Once a rival to Hampton Court, in the 16th Century Basing House was one of the grandest houses in…read moreEngland, and hosted all of the Tudor monarchs from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I. Besieged three times in the Civil War, it was stormed by Cromwell and destroyed. The ruins are extensive but fragmentary, and a good imagination is needed to understand the site. Basing started life as a Norman motte-and-bailey castle in the 11th Century, when it was chief of the 55 manors granted to Hugh de Port by William the Conquerer. Unusually the motte was low but over 300ft wide. The estate was passed through inheritance to the Paulet family, and it was Sir William Paulet (1483-1572), 1st Marquess of Winchester, who developed the famous great house. He held a range of high offices during his long career, and amassed a considerable fortune, which he spent on the remodelling and extending the house. He first developed the original castle into a more comfortable residence in the classic Tudor style, using locally made bricks. He built a great gatehouse as the main accommodation, leading to a separate great hall, with other buildings arranged around the inside of the walls. However, this was insufficient to host the monarchs and their large retinues on their Royal progresses, so he built an enormous new palace of some 360 rooms, adjacent to the original castle, to provide additional accommodation. This took the form of a large square stately house, with a central range and two oblong courtyards, again in red brick with classical decoration. The two houses were linked by a short bridge and gateway through the original defences. The Royal visits, however, exhausted the family fortunes. Elizabeth I visited several times; most notably, on one visit she hosted the new French ambassador. She brought a retinue of 1,500 people in her court - and he brought 400. They stayed for two weeks, enjoying banquets, hunts and spectacles. In modern terms, the visit cost millions of pounds. As a result, the 5th Marquess mothballed the new house when he inherited the estate in 1629. His plan was to save enough funds to restore part of the house, but the intervention of the Civil War saw him refortify both houses. A Royalist supporter, the house - on the main road to the south west - was a key strategic location, and it was besieged three times. The final siege began in August 1645; the defenders withstood the Parliamentary forced until October, but the arrival of Cromwell with substantial reinforcements made defeat inevitable: first the new house was overcome, and then the defences of the Old were breached. As well as substantial damage from canon fire, fires were set which destroyed much of both buildings. Cromwell asked parliament to agree that locals be given the right to remove building materials - which led to the dismantling of most of the ruins. The red bricks now form many of the lovely 17th Century cottages in the village. The site today comprises Grange Farm (now the Visitor Centre), where the magnificent Great Barn is the most substantial reminder of Paulet's achievements. A short walk away along a lane, you enter through one of the original gates to the estate, over a bridge over the disused Basingstoke canal, and up towards the motte and bailey. Here you can walk around the scant remains of the old house - primarily basements and cellars, with elements of the main walls. Virtually nothing survives of the new house, but there are interpretation boards at key points, and a viewing platform provides s good perspective over the site. Of interest are the partially restored walled garden, and the 17th Century earthwork defences thrown up during the Civil War: these are rare survivors. There's a small but disappointing museum on the site and an entrance building containing, bizarrely, a model of both houses - in lego. Tickets are bought at the visitor centre at Grange Farm, but car parking is a further five minute walk along the River Loddon near the Barton Mills pub. Walking around the site, and to and from the car park, is around a two miles. Access for those of limited mobility is a challenge. The main site is fairly hilly, mostly grass, and the viewing platform is reached by an outdoor staircase. There are toilets at the Visitor Centre and at the entrance to the main site.

The State Apartments are as grand as I would expect from such a place, and their 17th-century…read morefurnishings and layers of more recent history tell the story of the monarchs that have called this loveliest of castles in England home. There are a lot of things to see and do at Windsor Castle. In the State Apartments, you'll explore ceremonial rooms that are used today by the Royal Family and you'll discover historical rooms that were built for Charles II and his Queen These 19 rooms are where the Queen hosted big fancy events, and it's open to tourists for ten weeks over summer and a handful of dates in winter. Perhaps the most striking room is the Grand Reception Room. With its chandeliers and gilding, it was once used as the main ballroom in the Castle.

