Odiham Castle

Odiham Castle, locally also known as King John's Castle, lies west of the village of North Warnborough, in the county of Hampshire in England.

Odiham Castle was built between 1207 and 1214 by King John of England, next to the River Whitewater. It consisted of a 3-storey octagonal keep circled by a moat and had 2 moated baileys. In 1216 it was taken by the French after a two-week siege, during the First Barons' War.

The castle was granted by King Henry III to John’s daughter, Eleanor, in 1236. Two years later Eleanor married Simon de Montfort, one of the most powerful noblemen in the country. This union would have made Odiham one of the most powerful households in the land and several buildings were added to the castle. During the Second Barons' War, in 1265, the rebelling Simon was killed and Eleanor was exiled. The castle was then confiscated by the Crown.

King Edward II granted Odiham Castle to Robert le Ewer. Shortly afterwards he fell out of favor and the castle was taken from him. Robert, however, unsuccessfully tried to take it back by force which caused damage to the castle. This damage was repaired in 1322 and Edward III granted the castle to his wife, Philippa of Hainault.

In 1346, King David II of Scotland was taken captive at the Battle of Neville's Cross and subsequently imprisoned in Odiham for the next 11 years.

By the 15th century Odiham Castle was used only as a hunting lodge, and in 1605 it was described as a ruin. The construction of the Basingstoke Canal in 1792 destroyed much of the bailey.

What remains of the castle today is mostly just the flint core of the walls of the keep, its dressed stone quarried by the locals over the centuries.

At present Odiham Castle can freely be visited. A curious small castle ruin.

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