Old Basing and Lychpit Parish Council

Parish profile

History | Time line | Potted history of the parish council | Conservation area | Listed buildings | Publications

Old Basing lies to the east of Basingstoke in north-east Hampshire, England. The parish, now comprising the village of Old Basing and the new development in Lychpit, is home to some 10,000 people.

History
Basing can trace its history back with certainty to Saxon times. The parish takes its name from the Basingas, the Saxon tribe and followers of a man called Basa - who first settled in the area (hence the name of the parish magazine - Basinga).

Alfred (before he was king) was defeated here in the Saxon v Dane Battle of Basing in AD871. Lychpit is reputed to be the burial ground of those killed in that battle.

As the settlement grew, so did the demand for land so some inhabitants moved a little to the west and Basingstoke (stoke being stockade or suburb) was born. It's worth remembering that Basingstoke, the great metropolis dominating central north Hampshire, has its origins in Basing.

The village is perhaps best known for the ruins of Basing House.

Places of interest

In the 16th century, on the site of a Norman castle, a Tudor mansion - reputed to have been one of the grandest in England - was built. It was home to the Paulet family who held the titles Dukes of Bolton (from where one of the village pubs, the Bolton Arms, takes its name) and Marquises of Winchester. The family was loyal to the Crown during the English civil war and the beleaguered King Charles I is reputed to have sheltered there.

As Cavaliers (or loyalists) this devotion to the Crown cost the family dear. Opponents of the monarchy, the Roundheads (or Parliamentarians) laid siege to the house before Cromwell in person massed his troops and on 14 October 1645 attacked and plundered the old house. Many of the houses in the centre of the village are built with bricks from the ruined Basing House.

Old Basing is littered with mentions of that great siege and subsequent battle. Reference to Bolton, Cavalier, Cromwell, Crown, Loyal, Oliver, Paulet, Roundhead and Royal abound (just look at the pub names!).

The parish remained fairly static in size until the 1920s when building began in Hatch Lane, Byfleet Avenue and Park Lane (continuing through to the 1950s) and then again in the 1960s at Cavalier Road and Belle Vue Road (probably to coincide with the sudden surge in population of neighbouring Basingstoke which was being developed as a London overspill town). In effect the village doubled in size.

Since then development has become part and parcel of Old Basing life with the new housing at Lychpit and Binfields (part of the South Chineham development) and more recently Crabtree. The historic connections continued with names such as Saxon, Oliver, Gage, Whitehead and Norton.

Now a busy parish nestling on the perimeter of Basingstoke, it is hard to imagine that some 150 years ago Basing was small self-contained village on the outskirts of the Hackwood estate (ancestral home to the Lords Bolton). Byfleet and Binfields were working farms and Lychpit boasted just three farm workers cottages.