I had the most amazing experience at Farnham Castle, it is certainly in my top 5 highlights of…read morebetween the 5 trips I've made to England. I was staying in Farnham for a friend's wedding (not at the castle, though you can book it for your special day). I was on my way up the hill when it started raining - the only time it rained during the day in my 15-day journey! I saw online the venue was open to tour until 4pm and it was approximately 2:30pm by the time I made it up the hill. I went to where the sign said tours begin and there were many ladies huddled inside. They were very sad to inform me the tours were done for the day and they were headed home. Completely understandable, I said I could come back another day..... Apparently I could not return another day. The castle is only open on Wednesdays for visitors during very specific hours. And not every Wednesday. I think the look of disappointment prompted one lady, Mavis, to offer to do a "quick" little tour. Mavis isn't your ordinary tour guide - she grew up on the property and is a wealth of knowledge. My super intimate (and not "quick" tour) was full of first-hand knoweledge, her descriptions were so articulate and captivating - I felt like I was transported back in time and reliving her youth alongside her while exploring the different parts of this historic site during the warm summer rain. I feel the photo I attached to this review is exactly the same as what she saw many decades before I was born. As the tower is under necessary repairs, we were unable to venture inside. Mavis is, hands down, the best tour guide of all time. Between her knowledge, love of history, animals, and the natural world, she is one of the most amazing people I have ever met. Beautiful inside and out, I could have chatted with her for hours! I told her she should host a tv show, especially considering she has travel across the world. I feel incredibly blessed to have had this experience and highly recommend the tour - just make sure you are there on a Wednesday when they are open ;)

As far as English Heritage castles go, Farnham castle is relatively small, (although this should be…read moreexpected as it is actually only a keep and not really a castle). However what is there is extremely well presented with lots of visual and aural aids. You enter the site through a small corridor which has visual time board displays of the history of the keep and under a picture of the castle a button to start a sound recording detailing the Keeps history throughout the ages. Unfortunately this was another one of the many English fortifications that suffered at the hands of Cromwell at the end of the civil war, which resulted in the removal of all of its towers and main defensive positions. As a result it looks nothing like it would have done in its glory days, however the visaul aids provide a great insight into how the castle would have looked. First built in 1138 by Henri de Blois, grandson of William the Conqueror, Bishop of Winchester, the castle was to become the home of the Bishops of Winchester for over 800 years. The original building was demolished by Henry II in 1155 after the Anarchy and then rebuilt in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The castle was slighted again after the Civil War in 1648. Since then more buildings have been constructed in the castle's grounds, the most impressive being those built by Bishop George Morley in the 17th century. The castle is free to enter with free parking and although there is no shop or anywhere to purchase refreshments, they have at least seen to providing a very clean WC.

Odiham Castle lies on the banks of the Basingstoke Canal and the Whitewater River, and makes a good…read moredestination for a walk along the canal from Odiham or nearby North Wanborough. The Castle, and its surrounding defensive ditches was built between 1207 and 1214. The site was probably chosen by King John as a convenient point between his strongholds at Winchester and Windsor. It was unusual in having an octagonal keep. The original castle would have had more extensive grounds and defences, but the remains of the outer Bailey were destroyed when the canal was built in the 1790s. The castle, despite being small, has had a very interesting past. Soon after it was finished in 1216, the castle suffered a two week siege by French knights, as part of the Barons' rebellion, which followed John's reneging on the provisions of Magna Carta. Following the siege, the castle was rebuilt, with the stronger walls and an additional circular moat. The castle then passed to John's daughter, Eleanor, who married Simon de Montfort. He took a leading part in the rebellion against Henry, and is sometimes regarded as the originator of the English Parliament. They added additional buildings, including a kitchen and a hall outside the main keep. It was from here that he and his son left to pursue the rebellion, before being killed at the Battle of Evesham in 1265. Ironically, the castle hosted Parliament in 1303. In the 14th century, the Scottish King David II, son of Robert I (better known as Robert the Bruce), was imprisoned here for 3 years (albeit in relative comfort) before he was ransomed and freed in 1357. By the 15th century the castle had lost its status as a royal residence, and by 1603 it was classed as a ruin. Over subsequent years, much of the facing stone was removed for other buildings, leaving the remains we see today. However, much of the structure of the building, including windows, the sockets for floor beams, and fireplaces can still be seen. Although the site technically has level access, the path along the canal and the grounds of the castle are quite uneven, and soft after heavy rain. In addition, there is limited parking on Tunnel Lane.

