Winchester Cathedral
Winchester was once the capital of England, and also the county town of Hampshire, and it was on a snowy day we visited this historic city. Our trip started with an overnight stay in a hotel just ten miles North of the city so we could make an early start in the morning. We arrived well before nine o'clock in the morning and found parking in a large Multi storey car park, but it was expensive at £8 for all day. The city centre and shops were only a few hundred yards away and we were soon in the historic city centre looking for the old Cathederal. It was easily found near to the city centre and after a quick look around outside we paid the entry fee (£6.50 Adult well worth it) and started to look inside the impressive Cathedral.
The Mortuary Chests
- • Cynegils, King of Wessex (611-643)
- Cenwalh, King of Wessex (643-672)
- Egbert of Wessex, King of Wessex (802-839)
- Ethelwulf, King of Wessex (839-856)
- Eadred, King of England (946-955)
- Eadwig, King of England and later Wessex (955-959)
- Cnut or Canute, King of England (1016–1035) and also of Denmark and Norway
- Emma of Normandy, wife of Cnut and also Ethelred II of England
- William II 'Rufus', King of England (1087–1100) - not in the traditional tomb associated with him, which may in fact be that of Henry of Blois, brother of King Stephen of England
Famous people Associated with the Cathedral
Jane Austen.
She was Buried within the cathedral aged 41, you will find her memorial stone in the North side aisle. Her modest funeral was attended by just four people and it was only much later that people discovered how good her works were, and today people flock to stand at her grave
St Swithun
He was an Anglo Saxon Bishop rich in legend and history, his bones that were housed in a Reliquary are said to hold healing powers, well they weren't that powerful because all traces of him disappeared after the Reformation.
William Walker
After huge cracks appeared in the early 1900, experts come to the conclusion that the cathedral could fall down. This guy worked in zero visability for six years, underwater shoring up the cathedral walls with concrete. The poor guy died aged 49 of the Spanish Flu.
Izaak Walton
Famed during his life as a biographer, Izaak Walton is now remembered for his much-loved treatise on the joys of fishing, The Complete Angler. You can see his grave and stained glass image in the Chapel of St John the Evangelist and the Fisherman Apostles – visited by anglers from all over the world.
Treasures Inside the Cathedral.
One of the first treasures you come across is the Tournai Marble font, it dates from 1150 and weighs 1.5 tonnes , it has carvings on it showing the miracles of St Nicholas you will find the font of the North side of the nave. Its hard to believe that the font is still used for Baptisms to this date.
The Winchester Bible
The bible is on full show in one of the upper rooms within the Cathedral and is one of the finest 12th century Bibles. A single scribe wrote all the text in latin and it took him six years to do it. You will also find illuminated capital letters and it was explained to us they have discovered six different artists worked on the project.
You will also find the Triforium Gallery that contains precious Artworks such as the Shaftesbury Bowl, and a a fine sculpture of the Madonna & Child. Also The Morley Library a 17th Century house a fine collection of rare books left by Bishop Morley, he also left money to buy two massive globes one terrestrial and one celestial .
A great day out and the Cathedral is a must visit, there are loads of other historical finds in Winchester but we just did not have the time and the weather was dreadful, so Gail hit the shops the like I have never seen before. Our next outing is the historical city of Lincoln.