The favourite of many, Odiham Castle is every inch the medieval ruin, and is one of the oldest. Known also as King John’s Castle, being one of just three founded by that C13 royal, it harboured secrets and prisoners through its colourful life. They included King David II of Scotland, held prisoner here for some for 11 years from the year 1346. Built from c1207 on, its site formed by realigning the Whitewater river, it once boasted an inner moat now reduced to a small pond in one corner. While its defensive aspects were matched only by its relative comfort, as a kingly retreat lying midway along the two day ride from Windsor to Winchester. It also served for a time as a the king’s opulent hunting lodge. During the darkening days of arguably the nation’s most unpopular king, it also served as his place of departure on his ill-fated trip to Runnymede and the disgruntled barons, of Magna Carta & all that – a claim vied for by the castle at Windsor. A memorial here though commemorates the event. Costing the equivalent of around £2M today, it has since been adulterated by the intruding late C18 Basingstoke Canal truncating the bailey, and was declared ruinous no later than the early C17. Its jagged remains continue to exude history and intrigue, all the more elusive for being such a fragment of its former grand whole.
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