Winchester

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Winchester

Winchester is the county town

County town

A county town is the 'capital' of a county in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county....
of Hampshire

Hampshire

Hampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a Counties of England on the south coast of England....
, in South East England

South East England

South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. Its boundaries include Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex....
. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester

City of Winchester

Winchester is a Non-metropolitan district in Hampshire, England, with City status in the United Kingdom. It covers an area of central Hampshire including the city of Winchester itself, and neighbouring towns and villages including New Alresford, Colden Common and Bishops Waltham....
, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs

South Downs

The South Downs is one of the four areas of Southern England Chalk Formation downland in southern England. They extend from the eastern side of Hampshire through Sussex, culminating in the cliffs at Beachy Head....
, along the course of the River Itchen

River Itchen, Hampshire

The River Itchen is a river in Hampshire, England. It flows from mid-Hampshire to join with Southampton Water in the city of Southampton. The river has a total length of 28 miles , and is noted as one of England's - if not one of the World's - premier chalk streams for fly fishing, especially using Artificial fly or nymphing techniques....
. At the time of the 2001 Census, Winchester had a population of around 40,000 within a radius of its centre.

Archaically known as Winton, Winchester is a historic cathedral city

City status in the United Kingdom

City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarchy to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city"....
and the ancient capital of Wessex

Wessex

West Saxon redirects here. For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex .Wessex , from the Old English Westseaxe , was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of the English state in the 9th century, under the Wessex dynasty....
and the Kingdom of England

Kingdom of England

The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a state in North-West Europe. The Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and a number of smaller outlying islands?what is today the legal unit of England and Wales....
. It developed from the Roman

Roman Britain

Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia....
town of Venta Belgarum
Venta Belgarum

Venta Belgarum was a town in the Roman province of Britannia Superior. Today it is known as Winchester and is situated in the England county of Hampshire....
.

Winchester's major landmark is Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral at Winchester, Hampshire in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic architecture cathedral in Europe....
, one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the distinction of having the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic

Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture is a style of architecture which flourished during the high and late Middle Ages. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
cathedral in Europe.

Winchester railway station

Winchester railway station

Winchester railway station is a railway station located in Winchester in the county of Hampshire in England. It is located on the South Western Main Line and was originally known as Winchester City to distinguish it from other stations....
is served by trains running from London Waterloo

Waterloo station

London Waterloo is a major railway terminus in London, England owned and operated by Network Rail. It is in the London Borough of Lambeth near the South Bank, in Travelcard Zone 1, and houses a British Transport Police station....
, Weymouth, Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth city status in the United Kingdom located in the Counties of England of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is the UK's only island city and is located on Portsea Island....
, Southampton

Southampton

Southampton is the largest City status in the United Kingdom in the ceremonial county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England, and is sited around 100 km south-west of London and 30 km north-west of Portsmouth....
and the North.

lement in the area dates back to pre-Roman times, with an Iron Age

British Iron Age

The British Iron Age is a conventional name in the archaeology of Great Britain referring to the prehistoric and proto-historic phases of the Iron Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding Ireland....
enclosure or valley fort

Hill fort

A hill fort is type of fortification refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age and Iron Ages....
, Oram's Arbour

Oram's Arbour

Oram's Arbour was a hill fort during the British Iron Age, which eventually became Venta Belgarum, Britannia and then Winchester, Hampshire, England....
, on the western side of the present-day city.

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Encyclopedia

Winchester is the county town

County town

Hampshire

Hampshire , sometimes historically Southamptonshire, Hamptonshire, , or the County of Southampton, is a Counties of England on the south coast of England....
, in South East England

South East England

City of Winchester

South Downs

River Itchen, Hampshire

City status in the United Kingdom

Wessex

Kingdom of England

Roman Britain

Winchester Cathedral

Gothic architecture

Winchester railway station

Waterloo station

Portsmouth

Southampton

History

Early history

Settlement in the area dates back to pre-Roman times, with an Iron Age

British Iron Age

Hill fort

Oram's Arbour

Roman conquest of Britain

By AD 43, the time of the main Roman invasion of Britain, Great Britain had already frequently been the target of invasions, planned and actual, by forces of the Roman Republic and Roman Empire....
the civitas, then named Venta Belgarum

Venta Belgarum

Venta Belgarum was a town in the Roman province of Britannia Superior. Today it is known as Winchester and is situated in the England county of Hampshire....
or "Market of the Belgae

Belgae

The Belgae were a group of tribes living in northern Gaul in the 1st century BC, and later also in Roman Britain. They gave their name to the Roman province of Gallia Belgica, and later, to the modern country of Belgium, where they are colloquially known as the "Old Belgians"....
", was of considerable importance.

