Doors open for a weekend (11-13 Sep)

The house was built in 1740 on the site of the house once occupied by William Penn – it is not known how much of the earlier building survived. The house became a school in 1839, and in 1870 was bought by Dr Roderick William Henderson, a local JP. He extended the property, originally of five bays [see photograph below left], by adding the wings at either end. Among his other achievements, Dr Henderson was instrumental in setting up the local fire brigade and establishing the town’s first fire station at the west end of the High Street. In 1930, following Dr Henderson’s death the previous year, Basing House was turned into Council offices, a function it continued to serve until the opening of Three Rivers House in the early 1990s. It remains in Council ownership and Three Rivers Museum has occupied its current location in the building since 1992. In November 2002 Basing House was struck by lightning which damaged original roof timbers.