Steeped in history, heritage and
once the ancient capital of England, Winchester is an exciting and vibrant city.
A dream destination for history lovers. In this video, we'll uncover all the major
attractions explain some of its historic past and prepare you to get the most out of a day
or weekend in this glorious part of England. Situated in the heart of Hampshire,
63 miles southwest of London, Winchester is centered around the world-famous
cathedral. The city has an incredibly rich historic past from the iron age, Romans and
Saxons and the legendary round table. To the poetry of Keats and the death of Jane Austen
there is something here for everyone to enjoy. Getting to Winchester by train from
London will take you just one hour with direct services daily. It's well-served by
other major cities as well. National Express run affordable coach services from London or you can
drive yourself to the outskirts of town and park in one of a number of car parks around the city.
A good place as any to start is the High Street that follows the original Roman road through
the city, which was once called Venta Belgarum. As interesting, bustling and lively as
it would have been hundreds of years ago. From high-end fashion shops, antiques, cafes
and ordinary day-to-day items, it's a delight to walk along this predominantly pedestrianized
thoroughfare, even if you're not planning to buy. Take time to look at historical buildings
lining each side and you'll find an eclectic mix of premises from different eras. Do look up
as well, not just ahead. There's a lot to see. God Begot House will be one of the highlights.
Now a pizza restaurant opposite the clock dating back to 1050, formerly a manor house. Don't
miss the passageway beside this building. Look up at the rooflines and timbers. Here you'll also find the hidden Royal Oak pub, dating from 1002 AD. It's one of the
oldest pubs you're likely to visit. Halfway down the street, you will come to a tall
pinnacled cross with five octagon steps and 12 religious figurines. Buttercross or Citycross,
as some call it, dates from the 15th century and it's where countrymen would sell produce.
In the 17th century, the cross was sold and the outraged locals caused a small riot
saving it from being removed and relocated. It's here you can also see the pentice,
where the upper floors of buildings jut out supported by columns and cover the
walkway below. In medieval times taxes for having homes or shops on the highway meant people
extended out upper floors to gain more space but avoid the ground tax. These buildings occupy
part of the site of the former Norman Palace. You can see a plaque and remnants of norman
stonework from William the Conqueror's Palace as you pass through the busy shopping passage
from Buttercross to the square. From the square, you can also see the top of Saint Lawrence
church, squashed around buildings on the site of Williams Palace chapel. It is still
important today as each new Winchester bishop comes to pray and be gowned before going to
the cathedral to be enthroned. The rectory of the church can still be seen in the square but
it's now a charming pub called The Eclipse Inn, built-in 1540. It apparently has a lady ghost
that haunts the upper floors. There are a number of good cafes and restaurants in this area with
summer outdoor seating for a snack or lunch. There are many quirky passageways
and intriguing side streets and lanes that you must explore for their character and
more wonderful buildings or historic architecture. Markets are held regularly in the lower
high street, selling local produce, antiques and other items, so it's a good place
to browse and purchase something a bit different. Arriving at The Broadway is the site
of one of England's largest nunneries until Henry VIII demolished it. Now the 1870s
gothic guildhall stands proud on the location. Architects, Jeffrey and Skiller won
a council competition beating 46 applicants to construct this impressive building
which had space for the police, fire brigade, a court jail, a museum, a library, offices and
meeting rooms and a public exhibition hall. You can visit the architecture inside but it
was closed due to Covid during our visit. When the Romans departed, the Saxon era began.
Their most famous King, Alfred the Great made Winchester the capital of his kingdom Wessex.
