Chapter 6. “The Most Finely Appointed House In All England”

 

 

Not much is known of how North Hampshire fared during the Dark Ages so it is not until the time of the Tudors that Basingstoke once again presumes upon the pages of history. We read of a certain French nobleman, Sir Guy de Guedlehomme, who paid a visit to Basing House which was at that time noted for being "The finest and most well-appointed house in alle England". During his stay, Sir Guy took a trip into the town of Basingstoke but complained that "Ze shopping was terrible and ze building of ze most (untranslatable) horrible modern architecture". Today Basingstoke is twinned with Alençon, the Basingstoke of France, and the descendants of Sir Guy torment us still in the form of hundreds of French exchange students that swarm all over the town center during the summer months and are generally derisive about the amenities.

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