Turbulent times at Basing House

Huddled around the ruins of Basing House, Old Basing is a miniature time capsule in the shadow of modern Basingstoke. As you stroll across the common or walk beside the picturesque River Loddon, it’s hard to believe that you’re little more than a mile (1.6km) from the bright new shopping malls, bars and cafés at Festival Place.

The modestly named Basing House was, in fact, a Tudor palace and in their time both Henry VIII and Elizabeth I came to stay. Built in 1535 on the site of a Norman castle, its 360 rooms made Basing the largest private house in England. This vast mansion was the home of Sir William Paulet, the first Marquis of Winchester and Lord Treasurer of England.

The battle for Basing House

By the outbreak of the Civil War in 1642 Basing House was in the hands of the Royalist fifth Marquis of Winchester, John Paulet. Troops sheltered here after the Battle of Cheriton in 1644, making this iconic Royalist stronghold a natural target for the Parliamentarians. They attacked the house on no less than three occasions but the end came in October 1645 when, after a two-month siege, a Parliamentary battery under Oliver Cromwell’s personal command finally breached Paulet’s defences. As many as 100 people were reported killed in the attack, though some sources claim less than half that number. What’s more certain is that Cromwell’s troops went on to ransack the house and, following a major fire, Parliament ordered its destruction. It was never rebuilt.

John Paulet himself was charged with high treason, stripped of his estates and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Yet, in the end, Paulet escaped more lightly than his house. The charges against him were dropped and after the Restoration in 1660 Charles II gave him back the site of his former home.

You’ll see the remains of this once majestic building from several angles as your walk completely encircles the site. The great banks of the original Norman castle are clearly visible, framed by fractured sections of Tudor brickwork. As you follow the riverside footpath, look out for the huge Tudor tithe barn on your right, one of the largest of its kind in England.

Go through the kissing gate near to the road entrance and follow the grassy path to a second kissing gate. Bear left onto the waymarked Basing Trail and follow the hedge on your left around the lower slopes of Basingstoke Common as far as the two small trees beside the trail information board.

Cross the stile, then zig-zag left and right over the old canal bridge and follow Redbridge Lane to the junction with Basing Road. Turn left along the pavement for 100yds (91m), then turn sharp right onto the riverside footpath towards Basing House. Keep ahead to the trail information board just before the railway bridge.

Turn right along the path beside the railway and bear right down a road (Bexmoor) to reach St Mary’s Church. Cross the road and keep ahead through the churchyard with the church on your left. Turn right out of the gate and walk down the road for 150yds (137m) to the bend at Whytegates house.

Turn left down the path beside the graveyard; turn left at the T-junction and walk out to the road opposite Old Basing Royal British Legion. Cross the road, walk through the car park and re-join the Basing Trail at a kissing gate. Continue through a kissing gate and beside the Basing House boundary fence until it turns away to the right.

Go across the common towards the woods bordering the A30. Bear right through a gap in the hedge that bisects the common and head for poplar trees on the horizon. Cross the stile to the right of the trees and down through the amphitheatre back to the car park.