Merdon Castle

Merdon Castle

Between Standon and Hursley just off the A3090 sits Merdon Castle This little known ancient monument is now in private hands and so getting sight of it is tricky. If you drive along Castle Merdon Lane you can stop and take a look over the wall and you will see the earthworks on which this…

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Bentley and The Anarchy

Bentley Castles

Bentley and the Anarchy. Hidden in the landscape around the village of Bentley lies evidence that connects Bentley with The Anarchy, a time when law and order were abandoned and the common man was caught up in war not of their own making. So what was The Anarchy? The Anarchy was the fight for the…

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Odiham and the Vernacular Magna Carta

Odiham Castle Hampshire

The vernacular Magna Carta was produced at Odiham Castle in Hampshire within two weeks of the original document being sealed. A writ was attached and the charter then sent out across England.

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William of Wykeham

William of Wykeham, born a humble man in the market town of Wickham Hampshire, he became Chancellor of England twice and Bishop of Winchester. He founded Winchester College and New College Oxford.

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Portchester Castle

Portchester Castle history

Portchester Castle is breathtakingly beautiful, sitting on the northern shore of Portsmouth Harbour. Its Roman walls and bastions are as imposing today as they must have appeared seventeen hundred years ago.

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Site of William the Conqueror’s Palace

William the Conqueror's Palace Winchester

Stroll up a tiny alley way in Winchester to see a vestige of what once was the site of William the Conqueror’s palace and a little way along the church of St Lawrence where his chapel once stood.

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The Tudor Queen in Winchester

Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral was the backdrop to the wedding of Mary Tudor and Philip of Spain. It was a ceremony set to impress the Spanish and the wonderful architecture of the cathedral did just that

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Ashley Castle

Ashley Castle Hampshire

Henry de Blois built Ashley Castle during the period of the Anarchy as part of his support for his brother King Stephen. Built in 1138, it was destroyed in 1155 before being rebuilt during the reign of King John.

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Portsmouth Harbour

View of Portsmouth Harbour

The fortifications of Portsmouth Harbour still look immensely commanding when seen from the deck of one of the many ferries that sail in and out of the harbour on a daily basis.

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Beaulieu Abbey

Beaulieu Abbey

Beaulieu Abbey, in the New Forest was founded by Cistercian monks on land gifted to them by King John in 1204. The ruins and the house are a historical gem that capture the essence of Hampshire history during the turbulent Medieval period.

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Netley Castle

Netley Castle and Abbey

Netley Castle faces out across Southampton Water, its back turned on nearby Netley Abbey and looking out for signs of a possible French invasion Netley Castle started life as the gatehouse to the Cistercian Netley Abbey. The early grounds of the abbey spilled outside of its present day boundaries and road, down to the shore…

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Hurst Castle

Hurst Spit Castle

A Bracing walk along Hurst Spit is rewarded with the chance to explore one of King Henry VIII’s strategically built castles, Hurst Castle Hurst Castle was built in the perfect location from which to defend the western approach to the Solent. The castle was just one of a chain of castles built to defend the…

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Bishop’s Waltham Palace

Bishop Waltham's Palace Hampshire

Bishop’s Waltham Palace, the name itself conjurers up the magnificent place it must have been 900 years ago. Bishop’s Waltham Palace lies just ten miles away from Winchester Cathedral and was the noble palace of its Bishop’s who built a splendid residence for themselves and a 1000 acre park. Henry de Blois, that inveterate builder,…

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Southampton Castle

Southampton Castle on John Speeds map

When Winchester was the royal capital of England, Southampton, close by on the southern coast of England, was its chief port and trading centre. It was an obvious magnet for Danish and French raiding party’s and its defense became an issue. The castle was constructed first out of timber and then stone and its great city walls threw up a considerable obstacle to attack

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Intriguing Odiham Castle

Odiham Castle Hampshire

Odiham Castle in Hampshire is one of those ruins where you wish the walls could talk, with connections to King John and Simon de Montfort, decisions about England were made here

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