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Crooham is one of those places that is divided into two parts by some natural or man made feature, in this case it is the Basingstoke Canal! Church Crookham is situated just outside of Fleet and was once a hamlet that served the tything of Crokeham in the Saxon hundred and parish of Crondall. The village comprises of buildings from all manner of time and there is a large variety of village architecture Crookham Village is at the northern part of the village or north of the Basingstoke Canal and it borders Dogmersfield to the north and the village of Fleet to the east. Church Crookham is by far the larger area and this borders Fleet in the East. The Parish Church was built in 1841. Where a local car park enters the parish by the Basingstoke Canal is known as Crookham Wharf and here can be found a cottage which was once inhabited by a Mark Hicks who worked for the company for 82 years, and is recorded in the Guinness Book of Records for being the longest working man in one job in Great Britain. He began work at hte age of ten and held the post of the canal Bailiff right up until 1966 aged 92. An ancient Mummers Play is held a Church Crookham on each Boxing Day, outside the two public houses. The Basingstoke canal had 29 locks and 69 bridges and was used to transport coal and other goods to the county and was used also to carry grain and malt to London, but like everywhere else the coming of the Railway put paid to the waterways of the country and a lot of them fell into disrepair and got blocked, the Basingstoke Canal being one of them. But a band of enthusiasts started a programme i 1973 to clear the canal and get it working again and now it is a popular attraction.
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