The city may have been the Caergwinntguic or Caergwintwg (literally meaning "White Fortress") as recorded by Nennius

Nennius

Nennius, or Nemnivus, is either of two shadowy personages traditionally associated with the history of Wales. The better known of the two is Nennius, the student of Elvodugus....
after the Roman

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
occupation. This name was corrupted into Wintanceastre following the Anglo-Saxon conquest of the area in 519.

Anglo-Saxon times

The city has historic importance as it replaced Dorchester-on-Thames as the de facto capital of the ancient kingdom of Wessex

Wessex

Caedwalla of Wessex

C?dwalla was the List of monarchs of Wessex of Wessex from about 685 until 688, when he abdicated. His name is derived from the British Cadwallon....
defeated King Atwald of Wight

Isle of Wight

The Isle of Wight is an England island and county, located 3-8 km from the south coast of the mainland, in the English Channel. It is situated south of the county of Hampshire and is separated from mainland Britain by the Solent....
. Although it was not the only town to have been the capital, it was established by King Egbert

Egbert of Wessex

Egbert was King of Wessex from 802 until 839. His father was Ealhmund of Kent. In the 780s Egbert was forced into exile by Offa of Mercia and Beorhtric of Wessex, but on Beorhtric's death in 802 Egbert returned and took the throne....
as the main city in his kingdom in 827. Saint Swithun

Saint Swithun

Saint Swithun was an early England Bishop of Winchester, now best known for the popular United Kingdom weather lore proverb that if it rains on Saint Swithun's day, 15 July, it will rain for 40 days and 40 nights....
was Bishop of Winchester in the mid 9th century. The Saxon street plan laid out by Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great , also spelled ?lfred, was king of the southern Anglo-Saxons kingdom of Wessex from 871 to 899. Alfred is noted for his defence of the kingdom against the Danish people Vikings, becoming the only English people king to be awarded the epithet "the Great"....
is still evident today: a cross shaped street system which conformed to the standard town planning system of the day - overlaying the pre-existing Roman

Roman Britain

Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410. The Romans referred to their province as Britannia....
street plan (incorporating the ecclesiastical quarter in the south-east; the judicial quarter in the south-west; the tradesmen in the north-east). The town was part of a series of fortifications along the south coast. Built by Alfred to protect the Kingdom, they were known as 'burh

Burh

A Burh is an Old English language name for a fortified town or other defended site, such as a hill fort. The boundaries of ancient burhs can often still be traced to modern urban borough limits....
s'. The medieval city wall, built on the old Roman walls, are visible in places. Only one section of the original Roman walls remains. Four main gates were positioned in the north, south, east and west plus the additional Durngate and King's Gate. Winchester remained the capital of Wessex, and then England, until some time after the Norman Conquest when the capital was moved to London. The Domesday Book

Domesday Book

The Domesday Book is the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William I of England, or William the Conqueror....
was compiled in the city early in the reign of William the Conqueror.

Medieval and later times

Winchesterhighstreethampshirerobertmudieauthor18532ndattempt

A serious fire in the city in 1141 accelerated its decline. However, William of Wykeham

William of Wykeham

William of Wykeham was Bishop of Winchester, Chancellor of England, founder of Winchester College and of New College, Oxford, and builder of a large part of Windsor Castle....
(1320-1404) played an important role in the city's restoration. As Bishop of Winchester

Bishop of Winchester

The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be a Lord Spiritual regardless of their length of service....
he was responsible for much of the current structure of the cathedral, and he founded Winchester College

Winchester College

Winchester College is a famous boys' independent school, set in the city of Winchester, Hampshire in Hampshire, England, once the ancient capital....
as well as New College, Oxford

New College, Oxford

New College is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxfords of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Its official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College, Oxford; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always called "New College"....
. During the Middle Ages, the city was an important centre of the wool trade, before going into a slow decline. The curfew bell in the bell tower (near the clock in the picture), still sounds at 8.00pm each evening. The curfew was the time to extinguish all home fires until the morning

The famous novelist Jane Austen

Jane Austen

Jane Austen was an English novelist whose Literary realism, biting social commentary and masterful use of free indirect speech, Burlesque , and irony have earned her a place as one of the most widely read and most beloved writers in English literature....
died in Winchester on 18 July 1817 and is buried in the cathedral. The Romantic poet John Keats

John Keats

John Keats was an England poetry who became one of the principal poets of the English Romanticism movement during the early nineteenth century....
stayed in Winchester from mid August through to October 1819. It was in Winchester that Keats wrote "Isabella", "St. Agnes' Eve", "To Autumn

To Autumn

File:W. J. Neatby - Keats - Autumn.jpg To Autumn is a poem written by England Romanticism poet John Keats on 19 September 1819 in poetry .Keats was inspired to write To Autumn after walking through the water meadows of Winchester, Hampshire, England, in an early autumn evening of 1819....
" and "Lamia". Parts of "Hyperion" and the five-act poetic tragedy "Otho The Great" were also written in Winchester.