Old Basing time line

0-1000AD | 1000-1200AD | 1200-1500AD | 1500-1600AD | 1600-1700AD | 1700-1800AD | 1800-1900AD | 1900-2000AD

Saxon times - Basa led his tribe, the Basingas, and settled in the area - the first known permanent settlement and the origin of the parish name. 871 Battle of Basing. Alfred lost in a Saxon v Dane conflict. The dead were buried at Lychpit. 1066 Basing was one of the spoils of war. The Victorious William carved up his conquest and gave it to his Norman cronies. Basing went to Hugh de Port - one 55 such lordships in Hampshire to go Hugh's way. 1077 Church established in Basing. 1086 From the Domesday Book: Hugh holds Basing Basinges. Altei held it from King Edward; he could go whither he would. Then it answered for 11 hides; now for 6½. Land for 10 ploughs. In lordship 3 ploughs; 20 villagers and 41 smallholders with 11 ploughs. 7 slaves; 3 mills at 50s; meadow, 19 acres; woodland at 25 pigs. Value before 1066 £12; later £8; now £16. 1089 The Monks of Mont St. Michel had the old wooden church rebuilt in stone. 1100 Norman castle built at Basing. 1243 The church rearranges its administration. A vicar is appointed for Basingstoke with two chaplains to help in Basingstoke and two more for Basing - shifting the ecclesiastical centre away from Basing. This reversal of status - Basing reporting to Basingstoke - resulted in the expansion of Basingstoke as the principal location. 1493 Following various titles falling into abeyance, land being passed across generations and titles being reinstated, Basing finally ended up in the hands of the Paulet family. John Paulet was the husband of Constance one of three heirs to a vast empire. They got Basing. 1532 - 1561 Basing House built on the site of an old Norman castle. 1551 John Paulet was created Marquess of Winchester. 1643 (November) the house was attacked by Roundhead General Sir William Waller. 1644 Basing House was besieged for 24 weeks by Col Richard Norton. 1645 (14 October) Basing House fell to Cromwell and burnt. 1680 Although sequestered during the Commonwealth the lands were returned at the Restoration to the Paulets who by this time has escalated their titles to, among others, that of Dukes of Bolton. Basing House demolished and landscaped by the then Duke of Bolton. 1794 When the most noble Prince Henry, Sixth Duke of Bolton, Premier Marquess of England, Earl of Wiltshire, Baron St. John of Basing, died on Christmas Day 1794, Basing was inherited by his elder brother's illegitimate daughter. She married Thomas Orde, who took the name of Powlett in addition to Orde and was created Lord Bolton in 1797. 1794 Basingstoke Canal opens 1826 First record of `Old Basing' (although the term had been used by the locals for many years before then). 1846 Railway opens. 1864 Old Basing became a parish in its own right (first time since 1243). 1866 Old Basing School opens. 1894 Old Basing Parish Council created. 1920s Byfleet estate started. 1932 Basingstoke Canal falls into disuse following the collapse of the Greywell Tunnel. 1950s Cavalier Road/Belle Vue development. 1981 Chineham Development Plan proposes 1,000 new houses at Lychpit. 1999 Plans announced for a new school on the Lychpit/ Chineham border.

Potted history of the parish council
In highlighting a potted history of events surrounding Old Basing Parish Council it is surprising that so many events and concerns have appeared - and reappeared - in the minutes during the 105 years of the council's existence.

Parish councils were created by Act of Parliament in 1894. Old Basing Parish Council, whose jurisdiction at that time included Chineham and Daneshill, held its first meeting on 4 December 1894.

1894 to 1900

The oldest set of surviving minutes is dated 17 January 1895. The venue for the meeting was the Workmans Club. The minutes show that the council's bankers as Capital & Counties Bank in Basingstoke.
Before the turn of the century there had been calls to:

• Install street lamps in the village street
• Build a railway station
• Improve the Basingstoke Canal
• Improve the state of roads and footpaths in the parish
• Build a parish hall on land leased from Lord Bolton

The electoral register for the period listed 235 voters for the period 30 November 1894 to 31 December 1895.

1901 to 1920

The minute books for the period July 1904 to July 1920 are missing. If anyone knows of their whereabouts, please contact the parish clerk.

1921 to 1930

During this period council meetings were held in the school and in 1923 it asked the Rural District Council to erect "Please drive slowly through the village" signs. (These were finally erected in 1998!) The Parish Council also resisted attempts to absorb the village into the Borough of Basingstoke.

1931 to 1940

Street names and house numbering was agreed for all dwellings in the parish.

1941 to 1950

Agreed to buy 840 numbers at two shillings and three pence per dozen (about 12p) to number all dwellings in the parish. Postage and screws were extra.

1951 to 1960

The Southern Electricity Board agreed to provide a supply to Chineham. Attempts were made to get an improved bus service to Little Basing. It was reported that the newly erected noticeboard at the Recreation Ground had been defaced. The parish clerk told of difficulties in getting reports from the council published in the Hants & Berks Gazette.

1961 to 1970

The Rural District Council had invited tenders for the surfacing of Belle Vue Road. The Coronation Tree was in need of pruning and the new bus shelter had had one of its windows broken. The RDC also agreed to make up the roads on the Byfleet Estate.

1971 to 1980

The bus shelter at Crossways was reported as being in need of repair. Planning applications included one for Rileys Lane burial ground and another to replace the old rectory with the Old Basing Infants School, a residential development (known as The Mead) and a replacement rectory in Milkingpen Lane.

1981 to 1990

Local government re-organisation moved the Daneshill Area of the parish into a Basingstoke town ward and the County Council promoted the Chineham Development Brief to create almost 1,000 new houses in the Lychpit and Chineham areas of the parish. In 1986 the separate parish of Chineham was created and the Old Basing electoral register was divided to give 4,338 voters to Old Basing and 2,403 voters to Chineham.

