King John's Castle

Returning from Bournemouth, I stopped by to see Odiham Castle  - otherwise known as King John's Castle - which is not too far from Basingstoke.  This ruin doesn't look very impressive today, but you have to turn your mind and imagination to what it once was. It was built in 1207 by King John (a very poor and unpopular king) taking seven years to complete; it added to the 90+ castles he already had that he could use! In today's money it would have cost £12 million!!! It was from here that King John set out to meet the Barons and sign the Magna Carta - which began the slide from the omni-powerful monarch to the parliamentary democracy we have now.  In 1217 there was a siege of the castle and the occupants surrendered.  It was used by John's successors but by the 15th century it was only used as a hunting lodge and in 1605 it was described as a ruin.

Much of its stone has been plundered and used elsewhere so what is there today is a mere hint at what it was originally. I have used layers including textured background to hint at its previous significance. Sometimes the power of a ruin is not in the present but in what our country might have been but for this place and its occupants. It is a diamond of a ruin - very precious and special.

One extra shows a different angle of the castle with the real sky!