Basing House Ruins, Including The Old House And The New House

Basing House Ruins, including the Old House and the New House, date from the 12th and 16th centuries. The site features earthworks of a motte and bailey castle from the Norman period, with the motte being a large circular area for buildings, surrounded by a raised bank. To the south are outer defence mounds from the 17th century. After 1531, the motte was redeveloped into a large residence known as the Old House, which included a brick wall on the outer rampart and a series of structures on the inner side, featuring a large hall, courts, and other buildings. Surviving remains include the lower parts of buildings, indicating cellars, kitchens with fireplaces, and circular staircases, all constructed of red brick in English bond, with several 4-centred chamfered arched openings.

Shortly thereafter, the New House was built mainly to the north-east of the original castle, forming a series of rectangular structures around a central courtyard. What remains are brick footings and a large well, with parts of the outer structure cut away by canal development in the late 18th century. The footings of a large gateway mark the entrance to the Old House, accessed by a bridge across the ditch between the motte and bailey, which remains as a painted brick arch. Other hidden structures in the area include a tunnel from the Keep under the moat on the west side. This extensive fortified residence served as a strategic defence point during the Civil War, famously held for the King during a siege that ended with the storming of Basing House by Cromwell in 1645. The area was later "slighted" and not rebuilt, with materials, mainly Tudor bricks, repurposed for many village houses. The site is now protected as an Ancient Monument, while the ancillary structures with significant remains are treated as separate items.