Further learning

The City Museum located on the corner of Great Minster Street and The Square contains much information on the history of Winchester. Early examples of Winchester measure

Winchester measure

Winchester measure is a set of legal standards of volume defined in the city of Winchester, England during the tenth century and in use, with some modifications, until the present day....
s of standard capacity are on display.

Governance

Winchester is currently represented in the U.K. House of Commons through the Winchester Parliamentary Constituency by Mark Oaten

Mark Oaten

Mark Oaten is a Liberal Democrats politician in the United Kingdom, and Member of Parliament for the Winchester constituency. Oaten served as the Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson, before resigning that position on 21 January 2006 after a sex scandal involving male prostitutes was broken by the News of the World tabloid newspa...
, a Liberal Democrat. Mr Oaten won the seat during the 1997 general election in which he defeated the former Conservative Health Minister Gerry Malone

Gerry Malone

Peter Gerald Malone M.A., LL.B., known as Gerry Malone, is a United Kingdom Conservative Party politician who was an MP 1983-1987 and 1992-1997....
from John Major

John Major

Sir John Major, Order of the Garter, Order of the Companions of Honour, Chartered Institute of Bankers , was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of the United Kingdom and Leaders of the Conservative and Unionist Party of the Conservative Party during 1990 to 1997....
's then ousted Government.

Landmarks

Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral at Winchester, Hampshire in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic architecture cathedral in Europe....
, the longest cathedral in Europe, was originally built in 1079. It contains much fine architecture spanning the 11th to the 16th century and is the place of interment of numerous Bishops of Winchester

Bishop of Winchester

William of Wykeham

William of Wykeham was Bishop of Winchester, Chancellor of England, founder of Winchester College and of New College, Oxford, and builder of a large part of Windsor Castle....
), Anglo-Saxon

Anglo-Saxons

Anglo-Saxons is the term usually used to describe the invading tribes in the south and east of Great Britain starting from the early 5th century AD, and their creation of the English nation, lasting until the Norman conquest of England of 1066....
monarchs (such as Egbert of Wessex

Egbert of Wessex

Canute the Great

Canute the Great, also known as Cnut in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, or Knut was a Viking king of England, Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden ....
and William Rufus

William II of England

William II , the third son of William I of England, was Kingdom of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers also over Duchy of Normandy, and influence in Kingdom of Scotland....
, as well as Jane Austen

Jane Austen

Pilgrim

A pilgrim is one who undertakes a pilgrimage, literally 'far afield'. This is traditionally a visit to a place of some religious or historic significance; often a considerable distance is traveled....
age centre and housed the shrine

Shrine

A shrine, from the Latin scrinium is a holy or sacred place which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor veneration, hero, martyr, saint or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are veneration or worshipped....
of Saint Swithun. The ancient Pilgrims' Way

Pilgrims' Way

The Pilgrims' Way is the historic route supposed to have been taken by pilgrims from Winchester, Hampshire in Hampshire, England, to the shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury in Kent....
travelling to Canterbury

Canterbury

Canterbury lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a local government district of Kent, in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
begins at Winchester. The plan of the earlier Old Minster

Old Minster, Winchester

The Old Minster was the Anglo-Saxons cathedral for the diocese of Wessex and then diocese of Winchester from 660 to 1093. It stood on a site immediately north of and partially beneath its successor, Winchester Cathedral....
is laid out in the grass adjoining the cathedral. The New Minster

New Minster, Winchester

The New Minster, Winchester was a royal Benedictine abbey founded in 901 in Winchester in the England county of Hampshire.Alfred the Great had intended to build the monastery, but only got around to buying the land....
(original burial place of Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great

Edward the Elder

Edward the Elder was Kingdom of England . He was the son of Alfred the Great and Alfred's wife, Ealhswith, and became King upon his father's death in 899....
) once stood beside it. It has a girls choir and a boys choir, which sing on a regular basis at the cathedral.

