Wondrous Winchester

SPEAKING as one who much prefers the feel of grass under his boots compared to a hard pavement, I can say, hand on heart, that Winchester remains one of just two British cities (the other being Canterbury) that keeps me coming back for more.

Maybe it’s the architecture, which is at once fascinating and endlessly diverse, or maybe it’s the cathedral, whose astonishing vaulted interior has kept me transfixed for hours over the years.

Then again, it could be the cosmopolitan atmosphere about the place, or the simple fact that this ostensibly regular city has more than a few remarkable surprises hidden up its sleeve.

Whatever its draw, it’s certainly an old, old city, dating back to around 150BC when a defended settlement was first erected to the west of the city as we know it today on St Catherine’s Hill.

The Romans fortified it some 80 years later and named it ‘Venta Belgarum’.

Later still, Alfred the Great (he of slightly overdone cakes infamy) made it England’s capital during Saxon times. There’s even a persistent rumour that Winchester was, in fact, the legendary ‘Caer Gwent’, or, to give it its better-known name, ‘Camelot’.

So, Winchester clearly has a long and fascinating history, but I had just a single weekend here, so if your time here is as tightly-stretched as mine was, I’d recommend you do as I did and head straight for the Tourist Information Centre (you can’t miss it – it’s in the enormous town hall close to the statue of Alfred The Great).

There you’ll be furnished with a small pamphlet entitled ‘A walk-round guide to Winchester: where to go, what to see’. It’s hardly the definitive guide to the city, but for those on a tight schedule, it ensures you get to see the very best the city has to offer.

Here’s to Alfred and William

My own tour began at the statue of St Alfred, sculpted by one Mamo Thorneycroft and erected in 1901.

It commemorates the life – and, indeed, death, in AD899 – of this remarkable man, who first drove Danish invaders away from Wessex and made the city what it is today, with his foresight into the importance of learning, monastic life and a single kingdom of England.

A little further on, it’s worth stopping at the city hall to drink in its enormous tower and rather strange collection of geographical and meteorological information at street level provided by a glassed-in barometer and a pictorial depiction of the city’s height above sea-level.

Rather more obvious is the city cathedral. This lies off the main high street to the left, down a short, narrow side-street.

As is so often the case with these buildings, the edifice you see today isn’t the original: that honour goes to a cathedral whose construction first began in AD642 by King Cenwealth of Wessex. Construction of the current building began in 1079, with major alterations being made between the 12th and 16th centuries.

By the turn of the 20th century, the cathedral, whose Norman foundations comprised nothing more than a vast raft of logs laid on – of all things – bogland, was beginning to sink.

The job of draining the pitch-black water as was humanly possible and removing the ancient logs and peat handful by handful, prior to concrete being pumped in to replace it, fell to an underwater diver by the name of William Walker. It took him five years.

Living history

Onwards, this time keeping to the High Street and heading up towards the ancient Westgate.

This is no ordinary High Street, as its foundations have rung to the sound of marching Roman soldiers and pilgrims on their way to visit the shrine of one-time Bishop of Winchester, St Swithun.

You can’t fail to miss the 15th century city cross which was restored around 1865.

It is overshadowed by The Pentice, a row of heavily overhung shops that stand on the place where William the Conqueror’s palace once stood.

The elaborate clock you pass beneath on your continued walk up the high street dates back to 1713, and the curfew bell in the turret above it is still rung every evening at 8pm, as it has done ever since the time of William The Conqueror.

It’s a bit of a climb to the Westgate, but it’s more than worth the effort, as it looks quite remarkable – and, it must be said, rather anachronistic, standing as it does among so many modern buildings.

You can climb still further to this Roman gateway’s high-level roof-walk, too. A closer look at the 600 year-old stonework reveals where the portcullis and drawbridge chains would once have been.

Branch off to the left from the Westgate, and you’ll pass the remains of some of the old castle’s former underground walkways as you head towards the vast, echoey Castle Hall, and its world-famous Round Table, mounted high on the west wall.

This remarkable table is made from oak and measures 18ft in diameter. It is said that it was made to commemorate the visit to Winchester of Charles V and Henry V111 in 1522.

Castles and famous writers

Right, it’s time, now, to head back into the heart of the city and unearth some of its lesser-known little secrets.

You can walk past the cathedral towards the deanery, from where a short walk through some high, narrow streets, brings you to the charmingly picturesque – and beautifully peaceful – Cheyney Court.

The most striking part of this little corner is the ancient Priory Gate which is all that remains of the magnificent Priory of St Swithun which stood here until the infamous dissolution of the monasteries in 1539.

The adjoining half-timbered buildings once comprised the Bishop of Winchester’s court house, together with the stables half-built into the city walls.

We’re getting further away from the heart of Winchester, now, on the hunt for two features of the city that I’d never seen before.

The stroll along the blissfully quiet College Street takes you past the city university (which you can explore via guided tours twice a day) en route to the ruined Wolvesley Castle, but before you get there, take a closer look at the rather dowdy yellow house off to your right, next to a small archway.

The round plaque on the wall gives away this otherwise unremarkable building’s little secret: namely that it was the last residence of author Jane Austen, who moved here during the last years of her life to be closer to her physician who lived in neighbouring Kingsgate. She died here in 1817, aged just 42.

And so to the castle itself. It dates back to the early 12th century, when construction was begun by Bishop Henri de Blois.

His efforts were initially in vain as it was to last just 500 years before Winchester was captured by Parliamentary troops in 1645 during the English Civil War and the castle largely razed to the ground.

The Bishop’s Palace next door was erected 35 years after the war ended in 1649, but the ghostly castle remains are the greater attraction. Better still, admission to the castle’s grounds is free.

Back to the beginning

And so ends my short tour of this endlessly beguiling city. It’s worth having a quick look at the city bridge and mill on your way back to the car park (you can undertake a tour of the mill, which is still operational today), and the River Itchen makes for a tranquil, pretty end to any visit here.

This fascinating city is worth many a return visit.

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