Oliver’s Battery, Winchester.
Oliver's Battery is home to about 700 households and is located on a prominent hilltop just south of the City of Winchester.
A bit of history
The Oliver’s Battery name dates back to the English Civil War and is specifically associated with Oliver Cromwell's siege of Winchester in 1645. A map of 1780 refers to the area as "Cromwell's Camp" and later maps show it as "Oliver Cromwell's Battery".
For centuries, Oliver's Battery was open downland grazed by sheep. Permanent settlements only appeared in the early years of the twentieth century with the establishment of a military camp. During the First World War the army maintained an extensive Veterinary Hospital for horses. After the war, the camp was split up with army huts being used as dwellings and gradually, a community developed.
Kings Secondary School
Oliver’s Battery is firmly within the Kings school catchment area. The ‘happy and successful’ Secondary School has around 1680 pupils. The most recent Ofsted inspection resulted in an excellent classification with 30 out of 31 sections of the report considered outstanding.
Primary School
Olivers Battery Primary School is a state school for children aged between 4 to 11. The lastest Ofsted report in 2019 gave the school a good rating overall.
The local shops
The local shops were built in the 1960’s and have been home to many loved shops over the years including Barlows butchers and Peter Hansford cycles.
St Mark’s Church
Twinned with St Luke’s Church is Stanmore, they describe themselves as a '“parish church for everyone in Stanmore, Oliver’s Battery, Badgers Farm, Winchester Village and the roads around Kings School.”