Winchester - 10 century capital of England

In our inexhaustible quest to discover Britain, we once again set off this morning for the city of Winchester, and hour via the M3 from Windsor. Martin had read much about the city’s intricate history and we were keen to explore.

We are adept now at setting our GPS for a Park & Ride and getting to places the easy way. No more one-way streets and packed car-parks for us! Park & Ride is always a highlight for James, and he runs straight to the back of the bus!

Alighting in the city centre at Abbey Passage we headed for the Winchester Cathedral. Its story is amazing – the first Saxon church was built here in 648. In 1043 Winchester became the capital of England (bet you didn’t know that!) The present Cathedral was begun by William the Conqueror in 1079 and the nave is the longest in England. We were met inside by very friendly vergers who made it clear that James was free to roam and explore as he liked. His ‘church behaviour’ is quite good and he is always treated to all our small change for lighting a little prayer candle.

So, interesting points about the Cathedral – Jane Austen is buried here (she died in 1817 aged 41); the font is 12th century and still used today; the 13th-century medieval tiled floor is the oldest and largest surviving in England: the impressive West Window was destroyed in the English Civil War (1642-48) but the glass was collected and saved and the window re-modelled as a mosaic in 1660.

Usually I am not one to make a bee-line for the crypt, but I was told I’d be sorry to miss this one. It is highly unusual in that it floods regularly in winter. Keeping a steely grip on James’ hand we descended underneath the nave to a beautiful arched cavern. In the middle and up to its knees in water was the sculpture “Sound II” by a modern artist. However there was too much water surrounding us for me to be comfortable there with James for very long. And in stark contrast to the blue sky outside and the heated Cathedral it was a bit cold!

Not to be missed is the 12th-century Winchester Bible which took around 20 years to produce. Its gold and lapis lazuli illuminations are still in perfect condition.

But the Cathedral is not the only feature of Winchester! Outside the day had warmed and become bright and sunny. We found a terrific playground for lunch and a play in glorious sunshine. We walked through the town to our next point of interest, The Great Hall.

Winchester was once the capital of England. Although there are only a few remnants of the original foundations, the Great Hall remains intact. Within is housed King Arthur’s round table mounted high on the wall of the northern wall. The table is painted with the names of knights with a picture of Arthur seated on a throne at the top. In fact, this table was constructed some 400 years after the Arthur’s time. And it is debated whether Arthur is in fact a King or a commander of the Welsh Armies. Regardless of the mythology is was fascinating to see the artefact.

James has a bit of a chest cold and is awake during the night coughing. So he had had enough at this point so we caught the bus back to the car. Arriving back in Windsor James wanted to ride his tricycle. So we all went for a stroll/ride on the Long Walk enjoying the late afternoon sun.

Photos are here.

Here is a short video of James on his bike.