Two local windows this week – in my town of Romsey in Hampshire there is an early medieval building known as King John’s House . It was originally thought to be built around 1206 and used as King John’s hunting lodge, but later investigation showed that it dates from the mid-13th century.
The origins of King John’s house are now unknown, but some medieval visitors left their mark by carving heraldic graffiti into the plaster of the upper room. The House has been used for a variety of purposes since then; downstairs there are remains of a floor made from animal bones that date from before the 18th century, when the House was a local workhouse.
The building now houses a museum, gift shop, and tea rooms. The building is surrounded by a beautiful garden with wide gravel paths leading from flowery meads to a waterside garden and on to a herb garden and more formal flower beds, all featuring plants known in this country before the early 1700s.