Nice area to walk around in, and free, but theres not a not of historic stuff to see. Good to go…read moreto the wallingford museum first to understand the history of the castle before going here.

This is my favourite place to picnic in wallingford. It's so quiet and relaxing. Bit of a hidden…read moretreasure! x

18th century house with beautiful park overlooking the river Thames outside Pangbourne…read more fine collection of paintings and furniture. this was one of the setting for the recent Pride and Prejudice film. the gardens are nice in spring when Daffodils are in full bloom. this is a national trust building.

This idyllic rural spot was, for over four hundred years, a bustling Roman town at a crossroads on…read morethe road from London to the West Country. The location was the earlier tribal capital of the Atrebates, a Celtic tribe whose territory covered much of present day Berkshire, and parts of Hampshire and Wiltshire. Soon after the Roman conquest in 43AD, a Roman town was established on the same site, called Calleva Atrebates. The town was established within the current walls. These were originally made just of earth with a wooden palisade, but were faced with stone around 280 AD, enclosing around 100 acres. The town had a forum, baths, an inn, several temples and latterly a Christian Church. Evidence is that the town declined gradually after the withdrawal of the Roman Legions in 410AD, but unlike many other locations, it was eventually abandoned. Excavations have identified the street plan and the details described above, but most of the remains have since been covered over. The principal sight is therefore the impressive walls, which form an almost complete circuit. You can walk along the top of the bank above the walls around the site, a distance of around three miles. Close to the modern hamlet near the medieval Church but outside the walls, is the amphitheatre, which is well preserved. This has earthen banks on which wooden seating would have been erected. There is a car park on the north western corner. The walls are not suitable for wheelchairs (the access paths have stiles) , although a section is clearly visible from the road on its eastern side. The path to the amphitheatre is relatively level but the surface is uneven.

Originally a tribal centre of the Iron Age Atrebates, Silchester became the large and important…read moreRoman town of Calleva Atrebatum. Unfortunately there is not a great deal left of the original Roman Silchester as it was never re-occupied or built over after its abandonment in the 5th century. As a result of this it is apparently an archaeoligical haven as it gives an unusually complete picture of its development. It is however a very nice day out (in better weather), as there is a lovely 8 mile walk around the old city walls which remain in some form or another. There is also the remains of an impressive amphitheatre which is a must to view during the walk. The amphitheatre is just outside the old city walls, but its location is made apparrent when viewing the information boards. There is parking available by the city walls. Sign posts are not great, but if you keep driving around the wall you will come accross it eventually. Plenty of areas for pickniking in nice weather and plenty of lovely pubs to stop in and get a drink and bite to eat in the local area.

My mama lives in Rickmansworth and has been meaning to visit the Croxley Great Barn for a while…read morenow. They only give tours on the last Saturday of the month though. So when both my aunt and I happened to be visiting last weekend, we all decided to go along for a gander. We met our guide and fellow tourists in the car park of St Joan of Ark School, and it was then a nice 10-minute stroll through the school fields on a lovely sunny day to the barn, which is kind of hidden away. It just a big old barn, nothing going on in there, but the guy who showed us around could talk for England and had a lot to tell us about the history of the barn, how it was used, how it was constructed, how people have tried (and sometimes failed) to restore or conserve the building, la la la. I'm afraid I didn't last the whole talk - it was rather long, and I was distracted by a beeootiful pussy cat who passed through. My mum and aunt found the whole talk fascinating though, and I did fall a little bit in love with our guide on account of his superb facial hair, big boots and high-waisted trousers. If you're in the neighbourhood on the last Saturday of the month, worth a peek. Tours are free, but donations are welcome.