North Hampshire

Towns & Villages

BASINGSTOKE

Milestones - Photo: Dave Jacobs CCL

Called Stoke-Barehills in the novels of Thomas Hardy, this is a large modern town that gave birth to the clothing company Burberry in the mid 19th century.



Its fascinating museum, Milestones, has real-life recreations of street scenes from Victorian and Edwardian England as well as a collection of cars, buses and steam engines as well as many old domestic items.

Old Basing House is the evocative ruin of a large fortified mansion built on the site of a Norman castle but wrecked by a two-year siege led by Oliver Cromwell during the English Civil War.



Another historic building is Stratfield Saye House, presented to the Duke of Wellington following his success at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.



Nearby is the Roman town of Silchester, once known as Calleva Atrebatum.



It’s an archaeological Mecca and has its own museum.

Stratfield Saye House - Photo: Brendan & Ruth McCartney CCL