Cathedral Close

The Cathedral Close contains a number of historic buildings from the time when the cathedral was also a priory

Priory

A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows headed by a prior or prioress.Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monastery of monks or nuns ....
. Of particular note are the Deanery
Deanery

Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Catholic Church and the Church of England....
which dates back to the thirteenth century. It was originally the Prior's House, and was the birthplace of Arthur, Prince of Wales

Arthur, Prince of Wales

Arthur, Prince of Wales was the first son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and therefore, heir to the throne of England and Wales....
in 1486. Not far away is Cheyney Court, a mid fifteenth century timber framed

Timber framing

Timber framing , or Half-timbering, is the method of creating framed structures of heavy timber jointed together with pegged mortise and tenon joints....
house incorporating the Porter's Lodge for the Priory Gate. It was the Bishop's court house.

The earliest hammer-beamed building still standing in England is also situated in the Cathedral Close, next to the Dean's garden. It is known as the Pilgrims' Hall, as it was part of the hostelry used to accommodate the many pilgrims to Saint Swithun's shrine. Left-overs from the lavish banquets of the Dean would be given to the pilgrims who were welcome to spend the night in the hall. It is thought by Winchester City Council to have been built in 1308. The Pilgrims' School

The Pilgrims' School

The Pilgrims' School, Winchester, is a boys' Preparatory School - with a co-ed pre-prep extension - in the Cathedral Close in Winchester, Hampshire - an ancient capital of England....
is planning to organise some events in the year 2008. Now, the hall is used by the school for assemblies in the morning, drama lessons, plays, orchestral practices, Cathedral Waynflete rehearsals, the school's Senior Commoners' Choir rehearsals and so forth.

Wolvesey Castle and Palace

Wolvesey Castle

Wolvesey Castle is a ruined castle in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was erected by the Bishop of Winchester Henry of Blois between 1130 and 1140....
was the Norman bishop's palace

Bishop's palace

Bishop's Palace may refer to the official residence of any bishop, such as those listed in the...
, dating from 1110, but standing on the site of an earlier Saxon structure. It was enhanced by Henry de Blois during the Anarchy

The Anarchy

The Anarchy or The Nineteen Year Winter refers to a period of history of England during the reign of the Normans King, Stephen of England, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government....
of his brother King Stephen

Stephen of England

Stephen often known as Stephen of Blois was a grandson of William I of England. He was the last Norman dynasty King of England, from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne jure uxoris....
's reign. He was besieged there for some days. In the 16th century, Queen Mary Tudor

Mary I of England

Mary I , was Queen of England and Monarchy of Ireland from 19 July 1553 until her death. The fourth crowned monarch of the Tudor dynasty, she is remembered for restoring England to Roman Catholicism after succeeding her short-lived half brother, Edward VI of England, to the English throne....
and King Philip II of Spain

Philip II of Spain

Philip II was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598, List of monarchs of Naples from 1554 until 1598, king consort of England, as husband of Mary I of England, from 1554 to 1558, lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories, such as Duke or Count; and King of Portugal as Philip I...
were guests just prior to their wedding in the Cathedral. The building is now a ruin (maintained by English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage is a non-departmental public body of the United Kingdom government with a broad remit of managing the historic built environment of England....
), but the chapel was incorporated into the new palace built in the 1680s, only one wing of which survives.

Winchester Castle

Winchester is well known for the Great Hall of its castle

Winchester Castle

Winchester Castle, is a castle in England in the city of Winchester, in the county of Hampshire, built in 1067. Only the Great Hall exists now; it houses a museum of the history of Winchester....
, which was built in the 12th century. The Great Hall was rebuilt, sometime between 1222-1235, and still exists in this form. It is famous for King Arthur
King Arthur

King Arthur is a legendary Britons leader who, according to medieval histories and Romance , led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders in the early 6th century....
's Round Table, which has hung in the hall from at least 1463. The table actually dates from the 13th century, and as such is not contemporary to Arthur. Despite this it is still of considerable historical interest and attracts many tourists. The table was originally unpainted, but was painted for King Henry VIII

Henry VIII of England

Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was also Lordship of Ireland and claimant to the Early Modern France. Henry was the second monarch of the House of Tudor, succeeding his father, Henry VII of England....
in 1522. The names of the legendary Knights of the Round Table

