OS grid reference SU888557 Country England Post town Camberley Local time Thursday 11:20 AM Dialling code 01252 | Region South East Sovereign state United Kingdom Shire county Surrey District Surrey Heath UK parliament constituency Surrey Heath | |
Population 7,101 (2011 Census. Ward) Weather 9°C, Wind NE at 29 km/h, 73% Humidity | ||
Mytchett is a small suburban village in Surrey, approximately 35 miles south west of London.
Contents
Map of Mytchett, UK
The village is approximately 2 miles long, but is constrained to the north by the South Western Main Line, to the east by the Basingstoke Canal and west by the River Blackwater, meaning the village is only around 3/4 of a mile wide. The census area Mytchett and Deepcut has a population of 6,197, increasing to 7101 at the 2011 Census.
History
Traditionally the village centre is at Mytchett Crossroads where a community centre was erected in the late 1980s. The village shops are 1/2 mile north of this point along the main road towards Frimley Green and Frimley. There used to also be a Post Office. However this was closed down before June 2012, and is now part of the Best One chain, the nearest Post Office is Frimley Green.
Transport
Mytchett has fast road links to London and the South. Buses are half-hourly services to Farnborough, Aldershot and Camberley.
Mytchett is served by London rail services (towards the end of a branch line) from Ash Vale station which is typically 0.7 miles (1.1 km) walking distance with half-hourly trains direct to London Waterloo, The next closest railway stations are North Camp and Farnborough North on the North Downs Line, with services to Reading and Guildford but none direct to London. Farnborough (Main) on the South Western Main Line with services to Basingstoke and London Waterloo is beyond reasonable walking distance (at 3 miles (4.8 km) by path or pavement).
The most regular bus is the number 3, which runs from Camberley to Aldershot twice per hour.
Rudolf Hess
On May 20, 1941, Rudolf Hess was transported from the Tower of London to Camp Z which was at Mytchett Place. This had been specially set up for his arrival with heavy security and bugging devices. Hess spent 13 months at Camp Z, which was the scene for one of his failed suicide attempts; he had thrown himself off a balcony on June 15, 1941.
The June 1942 move from Mytchett Place was to become notable following the release of MI5 files in 1999. Previously unfounded rumours had claimed that Hess was moved because intelligence reports indicated that a Polish group was planning to break into the Camp Z, kidnap Hess, and beat or kill him by way of revenge for Nazi atrocities in Poland. The MI5 files included a reference to reports of a gun battle between Polish soldiers and guards at Mytchett, although no precise details were given, so the link is not conclusive.