A statue of Alfred next to the Abbey Gardens looks up the high street as if
still protecting Winchester. It was erected in 1899 marking a
thousand years since his death. Just a few hundred yards up the road is Bridge
Street. The river Itchen passes through the city and at this point. The City Mill has
been sited here for a thousand years. It's still working and one of the oldest in the
country. Mostly rebuilt in 1744 the National Trust now looks after it and still mills
fresh flour for you to buy when it's open. Check out the National Trust website
for opening and pricing information. There is a fascinating past to learn about as you
tour the mill and see the milling of the flour. Chesil Rectory just along from the
mill is full of character and charm. Now a restaurant with 600 years of history,
it's the oldest commercial property in the city, having been a tannery, private home, tea
room and more. It's very well preserved. From the city bridge also known as St Swithens
bridge is the start of a lovely walk by the riverbanks and weirs of this beautiful chalk
stream. It's a very special type of waterway one of just 200 in the world. The
chalk and the flinty gravel beds filter the water making it crystal clear. The source of the river starts seven miles away
at the village of Cheriton and travels all the way down to Southampton. This wasn't always the
case. The Romans actually diverted the river to pass through this point to reduce the risk of
flooding and act as an eastern defensive moat. You can see the only remaining piece
of the Roman city wall on this walk. You might well see trout and salmon
as you gaze at the sparkling water. The romantic poet John Keats stayed in Winchester
in late summer and autumn of 1819. You can walk in his footsteps on the Keats walk, shown on
google maps. This is a small part of that walk beside the water meadows from where he gained his
inspiration on Sunday the 19th of September 1819 to pen his ode "To Autumn" Keats is quoted as
saying of Winchester, "an exceedingly pleasant town, enriched with a beautiful cathedral
and surrounded by fresh-looking country". In the vicinity of Keats walk,
you will find College Street and can view the current residence
of the Bishop of Winchester. Adjacent to this land are the ruins of Wolvesey
Castle, the old palace of the bishops. In medieval times the bishops were rich and
powerful men with close ties to the King. The castle is sited very close to the cathedral
and were their main residents throughout the middle ages. It's free to roam around this
interesting relic from the past 10 till 6 daily and just weekends in winter months. All the
information is on the English Heritage website. The last great occasion here was on the 25th of
July 1554 when the east hall was transformed with silk and gold hangings for Queen Mary
and Philip of Spain's wedding banquet. Continuing to walk down College
Street, past Winchester College you arrive at a small yellow building. It was here in the early hours of the 18th of July
1817 that the famous novelist Jane Austen died. She is buried in the cathedral and will visit
that later. Find out more about Jane's life in our mini-series following in her footsteps.
Link top right now and in the description. Further up College Street towards the
Cathedral we pass an independent bookshop P&G Wells. Open since 1729 and owned by the Wells
family since 1866 has an eclectic mix of books and Jane Austen and John Keats may well have been
visitors. Turning right you pass through one of two remaining city gates this is King's Gate
on or near the site of one of the Roman gates. It's 14th century with pedestrian arch walkways
on each side that were added in the 18th century. Ahead of us is another
15th-century iron-studded oak gate taking us into Dome Alley and cathedral close. This once gave access to the working courtyard
of the priory. It's still locked up every night. There are some beautiful
medieval buildings to view here. Winchester Cathedral comes into view
as you stroll through the close, standing in the heart of the city built from 1079
to 1532 replacing the old minster right beside it. At 170 meters in length, it's the
longest medieval church in Europe. There is a fee to enter and all the information
on opening and pricing can be found here join us inside and see what
you can expect from your visit. The cathedral is truly magnificent, there
are guides that will take you on a tour and explain all the important aspects or
you can just wander at your own pace. Many of the stained glass windows were smashed
by the roundheads in the English Civil War, the great west window is now
restored as a beautiful mosaic. These incredible 13th-century
floor tiles still look vibrant after millions of feet have passed over them. There are seven different chantry chapels in
different styles added in the 14th to 16th centuries more than any other English Cathedral.
King Alfred was buried in the old minster but his remains were removed and ultimately lost
and never found following the reformation. Many people come to see the tomb of Jane
Austen, buried here just by chance due to family connections long before she was famous.
Her memorial makes no mention of her writing. A copper plate was added in 1870 by her nephew.
Jane was by then a world-famous novelist. In 1900 a memorial stained glass window was
added thanks to public donation. In the early 1900s, the cathedral developed huge
cracks due to waterlogged foundations endangering the structure. Early corrective methods only made
it worse until William Walker, a deep-sea diver worked underwater every day for six years placing
25,000 bags of concrete around the foundations. Head down to the low vaulted stone
crypt which floods during heavy rainfall dating from the 11th century you'll find
Anthony Gormley's mysterious life-size sculpture of a solitary man "Sound II"
it's sometimes standing in knee-deep water. It is truly a wonderful historic place to visit. In the shadow of the cathedral is the
William Walker pub, paying homage to this incredible man. You can find an eclectic mix of
memorabilia and it's a good place for a pint. Back in the vicinity of The Square is Winchester
City Museum which will set you up with a great deal of information about how the city came to be.
