Since the Early Iron Age there is evidence of people coming from all over the United Kingdom and the world to make Basingstoke their home.
Early Settlements
One of the most prominent sites in Basingstoke is the Iron Age Hill Fort in Winklebury, while there is no direct evidence to suggest the site was influenced by European migration, it did coincided with the arrival of the La Tène culture from central Europe, known for their advanced metalworking, agricultural techniques, and extensive trade networks. Many of the objects from the Winklebury excavations suggest a thriving community who hunted and farmed the land, as well as creating their own fabrics and pottery and possibly participating in trade with other settlements and travellers passing through.
Roman and Medieval
The excavations in the Brighton Hill South Site during the 1970s-90s revealed evidence of Roman immigration and settlement in the area and the existence of a Medieval village, with objects such as a small balance beam indicating trade. Tax records from 1440 show immigrants living and working in Basingstoke with names like Macario Irishman, a servant from Ireland, and John Walssh, likely from Wales, show the arrival of people from across the British Isles. These immigrants often worked for influential local families, Nicholas Pays, for example, served the Grete family, who owned a butcher and carpentry business in Basingstoke.
Modern Migration
One of the most significant periods of immigration during the 20th century was directly following the Second World War. During the 1940s-1970s many people came from all over the Commonwealth to help Britain to rebuild after the war and fill essential jobs such as working in the local hospital. And Basingstoke continued to grow, as a result of the post-war rejuvenation and the 1960s London overspill, from a small market town to a centre of business and industry with large companies bringing people from all over the world to build their lives in Basingstoke.
Recent work
Basingstoke's My Home: Local Stories with Global Roots was an exhibition co-curated in partnership with a community collective formed as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, funded Hunters & Gatherers project. As well as celebrating different cultures and the diversity that makes Basingstoke such a special place to live, the exhibition also looked at the historical and archaeological evidence of immigration into the local area. The exhibition featured objects from the Hampshire Cultural Trust collections as well as loans from individuals whose personal stories were included exhibition.
Photos:
Top: Some of the oral history participants who told their stories for the 'Basingstoke's My Home' exhibition standing next to the welcome panel
Bottom Left: Part of the 'Basingstoke's My Home' exhibition featuring objects from HCT's collections
Bottom Right: 'Basingstoke's My Home' community collective
