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Basing Fen
Basing Fen, a Countryside Heritage Site, is an extensive area of peatland that
forms the headwaters of the River Loddon and can be found between the railway
line and Redbridge Lane. The permanently wet ground supports a variety of
habitats (including fens, reed-beds and alder woodland) and species (such as
the southern marsh orchid and Loddon Lily or summer snowflake). The site is
also an important bird and invertebrate site.
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Basing House
Old Basing's most exciting historic ruin was once the country's largest private
house, the palace of the powerful courtier William Paulet, Marquess of
Winchester. A rich servant of the Tudor sovereigns, his new buildings covered
about 10 acres and formed the last of a succession of castles. The earthwork
banks of the castle built by the Normans still dominate the ruins. The wealth
and power of the Paulet family, their loyalty to the Crown and their nearness
to London brought disaster to Basing in the Civil War. After long and stirring
sieges, and bombardments by great armies the house fell to Oliver Cromwell in
person. The ruins, the old and new houses, the riverside walk and the
spectacular barn all help to make an attraction of beauty and charm. The
recreated 17th century garden enhances this beauty and brings life back again
to the long deserted ruins. Basing House was recently the subject of a
Channel 4
Timeteam dig. Basing
House
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Basingstoke
Canal
The Basingstoke Canal has
had quite a chequered history having opened in 1794, linking the River Wey at
Weybridge with Basingstoke - a distance of 37 miles. However, traffic was
always very light and it struggled to survive financially. Grand plans were
afoot to make it a through route, but the arrival of the London to Southampton
railway in 1846 dealt the final blow. The canal lingered on, in and out of
trouble, until 1914, when traffic between Woking and Basingstoke ceased. The
collapse of the Greywell Tunnel near Odiham closed this section in 1932, but
boats continued to Woking until 1949. The Greywell tunnel, now home to a large
colony of bats, and the M3 motorway prevent a complete reopening, but much of
the canal has now been restored and there are boat trips from Odiham. The path
of the canal can still be followed (even though it now forms the basis of some
gardens in the village) because of its distinctive cut and by the canal bridges
that still exist in places in Old Basing.
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Blacklands Farm
These wet meadows and peaty soil on the floodplains of the rivers Loddon and Lyde boast abundant wildlife including birds such as snipe and insects including dragonflies.
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Great Barn
The outer walls of this 16th century barn still carry the scars of war. As you
walk around the outside and interior of the great old barn it is possible to
imagine being there during those battles. Regular full-dress re-enactments
help.
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St Mary's Parish
Church & old cemetery
The parish church of
St. Mary
is a grade one listed building steeped in history. Basing was once an important
place in north-east Hampshire and this is reflected by the size of its church:
a huge triple-gabled building with a strong central tower. The building was
originally built of 'Hampshire diamond' flints, but rebuildings have largely
replaced this with local Tudor brickwork. The church today is mainly 16th
century but there is visible evidence of its earlier roots. The earliest
mention of a church in Old Basing was in 1077. The original wooden church was
rebuilt in stone in 1089 but the oldest structural features of the present
building date from the early 12th century. St Mary's is well worth a visit, not
least because it gives a chance to relive history. It suffered at the hands of
the victorious Roundheads during the siege of Basing House, and bullet holes
from that war are still visible (as indeed they are at nearby Basing House and
the Great Barn). Such was the destruction heaped upon St Mary's by the puritan
troops of Cromwell that only the statue of the Virgin Mary remained intact.
Tradition says it was hidden by a covering of ivy. At the restoration, the
building was in such a poor state that there was a national appeal for the
relief and restoration of 'Desolate Basing Church' which had have been
"demolished, the seats and pulpits burned and bells and other ornaments
plundered and taken away, the window ledges used as breastworks with firing
platforms beneath them; the walls had been breached and the lead roofs
disappeared."
The Friends of
St Mary's helps to maintain and refine St. Mary's Church. Further
information from: The Friends of St. Mary's, The Vicarage, Church Lane, Old
Basing, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG24 7DJ. The PIOCC Conservation Group (see
club's and societies for contact details) looks after the church grounds
including a conservation area.
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Oliver's
Battery
This spot, in the centre of Old Basing between the Village Hall and the
Recreation Ground is the site of a Norman castle and is now protected as an
ancient monument.
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River Loddon
The Loddon with its floodplains and water meadows provides a tranquil reminder of the parish history. The river was almost certainly a reason for the first settlers deciding this was a place to live, and was used for watercress beds, which still survive in the village.
The River Loddon rises at was once West Ham Farm, Basingstoke and is fed by springs that come from the upper chalk aquifer. It flows for 45.2km, in a north-easterly direction, over London Clay, to its junction with the River Thames just west of Wargrave. While the River Blackwater is the major tributary of the Loddon and joins it near Swallowfield, two other tributaries, Pettys Brook and the River Lyde both join the Loddon close to the north-east boundary of Old Basing parish. The River Lyde also rises within the parish close to Huish Lane.
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The Mill Field
Rich in flora and fauna, the open space is long green strip stretching from the
old mill house (now a pub and restaurant) to Pyotts Hill. The River Loddon
flows along the eastern side of the site although much of the land is in private ownership and
fishing rights are protected. The site is particularly popular with walkers and
riders.
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