Basing House

Basing House is the sprawling ruin of a Tudor palace in the village of Old Basing, Hampshire, once comparable in scale and grandeur to Hampton Court Palace. Built from 1531 by William Paulet, first Marquess of Winchester, it served as one of England's most opulent aristocratic seats for over a century. During the English Civil War, Royalist defenders held the estate against Parliamentary forces for more than two years before Oliver Cromwell personally led the assault that captured and demolished it in 1645. Today only foundations, earthworks, and ditch systems remain, protected as a Scheduled Monument and listed Grade II by English Heritage. The open grounds offer a quiet, exploratory visit, with archaeologists regularly uncovering finds from both the Tudor occupation and the dramatic siege.