About Our Parish
History
Old Basing lies to the east of Basingstoke in north-east Hampshire, England. This thriving yet still picturesque parish, comprising the village of Old Basing and the newer development in Lychpit, is home to some 10,000 people.
Famed for its history, Old Basing in north-east Hampshire, UK, shot to national prominence in 1645 when Oliver Cromwell led his troops in the English Civil War to end a two year siege of the great Basing House – home to the loyalist Paulet family.
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.
There are 27 designated footpaths in the Parish of Old Basing, plus numerous "town walkways" in the newer part of the Parish at Lychpit.
The above linked booklet contains a selection of walks identified by a Parish Footpath Committee in 1998.
Old Basing Parish Council does not accept liability for persons or property, while participating in the walks featured in this booklet.
Timings for each of the selected walks are given but should only be taken as a rough guide for the average fit walker who is not easily distracted. All the suggested walks are circular in nature so the start/finish points may be varied as required. Some of the walks start adjacent to car parks, it should be noted that there is no implied right of use of any car parks which are not in public ownership.
The Borough Council has created a Nature Trail which passes through the Parish and the County Council regularly produces a booklet covering Guided Walks throughout the County. The respective Councils should be contacted to obtain copies of their own publications, some of which may also be obtainable from any local library or Tourist Office.
The maps in the booklet are not to scale.
The Parish Council hopes that this booklet will help residents and visitors alike to enjoy our lovely countryside to the maximum but urges all walkers to abide by the ten points of the COUNTRY CODE which may be summarised as follows:
- Take nothing but pictures!
- Leave nothing but footprints!
- Kill nothing but time!
The entire Country Code is:
- Guard against all risks of fire.
- Leave no litter, take it home.
- Fasten all gates.
- Safeguard water supplies.
- Keep dogs under proper control.
- Protect wildlife, wild plants and trees.
- Keep to paths across farmland.
- Avoid damaging fences, hedges and walls.
- Go carefully on country roads.
- Respect the life of the countryside.
