Boscombe Down
| Boscombe Down,Wiltshire
|
Contents |
Locations
The Boscombe Down area includes military facilities at the following locations:
- Boscombe Down
DE Allocations for Boscombe Down are through Warminster Housing Information Centres.
Area Overview
RAF Boscombe Down is situated in the beautiful countryside of Wiltshire. Boscombe Down lies just off the A303, making it easy to reach places such as Salisbury, Basingstoke, Reading and London as well as Southampton, Bournemouth and Exeter. The village of Amesbury is situated just ½ mile from Camp and just outside Amesbury are the recognised World Heritage sites of Stonehenge and Woodhenge. MOD Boscombe Down is a Contractor Operated site that is responsible for the test and evaluation of new aircraft and aircraft equipment that enter service. This HQSTC site is operated by our commercial partner QinetiQ who in agreement with the MOD, and with the support of the placed military, help deliver the test and evaluation tasks placed upon the Joint Test and Evaluation Group.
Home to the Empire Test Pilots School that sees one course graduate each year, the site also provides support to other lodged units such as the Tornado In-Service Software Maintenance Team and the Harrier Software Maintenance Unit as well as regional support to RAF Personnel at Joint Helicopter Command HQ Land and the Defence Nuclear Biological Chemical Centre Winterbourne Gunner. Boscombe Down is also the home to Southampton University Air Squadron.
Children and Education
The catchment area schools in Amesbury are primary: Christ the King RC School,Archers Gate Primary and Amesbury Primary walking distance.
There are however also a number of other schools in nearby villages (5-10 minutes drive) which are willing to accommodate service families even though outside their catchment areas including: Winterbourne Earls, (Winterbourne Gunner) and Idmiston C of E Primary, Gomeldon Primary as well as the Woodfords Primary and Fighldean Primary. Served with a great choice of schooling in the area.
There are Grammar schools in Salisbury for Boys and Girls, as well as private and specialist schools. The Grammar School admission details are contained in the Wiltshire LEA Education Guide and the private and specialist schools through the Independent Schools Council Information Service (ISCis) or Independent Schools of the British Isles.
Transport and Travel
Boscombe Down (Amesbury) is in a lovely part of Southern England, with Stonehenge and other areas of historical interest in close proximity. Salisbury is our nearest ‘city’ located 8 miles south. If it’s “Big City” shopping or entertainment that you require, Southampton, Swindon and London are all easily accessible by road, bus or rail.
There are regular buses to Amesbury and Salisbury and Andover, which can be caught directly outside the gates to camp (opposite the Families Centre.)
Pets
Medical and Dental
The station Medical Centre treats serving members at Boscombe Down. Families are treated at either The Barcroft Practice or Mellor House Surgery located in Amesbury.Larkhill Medical Centre is also available to dependents of serving personnel. There is a local dentist practice generally able to accommodate new families; however other dental options are available in Salisbury.
Sports and Leisure
Shopping and Tourism
Amesbury is our nearest town, just over a mile (down hill) from station and families’ quarters. It is small but quite good for basic shopping needs with a Post Office, Chemists, Opticians, Library, Banks, and Hairdressers, a good sized Co-op and various smaller shops, including two value shops with a good selection of miscellaneous items. Free parking is available on the High Street and at nearby convenient car park. Solstice Park has KFC, Pizza Hut and Harvester.
Salisbury The Cathedral City of Salisbury is eight miles away providing an excellent selection of restaurants and bars, with good bus links running every half-hour. In Salisbury, there is also a more comprehensive selection of shopping and super-markets (Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose) and most other high street stores (Marks & Spencer’s, Debenhams, BHS,Homebase, B&Q, Matalan, Staples, Halfords, to name but a few, can be found on the Industrial Estate, Southampton Road, (off the A36 Ring Road). Market Days in Salisbury are Tuesdays & Saturdays.