1991 to 2000

Betty Holmes MBE was made the first Honorary Citizen of the Parish of Old Basing on 1 August 1994. Planning applications included one for a replacement incinerator on the Old Basing - Sherfield border and another for an additional primary school plus 336 houses on the Lychpit - Chineham border.

Conservation area

The Old Basing Conservation Area was designated in 1973 and the boundary amended in 1981 to include most of the original village, Loddon Valley Open Space and the Pyotts Hill area.

Listed buildings (all grade II unless indicated)
Basing House	Bothy, Old House and New House ruins, Garden Wall, Dovecote (Grade II*), Garden House, Gateway, Wall and house (No 6 The Street) attached to the gateway on its east side, Front wall of Mews Cottage, Turret and walls in the garden of Turret Cottage, Canal Bridge.
Bartons Lane	Bartons Mill and house.
Church Lane	Byfleet Manor and Manor House, The Old Barn, Church Lane House, Whytegates and Apple Tree Cottage.
Crown Lane	Park House Farmhouse, Parkers Piece, Parkers Piece Barn, No 2 (Malthouse), Wall from west side of Crown pub north of Park Hill to rear of No 6, Cannon Cottage, Nos 1,3 and 5.
Daneshill	Daneshill House, Daneshill Cottage, Daneshill Old Lodge.
Little Basing	Lychpit Farmhouse, West Barn (now Cromwell Inn) 20 yds north-west of house, North Barn (now Lychpit Community Hall) 20 yds north of house, East Barn (now doctor's surgery) 10 yds north of house
London Road	Lodges and gateway to Hackwood (New) Park, Hodds Hill Farmhouse, Milestone 42.
Milkingpen Lane	Nos 1, 2 (Cavalier Cottage), 3, 4, 5 (Roundhead Cottage) 6, 7 (Peacock Cottage), 9, 11, 17 (Basing Cottage), 29 (Maison Blanche) 30 (Browns Farmhouse) and Browns Farmhouse Barn.
Newnham Lane	Yeoman, Lower Mill Farm Barn, Lower Mill, Lower Mill House, Hale Farmhouse, Granary north of house, Barn 20 yds north-east of house, Deanlands Farmhouse.
Poors Farm Road	Poors Farmhouse, Granary 10 yards south of house.
Pot Lane	Golds Farmhouse.
Pyotts Hill	Basing Lodge Farmhouse, Barn 30 yds south-east of house, Nos 26 (Hill Rise Cottage) and 43 (Compton Acre).
Stingers Lane (Huish Lane)	Huish Farm, Barn, Granary north of barn.
The Street	Nos 2 (Turret Cottage), 3 (Loyal Cottage), 4 (Mews Cottage), 7, 9, The Crown pub, 10, 11, 12, 14 (Beckwith), 22 (Street House), 22a Barn, 24, Auldam House, 26, 30, St Mary's Church (Grade I), 31, 33 (Streamside Cottage), 35 (Heron Cottage), 37, 39 (Siege Cottage), 68, 70, 75 (Cromwell Cottage) 89, The Bolton Arms pub, Old Basing House, Great Barn (Grade I), Roadside wall from Grange Farm to Sopers Row, plus Grange Farmhouse, Granary, Cartshed and outbuildings, Stable and loft as a group.

Publications

Parish Information Booklet

Distributed free to those living and working in the parish. Copies available from the clerk.

Walks around the Parish of Old Basing

Priced £2, copies available from the clerk and from outlets in the village and Basingstoke. This guide takes you on many varied walks, pointing out the history and the flora enroute. A must for anyone living, working or visiting the parish.

All published by Old Basing Parish Council

Parish magazine

The Basinga, the parish magazine for Old Basing and Lychpit, is distributed free on the first of each month to all households in the parish. It contains the latest news from clubs and societies, a letter from one of our clergy, news from the councils, dates for your diary and useful contact numbers as well as ads from local tradespeople and businesses. A lot of the information on this website came from Basinga for which thanks are due.

The Basinga is run by a management committee of 12 volunteers who take it through all stages of production (apart from the printing which is outsourced) to publication and distribution. It is paid for by advertising revenue and voluntary donations. Copy deadline is normally the 10th of the month preceding publication.

Contacts:
Editor: Irene Allaway
01256 358053
For enquiries concerning articles for publication, copy deadlines etc.

Advertising Manager: Peter Watson
01256 352299
For enquiries re contract and classified ads, inserts and advertising charges.

Secretary: Fay Farrant
01256 476863
For general enquiries.

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