Hart Guide: Odiham
Odiham, once a royal township, has retained some of the prettiest old houses and cottages in the District. Many of its buildings are listed including, in the High Street, Marycourt with a fine shell-like canopy over the front door. There are several half-timbered houses of mellowed brickwork, some with overhanging upper storeys. Sharp-eyed observers will see examples of buildings of earlier date with supreme Georgian fronts.
Other buildings of interest include The George Hotel which was first licensed in 1540, a Tudor vicarage and almshouses dating back to 1600's. A restored pesthouse, now a small museum, was built to house victims of the Great Plague in 1665. Still to be seen are the old stocks and whipping posts against the north side of the churchyard. The church dates from Norman times. It is full of interest and well worth a visit. The Basingstoke Canal passes a few hundred yards from the High Street at Colt Hill where there is a visitors' car park.
Odiham Common is a beautiful amenity enjoyed by people throughout the district and beyond. The Common is one of the best examples of wood pasture outside of the New Forest and is a site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), being notified so because of many rare examples of flora and fauna.
