Loyalty House was the grandest private house in England, home of John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester.
He was fiercely loyal to his Roman Catholic faith and to his king, Charles I. He held Basing House in Hampshire for the king, from the start of the Civil War until October 1645, when the house was finally stormed by troops led by Oliver Cromwell.
As Basing guarded the main road from London to the Royalist West Country it was an obvious target for Parliament, who besieged it on three separate occasions. All that remains of the house, once compared to Hampton Court Palace, is ruins and earthworks.
Come and join the modern group of re-enactors, The English Civil War's Marquess of Winchester’s Regiment, who will bring, in a small way, the house back to life.
There will be displays of the weaponry and drill used during the Civil War and a group of civilians showing aspects of ordinary life in the seventeenth century.
Jessie Childs book signing
Best-selling author Jessie Childs will be joining us for a book signing Saturday 24 September from 2pm. Bring your own copy of The Siege of Loyalty House or buy your own on site!
