Z paper street maps of Basingstoke like the one below are no longer published.

Basingstoke town centre from above as it is today.

Basingstoke town is around 5 square miles (8 square km). The Borough of Basingstoke and Deane is an administrative area of 245 square miles (398 square km). The Borough has a total population of close to 200,000.

The word 'Borough' derives from the Old English word 'burg' and 'burh', meaning a fortified settlement; the word 'borg' in Scandinavian refers to a stronghold.

'Deane' derives from the Old English word 'denu', meaning valley.

Basingstoke and Deane: a large area in north Hampshire with an ancient meandering valley at its heart that borders The South Downs to the south and west, an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The River Loddon, a tributary to the River Thames, begins its journey a mile to the west of The Danes at the outskirts of what was the old town of Basingstoke called Brookvale (a valley with a small stream).

The image below shows an impression of how the river may have been populated in Neolithic times.

100 years ago, well before the strengthening river was diverted beneath the development of a new town centre (beginning in the 1960s and completed in 2002 with the opening of Festival Place), The Danes would have been no more than a stone's throw away from the banks of the River Loddon. Today the river starts its more constant and visible journey a short five minute walk from The Danes.

The Danes is a coherent development of three large integrated brick buildings typical of the period, with a concrete structure, flat roofs, and concrete details that frame and support its four stories. The Danes was built in three stages: Blocks A, B, and C.

Brick has been used locally as a building material for hundreds of years because of the clay found in the local area. A walk of a little over three kilometres along the river Loddon to the east are ruins at Basing of the largest brick built building in Tudor England. The tradition of highly skilled brick building continued for hundreds of years in the town, culminating in 1905 in the beautifully built building designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. The Daneshill Brick and Tile Company office was found within the clay pits and kilns of the brickyard and is pictured below.

In 1961 with a population of a little over 20,000, plans were drawn up for the significant expansion of Basingstoke. The plan would see close to 40,000 additional people from London move into the market town over a period of just ten years.

Initial planning and building of The Danes began on 20th February 1973, and was completed by a local building firm on 10th September 1976.

Long open balconies with gently arching openings and metal railings run the length of each dwelling on the upper floors of blocks B and C. Although the design of the building remains consistent, Block C enjoyed improvements in the size of the studio flats that host a hallway, small kitchen, bathroom, and single living area. The two story maisonettes that are situated on the upper floors of blocks A and C ensure a degree of mixed housing. The covered, open air, interconnecting public walkways feature throughout the building and host two stairwells at either end of Block B.

1970's architecture was often characterised by an emphasis on simplicity of form and line, and the frequent use of visible concrete.

The earliest settlements in the borough date back to Neolithic times (over 5,000 years ago) and further evidence from the Bronze, Stone, and Iron Age have been discovered in and around Basingstoke.

After the Roman conquest around two thousand years ago, the area of Basingstoke was surrounded by large Roman settlements that continued to be occupied until their abandonment in the 7th century.

By the early ninth century much of the east of England was under Danish rule, with the significant territories of East Anglia and Northumbria having been conquered and settled by the Danes. 

The kingdom of Mercia was partitioned between English and Viking control. Mercia, 'kingdom of the border people', was settled by the Anglo Saxons after the Roman occupation, and was known as the Midlands of England. Basinga was on its extreme southern boundary. This set the stage for ongoing conflicts as the Anglo-Saxons, a member of the Germanic peoples conquering England in the fifth century and forming the ruling class until the Norman conquest, sought to reclaim their territories from Viking dominance.

The word 'Danes' often referred to settled communities, while 'Vikings' denoted aggressive groups. Both words refer to early medieval Scandinavians.

In the year 871 a Saxon Chronicle records how King Ethelred of Wessex and his brother Alfred lost a significant battle with the Vikings within a short walking distance of The Danes. Ethelred, King of the West Saxons, died, and Alfred succeeded him in the same year. King Alfred learned from his defeats, and a few years later became the first King of all Saxons, and the only king of England to have the title 'Great' associated with his name.

From its beginnings around a thousand years ago Basingstoke remained a small market town set in the heart of rich agricultural land. With a population of around 500 in the thirteenth century, it grew slowly to 1500 by the end of the medieval period as a place to trade sheep and wool. Between 1605 and 1660 Basingstoke's population was witness to a sudden increase in size.

In 1760 the industrial revelation began that would see more farm animals, their produce, and crops coming into the town. By 1776 a proposal was made to build a canal that would transport surplus agricultural goods from the market town of Basingstoke and across Hampshire, to the River Thames, and then on to be traded and distributed in the capital city, London. The plan was approved by an Act of Parliament in 1778. This was a period when the author Jane Austin, who lived a seven mile walk from Basingstoke, would visit the town for provisions and social occasions.

The Haymarket was built a little over a hundred years later in 1865. This busy corn exchange, now a theatre venue, was a building where merchants from across north Hampshire traded cereal grains like wheat, oat, and barley.

By the 1880s Basingstoke canal was a bustling centre of trade with journeys beginning and ending at The Wharf, a level quayside area where barges moored to load and unload their goods. The extensive timber wharf area hosted a gatekeepers residence in Goat Lane.

The current site of The Danes was built adjacent to what would have been The Wharf after a long period of the canal's decline.

Basingstoke is home to a diverse population who participate in a wide range of activities and work. The town centre is home to The Anvil, a nationally significant concert hall whose name references its agricultural heritage. The sail-like structures of Festival Place, and the arches of The Danes are also visual echoes from its long association with water, agriculture, and its rich history of peoples.