THE BASINGSTOKE CANAL - BEYOND GREYWELL

BASING HOUSE

Basing House Bridge

Basing House bridge still stands and forms part of the driveway to Basing House. This section has probably been the most well known and publicised part of the lost end of the Basingstoke Canal, it having been featured on Channel Four's Time Team when one excavation strip was cut between old earthworks and the canal itself. The programme was entitled "The Royalists' last stand at Basing House" and was broadcast on 20 February 2000. Information from the Time Team website tell us that the Basingstoke Canal was infilled at Basing House during the 1920's. The bridge was fortunately left standing because it formed an attractive access route to the Basing House ruins. Anyway when the Basingstoke Canal was built here in the 1790's about 800 gold guineas were found! The view of the bridge looks towards Crown bridge, and as can be seen, immediately beyond the bridge the cutting is filled, having become part of the development on Musket Copse. Although not exactly the same view, if one looks at Paul A. Vine's book, 'London's Lost Route to Basingstoke' a similar picture shows the same location in 1905. Below: Looking along from the bridge itself towards Basingstoke.

At the far end of the Basing House cutting (which as we recall, actually stretches back almost to the A30 at The Hatch) the canal emerges by the Curtain Wall, that forms so much a feature of the Basing House grounds. In this view, below, the Curtain Wall can be seen but what is interesting is how much the area in front of the walls have been raised, so when one looks at the route of the canal past the walls, one must remember that the canal itself was at a slightly lower level than the present arrangement. There are two towers on the Curtain Wall and the roof of one of these can be seen here.

Bearing in mind the roof of the tower referred to in the previous picture, from the higher land behind, one can see the same roof, but also the office blocks that feature so much in Basingstoke. The distance to the town is about a mile, although the canal took more mileage due to forming a lengthy loop across the valley of the River Loddon.

Basingstoke office blocks from Basing House grounds

Whilst not quite the same view (below) the similarity is there. Paul A Vine's book shows a picture taken in 1905 along the same alignment. If one compares the different views, it is clearly obvious that the Basingstoke canal stood at a lower level than the present lawn. However, there is also another difference. The canal itself stood at a much higher level above Redbridge lane. In the 1960's, the road was raised because it was liable to flooding, and widened, and therefore the perspective has changed because the trees that line the edge of the lawn have been planted to screen the road off.

The former canal route in front of Basing House's Curtain Wall

THE LOST ROUTE FROM GREYWELL TO BASINGSTOKE:
Lost Section - Introduction    Over Greywell Hill    Greywell - Brickworks Arm    Brickworks Arm - Penny Br    Penny Bridge - Little Tunnel    Frog Lane - M3    M3 Motorway Section    M3 - Church Lane (Basing)    Church Lane - Crown Lane    Basing House    Redbridge La - Swing Br Cottages    The Loop - Ringway East    Eastrop Way - Basingstoke