The Siege Of Basing House

Basing House was one of the iconic sieges of the English Civil Wars. Basing was the home of the Marquis of Winchester, a supporter of King Charles I. Parliamentary forces made three attempts to take Basing House, with first two sieges being broken before it fell at the third attempt.

This Easter Bank Holiday experience the second of our 375th anniversary Basing House events presented by Col Stephen Hawkins Regiment.

It’s late summer of 1644, following the ill-fated attack on Odiham the Basing garrison have been pursued by Colonel Richard Norton back to Basing House. The garrison now reduced to 175 men with little food and ammunition dangerously low. Norton’s men, mortars and heavy artillery are once again besieging Basing House. With powerful Parliamentary garrisons in Abingdon, Reading and Newbury and the Kings army in the west, Basing was unlikely to be rescued.

The only hope is Colonel Gage’s relief column sent from Oxford which will have to covertly make the journey to Basing and defeat Norton’s troops to resupply the Garrison so enabling them to hold out until rescue by the Kings armies.

Set against the evocative backdrop of the ruins of the House, our living history camp (open Saturday, Sunday, Monday) provides an ‘up-close’ experience of aspects of military and civilian life during this turbulent period in our nation’s history.

Then on Sunday and Monday at around 2.00pm experience the sight and sound of the battle to take Basing House!

Book tickets to see this event here.

Basing House – link