Old Basing

Old Basing was first settled around 700 by an Anglo-Saxon tribe known as the Basingas, who gave the village its name . In the ninth century it was a royal estate and it was the site of the Battle of Basing on about 22 January 871, when a Viking army defeated King Æthelred of Wessex and his brother, the future King Alfred the Great. It is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086.

The centre of the village, The Street, contains many old houses, and St Mary's Church. The River Loddon, whose source is in Worting to the west of Basingstoke, flows through the village. Old Basing is perhaps best known for the ruins of Basing House which was built between 1532 and 1561 on the site of a Norman castle. It was the home of the Marquesses of Winchester for several generations before being destroyed after a 24-week siege during the English Civil War. Many names in modern Old Basing allude to the war, such as Cavalier Road and Musket Copse, as well as several sites named after Oliver Cromwell including Oliver's Battery and Cromwell Cottage. Oliver's, a fish and chip takeaway and restaurant is named after Les Oliver who opened the restaurant in the 1970s..

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