Holy Ghost and Holy Trinity Chapels, Basingstoke

The ruined chapels close to Basingstoke railway station are as much a landmark today as they were to Thomas Hardy. A frequent traveller along the line, Hardy knew the view from the railway which he describes in Jude the Obscure (quoted below). 

“The most familiar object in Stoke-Barehills nowadays is its cemetery, standing among some picturesque mediaeval ruins beside the railway; the modern chapels, modern tombs and modern shrubs having a look of intrusiveness amid the crumbling and ivy-covered decay of the ancient walls” [1]

The ‘modern chapels’ were a Victorian addition and have now been demolished.  

Constructed in the 13th century the chapel served as the burial place for several notable Basingstoke inhabitants as well as one Mrs Blunden who was accidentally buried alive. For a detailed history of the chapel see below.

[1] Hardy, T., Jude the Obscure, 360 (Everyman’s Library, 1985, first published 1895).