WPT Outing to Odiham - TrustNews December 1985
On Saturday October 5th members of the Trust went on a coach outing to North Warnborough and Odiham. The visit was hosted by the Odiham Society.
On arrival at North Warnborough the party was met by Mrs. Barbara Wentworth, the Chairman of the Odiham Society, who welcomed them and outlined the plan for the day. The party then walked about half a mile by the side of the Basingstoke Canal until they reached King John's Castle, where they were met by John Dyer, Vice Chairman of the Odiham Society, Dr. Ray Millard, and the historian, Derek Spruce.
Mr. Spruce gave a short and most interesting talk about the castle. He said that recent excavations by a team led by Ken Barton had led to the idea that the so-called 'keep', which is visible today, was not the original one built by King John in 1207, but is one built about 1230 after fire had destroyed the first one. In all probability, the 'castle' was really a hunting lodge, and was a resting place between Winchester and Windsor. Certainly King John was at the original keep in 1215, and set out from there for Runnymede and the signing of Magna Carta.
In 1216 the castle was besieged by Louis, the French Dauphin, and held out for about two weeks. Later, it belonged to Eleanor, wife of Simon de Montfort, and later still, in 1275, it was given as part of her wedd¬ing portion to Eleanor, wife of Edward 1. David Bruce, King of Scotland, was a prisoner here in the next century. He was freed upon payment of a large ransom. After the fifteenth century, it belonged to various people, although apparently it was not lived in after 1500, and is now in the hands of Hampshire County Council, which has done a great deal of work to preserve it.
Only the keep of 1230 or so remains, and it is the only octagonal one extant in Eng¬land. It was faced with malm stone, but through the years, this has been stolen and only the flint and chalk core remains. The building was of three floors with a central pillar from which the floor joists radiated. After the talk, the guides took small groups around the ruins.
After lunch in Odiham, the party was met again at the church door by Mrs. Barbara Wentworth and other guides, including Stephen Thomas and Bill Ashley. A very good tape-recording has been made, and members sat in the church and listened to the history and details of the architectural features, which pose many interesting problems including the dating of the nave arcades.
After looking round the church, the party split into groups, and each of the guides took one group to look at the town. They saw a great many well-preserved Queen Anne and Georgian houses, the stocks and whipping-post, a pest house or infirmary belonging to the 17th century which has been beautifully restored by the Odiham Society and which is now a small museum, an environmental studies centre which was once a school lavatory, and other interesting features.
At the end of the tour the Winchester party was treated to a splendid tea, prepared by other members of the Odiham Society.