Of course, we're helping with that in our guide too! Over three levels, this small museum opened
over 100 years ago will take you on a journey from the city's very beginnings in the iron age around
150 bc establishing both a hill fort and also a trading settlement. 70 a.d when the Roman Empire
created the city called Venta Belgarum the fifth largest city in Roman Britain. There are some
wonderful artifacts on display from this period. During Saxon times the old english
name for the city was Wintanceaster, see lots of exhibits from this
period including the original scale model of Alfred the Great from
which the full-size bronze was made. Clothing, pottery and coins make for an
interesting walk around this gallery. Let's not forget the Normans, medieval times
and the Cathedral for fascinating stories and tales about how the city developed, right up to the Edwardian times. There are plenty of hands-on activities to keep children engaged
from handling real artefacts, covid permitting. Dressing up as Romans or Saxons, too learning
from the interactive screens. A centerpiece is an extremely detailed model of the city from
victorian times painstakingly put together. There is even an old shop front to view. Tickets
and opening information are on this website. We have explored much of Winchester but we still
have the upper area of the High Street to visit where the first Norman Castle in England
was built by William the Conqueror and for over 100 years was the seat
of government for the Norman Kings. Here you can see the foundations of one of
the towers but all that really remains is the Great Hall and what a hall it
is! Where history and legend meet. King Henry III who was born here developed the
castle adding this early gothic style medieval hall between 12 22 and 35 from flint and stone
dressings. It would have looked quite different then, for example, the stained glass windows were
added much later. Legend will have you believe the large table hanging on the wall is that of
King Arthur and his knights of the round table. Analysis of the wood dates it to around 1250
and it's believed the table was commissioned by Edward I for an elaborate dinner to celebrate
the marriage arrangements of his children in 1290. The table has been here for over 700 years.
Henry VIII visited in 1516 and requested the table was painted. His Tudor Rose is prominently in
the centre and the face of King Arthur looking like a young Henry. Around the edges of the
table are the names of King Arthur's knights. The table presents the Tudors as
descendants of the legendary King Arthur. It was used as a court of law throughout its
time, in fact, Sir Walter Raleigh was condemned to death here in 1603 for his part in the plot to
overthrow James I. He had a last-minute reprieve but remained locked in the Tower of London
until 1616. He was finally beheaded in 1618 on the orders of the king following a failed
sailing expedition and skirmish with the Spanish. These incredible forged stainless steel gates link
the medieval hall to the 20th-century law courts right next door. They were added to commemorate
the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1981. They are truly amazing in their design.
The arch linking the buildings were actually created in 1873 and before that, the round
table would have hung on this side of the wall. Just outside the south door
is a recreated medieval garden named after the Queens Elena of
Provence and Eleanor of Castile. Queen Elena's Garden was opened in 1986 by
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. In medieval times gardens like this were created for the
scent, beauty and to grow herbal medicines. After visiting the long gallery that charts
Winchester's history through artwork, you will exit the hall back into the courtyard. Behind the Great Hall is Winchester's military
quarter, a collection of six military museums within yards of each other on the site of
Peninsular Barracks which was also part of the castle before that. Whether the museums interest
you or not a free stroll around the square is a nice way to spend half an hour. Each museum is
independently run and a fee applies to enter. This lovely area was once the parade ground,
american troops were stationed here preparing to take part in the d-day landings in 1944.
Today it's mostly private residential homes. Right at the top of the High Street and
almost back to where we started our guide is the 12th century Westgate. You may recall we
mentioned earlier two gates remaining. Part of the city wall and defences by the 14th century
it had a portcullis and gunports for protection. When it was no longer needed to secure the
city it was turned into a debtors prison. You climb up some steep steps that take
you inside this surviving gatehouse to a tiny but charming museum with lovely views
over winchester and down the high street. The exhibits tell the story of this historic building
and the history of Tudor and Stewart Winchester. There is armour, weapons and clothing
and household objects on display along with this painted ceiling created for
the marriage of Mary I to Philip of Spain. Some more steps take you onto the roof for
views that are slightly more restricted than they would have been hundreds of years ago.
You can buy a combined ticket to Winchester City Museum here and vice versa to save a few
pounds if you're planning on visiting both. In this guide, we've shown you the most
wonderful places of interest in Winchester. We did all this in one weekend and you
could pick just a few things for a day out. It's very walkable as you've seen, we hope
you enjoyed this tour and use it to help you create your itinerary for a fantastic visit to
the ancient capital of England. Do subscribe for more. Give us a like or write us a comment.
Thanks for watching and we'll see you again soon!
