Everything about Basing House totally explained
Basing House,
Hampshire, was a major
English Tudor palace and
castle that once rivalled
Hampton Court Palace in its size and opulence. Today only its foundations and earthworks remain. The ruins are a Grade II
listed building and a
Scheduled Ancient Monument.
History
Basing House was built in 1535 as a new palace for
William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester,
treasurer to
King Edward VI,
Queen Mary I and
Queen Elizabeth I.
In its final form, Basing House was made up of two linked houses. The
Old House was located within a defensive ring of earthworks and walls, whilst the more modern
New House was a more domestic building located outside the defences. A bridge and gateway linked the two across and through the defences; a link that was to prove fatal in the final battle for Basing House. Taken together, the house had 380 rooms, was five storeys high and was considered by many to be the greatest private house in the country.
At the time of the outbreak of the
English Civil War in 1642, Basing House belonged to
John Paulet, the fifth Marquis of Winchester, who was a supporter of
King Charles I. As a consequence,
parliamentary troops attacked Basing House on three different occasions, with the defenders successfully driving off the first two.
The final siege started in August 1645 when
Colonel John Dalbier, with 800 troops, took up position around the walls. The garrison held out, despite further reinforcements to the attacking force, until
Oliver Cromwell arrived with heavy artillery. By
October 13 1645, the New House had been taken and the defenses of the Old House breached. The final storming took place across the link from the New House. Many valuable goods were carried off and a fire destroyed the building.
John Paulet had his estates confiscated and was sent to the
Tower of London on a charge of high treason, although these charges were later dropped, and the site of Basing House returned to him by
King Charles II. His son
Charles Paulet became wealthy again as a consequence of his support for
William of Orange during the
Glorious Revolution. This wealth was used to pull down what was left of Basing House and to build a new house at
Hackwood.
Location
Basing House is located in the village of
Old Basing, approximately one mile east of the centre of the town of
Basingstoke, in the north of the
English county of
Hampshire. The house is situated close to the upper reaches of the
River Loddon. Because of congestion in Old Basing, the car park for the house is situated several hundred yards away and is accessed by an attractive riverside walk.
Access
The extensive ruins of Basing House, together with a small explanatory exhibition, are open to the public. At the time of writing (
November 22 2004), the ruins are open from April to September, Wednesday to Sunday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., with an admission charge of £1–2. For more details see the Basing House web page in "External links" below.
Further Information
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