Winchester: Magical & Mystical (Part 1)

Everyone comes to Winchester to see the cathedral. Originally started by William the Conqueror in 1079, it still floats on oak logs today. Due to the number of streams and rivers in and around Winchester, that was the only way it could be done. Many kings, statesmen, and writers have made Winchester what it is today, and many of them are buried in the Cathedral. It is also the longest cathedral in England, as you will see!

To enlarge any picture, please just click on it.

These are called flying buttresses. In 1079 to raise the height of the building, they built these at all different levels to support the weight of the walls. You will see them on every side of the cathedral.

Once inside you suddenly realize how massive this place is! Here are just two of the aisles, the huge centre space is in the middle of them. This is just a bit of it!

Flower arrangements on both sides!

The centre of the Cathedral

The wooden centre you can see above is in fact huge and I cannot do it justice. Here it is close up. More wonderful structures into the ceiling!

The Lady's Chapel in the Cathedral and some very old stained glass windows.

For the writers amongst you, or those who love to read, here are Jane Austen's memorial and grave!

A beautiful quiet place

A lot of the cardinals and bishops have their own chapels here, many dating back to the 1300s.

The is the bust of William Walker, the man who saved the cathedral. In the early 1900s the cathedral was sinking on the southeastern side.  This brave diver worked in complete darkness under water to shore it up! Then the bricklayers, once the water was pumped out, could fix this massive place with a new miracle, concrete on one side. Here is one of the aisles on the way out!

One of the towers near the back, and the back of this mystical place!

Now you can see the problem, for these streams are everywhere. The cathedral is in the background. Here's the other side of the back!

This beautiful place in the high street is now a tea house. The Eclipse Inn used to be the refectory for the church around the corner in the 1500s, but has been a pub since then.

The Buttercross and the Church of St. Lawrence, this place is so quiet and so hidden in an alleyway that most people do not know it is even there! Although it is over 850 years old, they have not changed the sign since I was there some 20 years ago, which means it is in fact older than that.

Now time for a look in the Alm House Garden and the Abbey Gardens! The start of the Abbey Gardens is on the right.

Some interesting bedding!

Yet more streams you have to get over, and some different bedding!

I love this mill! The sound of the River Itchen roaring through the mill race is awesome.

The other side of the mill bridge. Now the mill makes the flour, etc. to make your sandwiches, so in the typical English way they built a pub on the other side of the bridge as well!

King Alfred's statue (871 to 899 AD), then back into the Abbey Gardens as a cut through. You may notice the walls are made from flint, as that is the natural stone.

This is the Guildhall and one of their hanging baskets!

Winchester Museum, and across the road is the Old Vine! This pub faces the Cathedral and was once a student pub when I was there. It is now all posh!

After a climb we get to the westgate, which is now a museum. This is one of the two surviving entrances to the walled city made in the 11th and 12th century, although modified in the 13th and 14th centuries.

At the back of the westgate, the walls that went around the city can be clearly seen! On the right are some of the remains of William the Conqueror's castle, 1066.

Some of the Roman remains from 70 AD, and then we enter what I consider the jewel of Winchester, the Great Hall! The Great Hall was built in the 1200s and is mystical and wonderful.

The Great Hall is an awesome place with a feeling like no other. We have all heard the myths of King Arthur and Camelot, plus the Round Table! According to the tourist guides, Winchester may have been Camelot, for here is King Arthur's Round Table of England, and on the other wall there is a list of the knights of the Round table, including such legends as Sir Lancelot.

Peninsula Barracks is the old Army barracks in Winchester. Now some of them are military museums and the rest are private flats.

More of the old barracks; luckily, they could not knock down the buildings as they are listed. Personally, I despise what they have done to them, but I suppose it is better than building a supermarket!

Wherever I go and see a duck I must have a picture of it, or her in this case! The reason the weed is there is that the river is so rich in nutrients (natural).  The weed grows so much that they have to cut it from the river. As trout fishing is a tad expensive on the River Itchen, the fishermen don't like to get their flies tangled. Some hostas on one of the streams!

I leave you with this for the moment; I do hope you enjoyed a swift tour of this amazing place as much as this fella is enjoying the lavender!

Why do I love this place?  Well, that's easy, really, for it has something for everyone:  from the history, to the wildlife, the gardens, and the old pubs to the great food and fishing and on to the stunning countryside of Hampshire. But there is a bit more than that:  It is a mystical and magical place in words and feelings I cannot describe. Every place has a story to tell, dating back thousands of years. My story is a bit more modern than that:  I got my degree presented to me in the cathedral, I proposed to my wife outside the cathedral, and we had our honeymoon there! After eating our first meal as a married couple overlooking the water mill, we will never forget the sound of the water and the trout jumping.

My thanks to my greatest friends, Mr & Mrs Hall, who most kindly let me stay and do a bit in their garden.

To the staff and volunteers, who do so much work to keep these buildings in the best condition they can.

All pictures are my own, and all photos taken inside the cathedral were taken without a flash so as not to upset anyone praying or contemplating.

Links

Part 2.

Winchester A Brief History.

Winchester Cathedral.

Winchester Cathedral song!

Neil.

For Nancy.