Knights of the Round Table

Knights of the Round Table were those men awarded the highest order of Chivalry at the Court of King Arthur in the Literature cycle the Matter of Britain....
are written around the edge of the table surmounted by King Arthur on his throne. Opposite the table are Prince Charles' 'Wedding Gates'. In the grounds of the Great Hall is a recreation of a medieval

Middle Ages

File:Karl 1 mit papst gelasius gregor1 sacramentar v karl d kahlen.jpgThe Middle Ages of European history are a period in history which lasted for roughly a millennium, commonly dated from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century to the beginning of the Early Modern Period in the 16th century, marked by the division of Western Christi...
garden. Apart from the hall, only a few excavated remains of the stronghold survive amongst the modern Law Courts. The buildings were supplanted by the King's House, now incorporated into the Peninsula Barracks where there are several military museums. Winchester is also home to the Army Training Regiment

Army Training Regiment

An Army Training Regiment is a unit of the British Army which conducts basic training for all new recruits, less adult Infantry recruits who are trained at the ITC at Catterick North Yorkshire, and some non-infantry TA units ....
Winchester, otherwise known as Sir John Moore Barracks, where Army recruits undergo their phase one training.

Winchester College

The buildings of Winchester College

Winchester College

Winchester College is a famous boys' independent school, set in the city of Winchester, Hampshire in Hampshire, England, once the ancient capital....
, a public school

Public school

The term public school has two distinct meanings depending on the location of usage:* in the United States, Australia and Canada: A school funded from tax revenue and most commonly administered to some degree by government or local government agencies....
founded by William of Wykeham, still largely date from their first erection in 1382. There are two courtyards, a gatehouse, cloister, hall,a magnificent college chapel and it also owns "The Water Meadows" through which runs a part of the River Itchen

River Itchen

The River Itchen may refer to:*The River Itchen, Hampshire, in Hampshire, England*The River Itchen, Warwickshire, in Warwickshire, England...
. It was planned to educate poor boys before they moved on to New College, Oxford

New College, Oxford

Hospital of St Cross

The almshouse

Almshouse

Almshouses are Charitable organization houses provided to enable people to live in a particular community. They are often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain forms of previous employment, or their widows, and are generally maintained by a charity or the trustees of a bequest....
s and vast Norman

Norman architecture

The term Norman architecture is used to categorise styles of Romanesque architecture developed by the Normans in the various lands under their dominion or influence in the 11th and 12th centuries....
chapel

Chapel

A chapel is a building used as a place for fellowship and of worship for Christians. It may be attached to an institution such as a large Church , a college, a hospital, a palace, a prison or a cemetery, or may be an entirely free-standing building, sometimes with its own grounds....
of Hospital of St Cross

Hospital of St Cross

The Hospital of St Cross is a medieval almshouse in Winchester, England, founded between 1133 and 1136 it is the oldest charitable institution in the United Kingdom....
were founded just outside the city centre by Henry de Blois in the 1130s. Since at least the 14th century, and still available today, a 'wayfarer's dole' of ale and bread has been handed out there. It was supposedly instigated to aid pilgrims on their route through to Canterbury

Canterbury

Canterbury lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a local government district of Kent, in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
.

Other buildings

Other important historic buildings include the Guildhall dating from 1871, the Royal Hampshire County Hospital

Royal Hampshire County Hospital

The Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester is a District General Hospital serving much of central Hampshire. It is owned and run by the Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust....
designed by William Butterfield

William Butterfield

William Butterfield , born in London, architect of the Gothic revival, and associated with the Oxford Movement .William Butterfield was born in London in 1814....
and one of the city's several water mills

Watermill

A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping ....
driven by the various channels of the River Itchen

River Itchen, Hampshire

The River Itchen is a river in Hampshire, England. It flows from mid-Hampshire to join with Southampton Water in the city of Southampton. The river has a total length of 28 miles , and is noted as one of England's - if not one of the World's - premier chalk streams for fly fishing, especially using Artificial fly or nymphing techniques....
that run through the city centre. Winchester City Mill

Winchester City Mill

The Winchester City Mill is a restored watermill situated on the River Itchen, Hampshire in the centre of the ancient England city of Winchester....
, has recently been restored, and is again milling corn by water power. The mill is owned by the National Trust

National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty

The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organization in England, Wales and Northern Ireland....
.

Although Winchester City survived World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
intact, about thirty percent of the Old Town was demolished to make way for buildings more suited to modern office day requirements (in particular for Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council). Since the late 1980s the city has seen a gradual replacement of these post war brutalist structures for contemporary developments more sympathetic to the medieval urban fabric of the Old Town.

Education

There are numerous educational institutions in Winchester.

