About Basingstoke
About Basingstoke in summary
Basingstoke is a modern, vibrant growing town providing a home to many global businesses and over 6,000 businesses in all sectors of the economy. Alongside its commercial credentials is the offer of superb leisure facilities. Situated just 45 minutes away from London, Basingstoke boasts an excellent shopping experience with The Malls and Festival Place, featuring over 200 high street shops, coffee outlets and restaurants. It has been rated as the 3rd fastest growing town in the UK and 7th most affluent.
Shopping and Eating Out in Basingstoke
Festival Place is Basingstoke’s lively shopping centre with an array of small shops, large arcades and tempting eateries. Here you’ll find 20 mouth-watering eateries, from the French Cote Brasserie to the Japanese Kokoro and The Sushi Maki, as well as firm favourites Nando’s, Wagamama, Pizza Express and Pret.Buy some of these fantastic local products at farm shops in the area including the famous Laverstoke Park Farm run by Jody Shecktor, former F1 racing champion and Wellington Farm Shop, which is part of the Stratfield Saye Estate.More local produce is available at Basingstoke Market, held every Wednesday and Saturday. Here you can find fruit and vegetables, meats, sweets, olives, cheeses, chutneys, fresh eggs and home-made bread and cakes.
Arts and Theatres in Basingstoke
There are arts venues in Basingstoke, catering for all appetites and tastes – from classical music and comedy to West End plays and modern dance. The Anvil, with its excellent acoustics, is one of the region’s leading music venues while Anvil Arts offers an exciting and varied programme of dance, theatre, opera, and comedy.
Basingstoke’s Leisure Park
The Leisure Park offers a wide range of activities including ice skating, bingo and bowls. It is home to a multiplex cinema, a bowling alley and one of the most exciting swimming facilities in the country.
Discover the thrill of skydiving at this indoor skydiving centre in Basingstoke. iFly is one of only three places in the country where you can try this unique activity. Alongside the Leisure Park, with its ice skating, bowling, swimming complex and cinemas, you’ll find the fascinating Milestones Museum. Here you can walk through Victorian and 1930s streets, explore the shops, houses and workplaces of yesteryear and discover what everyday life was like for our ancestors
Nearby attractions
Stratfield Saye House
The Vyne.
Basing House
Highclere Castle on the Hampshire/Berkshire border
Calleva Atrebatum
Roman Silchester City walls and Amphitheatre
Bombay Sapphire Distillery
Events
Basingstoke also plays host to the annual kite and transport festivals as well as the music festival B LOVE which marks the end of Basingstoke Festival, an annual arts and entertainment festival. Fabrics such as wool, silk and Burberry gabardine have played an important role in Basingtoke’s development and at nearby Whitchurch Silk Mill, which produces high quality silk for costume dramas and stately homes, you can find out more about this fascinating tradition.