There are three state secondary schools: Kings' School Winchester

Kings' School

Kings' School is a comprehensive school in Winchester, Hampshire. It is the National Centre of Excellence for Virtual school and has recently been awarded Business and Enterprise College Specialist school status....
, The Westgate School

The Westgate School

The Westgate School is a Comprehensive school in Winchester, Hampshire, United Kingdom. It has science specialist school status. Westgate is quite a large school with about 1,250 pupils....
, and The Henry Beaufort School

Henry Beaufort School

Henry Beaufort School, sometimes calledHenry Beaufort College of Technology, is a secondary school in Harestock, a suburb of Winchester, in the county of Hampshire in England....
, all of which have excellent reputations. The sixth form Peter Symonds College

Peter Symonds College

File:Peter Symonds College.jpgPeter Symonds College is an open-access sixth form college in Winchester, Hampshire, in the south of England with 2700 students mainly from central Hampshire....
is the main college that serves Winchester

Winchester

Sixth form college

A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as Advanced Level ....
s in the UK.

Among privately owned preparatory schools, there are The Pilgrims' School Winchester, Twyford, Prince's Mead etc. Winchester College

Winchester College

Winchester College is a famous boys' independent school, set in the city of Winchester, Hampshire in Hampshire, England, once the ancient capital....
, which accepts students from ages 13 to 18, is one of the most well-known public schools in Britain and many of its pupils leave for well-respected universities. St Swithuns

St Swithun's School, Winchester

St Swithun's School is a leading independent school for girls in Winchester, Hampshire. The current headmistress is Dr Helen Harvey. Pupils at St Swithun's School are often referred as "Swithunites" by the locals....
is a public school

Public school

The term public school has two distinct meanings depending on the location of usage:* in the United States, Australia and Canada: A school funded from tax revenue and most commonly administered to some degree by government or local government agencies....
for girls which frequently appears on the league tables for GCSE and A-level results.

The University of Winchester

University of Winchester

The University of Winchester is a university in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was given university status by the Privy Council in June 2005, having previously been known as "University College Winchester", and earlier as "King Alfred's College, Winchester"....
(formerly King Alfred's College) is Winchester's university, beginning life as a teacher training college. It is located on a purpose built campus near the city centre. The Winchester School of Art

Winchester School of Art

Winchester School of Art is the art school of the University of Southampton, situated 10 miles north of Southampton in the city of Winchester near the south coast of England....
is part of the University of Southampton

University of Southampton

The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley....
.

Sport

Winchester has an association football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
league and two recognised clubs, Winchester City F.C.

Winchester City F.C.

Winchester City Football Club are an England football team based in Winchester, Hampshire and playing in the Southern League Division One South and West....
, the 2004 FA Vase

FA Vase

The Football Association Challenge Vase is an annual football competition for teams playing below Step 4 of the English National League System....
winners who were founded in 1884 and has the motto "Many in Men, One in Spirit", currently play in the Southern League, Division 1 S&E after a highly successful spell in the Wessex League and Winchester Castle F.C.

Winchester Castle F.C.

Winchester Castle F.C. are an England football team based in Winchester. The club was reformed in 2006-07 in English football after originally going out of existence at the end of the 2000-01 in English football season when the former club was merged with their local rivals Winchester City F.C.....
, who have played in the Hampshire League since 1971. Barnsley

Barnsley F.C.

Barnsley Football Club is an England football club, based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and nicknamed the Tykes, with Toby Tyke being their mascot....
midfielder Brian Howard

Brian Howard

Brian Christian de Claiborne Howard was an English poet, whose work belied a spectacularly precocious start in life; in the end he became more of a journalist, writing for the New Statesman....
was born in Winchester.

Winchester women also have successful sports teams with Winchester City Women FC currently playing in the Hampshire County League Division 1 and recently went through a league campaign unbeaten. The club caters for players of all ability and ages.

Winchester also has a rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
team named Winchester RFC and a thriving athletics

Athletics (track and field)

Track and field athletics, commonly known as athletics or track and field, is a collection of sports events that involve running, throwing and jumping....
club called Winchester and District AC.

Winchester has a thriving successful Hockey

Hockey

Hockey is any of a family of sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a ball, or a hard, round, rubber or heavy plastic disc called a Hockey puck, into the opponent's net or goal, using a hockey stick....
Club (http://www.winchesterhc.co.uk/), with ten men's and three ladies' teams catering to all ages and abilities.

The city has a growing roller hockey

Roller hockey

Roller hockey is a form of hockey played on a dry surface using skates with wheels. The term "Roller Hockey" is often used interchangeably to refer to two variant forms chiefly differentiated by the type of skate used....
team which trains at River Park Leisure Centre.

Lawn bowls

Bowls

Bowls is a sport in which the goal is to roll slightly asymmetric balls, called bowls, closest to a smaller—normally white—bowl called the "jack" or "kitty"....
is played at several greens (the oldest being Hyde Abbey dating from 1812) during the summer months and at Riverside Indoor Bowling Club during the winter.

Winchester College invented, and lent its name to Winchester College Football

Winchester College Football

Winchester College Football, also known as Winkies, WinCoFo or simply "Our Game", is a football played at Winchester College. It is akin to the Eton College Field and Wall Games and the Harrow School Game in that it enjoys a large following from Wykehamists and old Wykehamists but is unknown outside the community directly connected to Winches...
, played exclusively at the College and in some small African/South American communities.

Winchester abroad

The city of Winchester is twinned with Laon

Laon

Laon is a city in Picardie in northern France, capital of the Aisne Departments of France....
in France

France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
and the Winchester district

City of Winchester

Gießen

Gie?en is a town in the States of Germany of Hessen, capital of both the Gie?en and the Gie?en . The population is approximately 71,000, with roughly 22,000 university students....
in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
.

The city of Winchester gave its name to a suburb of Paris

Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
, France

France

Le Kremlin-Bicêtre

Le Kremlin-Bic?tre is a communes of France in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located . from the Kilometre Zero. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe....
(23,724 inhabitants), due to a manor built there by John of Pontoise

John of Pontoise

John of Pontoise was a medieval Bishop of Winchester....
, Bishop of Winchester

Bishop of Winchester

The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be a Lord Spiritual regardless of their length of service....
, in the end of the 13th century.

The city is also the sister city of Winchester, Virginia

Winchester, Virginia

Winchester is an independent city located in the extreme northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 23,585 according to the United States Census 2000....
. The Mayor of Winchester (UK) has a standing invitation to be a part of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival

Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival

The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, a six-day festival held annually in Winchester, Virginia, is known for its many guest celebrities and events....
in Winchester (VA) each year in the Spring.

Media and culture

Winchester is home to Winchester Live, a live music festival set up in 2008 as a special event organised by Placid Piranha Promotions aimed at promoting the area of Winchester and Hampshire to the music industry and local music scene. Happening across three venues and boasting 11 gigs in 7 nights, it will be an opportunity to showcase Winchester

Winchester

Winchester is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. It lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of the River Itchen, Hampshire....
as a thriving music town with big names in rock ‘n’ roll performing with a wealth of talent that Hampshire has to offer.

Since 1974 Winchester has hosted the annual Hat Fair, a celebration of street theatre

Street theatre

Street theatre is a form of theatre performance and presentation in outdoor public spaces without a specific paying audience. These spaces can be anywhere, including Shopping mall, Parking lot, recreational reserves and street corners....
that includes performances, workshops, and gatherings at several venues around the city.

Winchester hosts one of the UK's largest and most successful farmers' markets, with close to - or over - 100 stalls, and is certified by FARMA

FARMA

FARMA is a co-operative association of farmers, producers and farmers market organisations in the United Kingdom....
. The farmers' market takes place on the second and last Sunday monthly in the town centre.

On Channel 4

Channel 4

Channel 4 is a UK Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom television broadcaster which began transmissions on 2 November 1982. Although commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the #Channel Four Television...
UK's Television Programme "The Best And Worst Places To Live In The UK" 2006, which was broadcast on Channel 4 UK on 26 October 2006, it was officially branded as the Best Place In The UK To Live In: 2006. In the 2007 edition of the same programme, Winchester had dropped to second best place to live, behind Edinburgh

Edinburgh

Edinburgh ; is the Capital city of Scotland, a position it has held since 1437. It is the seventh largest city in the United Kingdom and the second largest Scottish City status in the United Kingdom after Glasgow....
.

Winchester in fiction

12th century Winchester is one of the locations described in Ken Follett

Ken Follett

'Ken Follett' is a United Kingdom author of Thriller s and historical novels. He has sold a total of List of best-selling fiction authors and has authored numerous bestselling works, such as The Key to Rebecca, Lie Down with Lions, A Dangerous Fortune, The Man from St....
's Pillars of the Earth
The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth is a historical novel by Ken Follett published in 1989 in literature about the building of a cathedral in Kingsbridge, England....
.

Winchester is the main location of Samuel Youd

Samuel Youd

Samuel Youd is a United Kingdom science fiction author. He has written under the pseudonyms John Christopher, Stanley Winchester, Hilary Ford, William Godfrey, Peter Graaf, Peter Nichols, and Anthony Rye....
's post-apocalyptic science fiction series, Sword of the Spirits
Sword of the Spirits

The Sword of the Spirits is the title of a trilogy of novel written by Samuel Youd under the pseudonym "John Christopher". The stories are set in the South of England in a future where, due to a world wide ecological catastrophe, life has reverted back to a militaristic, medieval setting of walled cities and perpetual warfare....
. The books were published under the pen name John Christopher.

In the movie Merlin
Merlin

Merlin is best known as the Magician featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures....
, King Uther's first conquest of Britain begins with Winchester, which Merlin foresaw would fall.

A fictionalised Winchester appears as Wintoncester in Hardy

Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy, Order of Merit was an England author of the naturalism movement, though he regarded himself primarily as a poet and composed novels mainly for financial gain....
's Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Tess of the d'Urbervilles

Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented is a novel by Thomas Hardy, first published in 1891. It initially appeared in a censored and serialised version, published by the British illustrated newspaper, The Graphic....
and is in part the model for Barchester in the Barsetshire
Chronicles of Barsetshire

The "Chronicles of Barsetshire" is a series of six novels by the English author Anthony Trollope, set in the fictitious cathedral town of Barchester....
novels of Anthony Trollope

Anthony Trollope

Anthony Trollope became one of the most successful, prolific and respected English language novelists of the Victorian era. Some of Trollope's best-loved works, known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire; he also wrote penetrating novels on politics, social, gender issues and conflicts of hi...
, who attended Winchester College; The Warden
The Warden

The Warden is the first novel in Anthony Trollope's series known as the "Chronicles of Barsetshire", published in 1855. It was his fourth novel....
is said to be based on a scandal at the Hospital of St Cross

Hospital of St Cross

The Hospital of St Cross is a medieval almshouse in Winchester, England, founded between 1133 and 1136 it is the oldest charitable institution in the United Kingdom....
.

In Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman Order of the British Empire is an England novelist. He is the best-selling author of His Dark Materials , and a number of other books....
's novel The Subtle Knife
The Subtle Knife

The Subtle Knife, the second novel in the His Dark Materials series, was written by England novelist Philip Pullman and published in 1997....
(part of the His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials

His Dark Materials is a trilogy of fantasy literature by Philip Pullman comprising Northern Lights , The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass ....
trilogy) the main male protagonist, Will Parry, comes from Winchester. However, little of the book is set there.

In the Japanese manga Death Note
Death Note

is a Japanese manga series created by writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata. The series centers on Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a supernatural notebook, the titular "Death Note", dropped on Earth by a shinigami named Shinigami #Ryuk....
, The Wammy's House, an orphanage founded by Quillsh Wammy, where the detective L's successors are raised, is located in Winchester.

A fictitious estate near Winchester is the scene of a crime in the Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, who first appeared in publication in 1887. He is the creation of Scotland-born author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle....
's adventure, The Problem of Thor Bridge
The Problem of Thor Bridge

The Problem of Thor Bridge is a Sherlock Holmes murder mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle, which appears in the collection The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes....
, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, while some of the action in his The Adventure of the Copper Beeches
The Adventure of the Copper Beeches

"The Adventure of the Copper Beeches", one of the 56 short Sherlock Holmes stories written by British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, is the last of the twelve collected in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes....
takes place in the city.

The novel Kit and the Mystery Man by Mollie Chappell is set in Winchester.

The Novel The Frog and the Scorpion by Steevan Glover

Steevan Glover

Steevan Glover is the author of the acclaimed crime / thriller / action novel The frog and the scorpion...
is set in Winchester.

A scene in Henry Esmond by William Makepeace Thackeray

William Makepeace Thackeray

William Makepeace Thackeray was an England novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satire works, particularly Vanity Fair , a panoramic portrait of English society....
is set in the choir of Winchester cathedral.

A fictional character Sam Van Selle is supposedly from Winchester.

Winchester

History

Early history

Anglo-Saxon times

Medieval and later times

Further learning

Governance

Landmarks

Cathedral

Cathedral Close

Wolvesey Castle and Palace

Winchester Castle

Winchester College

Hospital of St Cross

Other buildings

Education

Sport

Winchester abroad

Media and culture

Winchester in fiction

See also

External links