I found myself in the pretty and historic streets of Winchester wondering why I had never visited before. It’s a stone’s throw from London where I lived for over a decade, and yet the ancient capital of Saxon England and, when it was known as Venta Belgarum, one of the largest urban centres in Roman Britain, was a mystery to me. I was only there on a hot day in May because it was the start of my walk along the South Downs Way.
Winchester’s historical associations are many, perhaps foremost is that this was the city of King Alfred the Great. The legendary Saxon ruler not only prevented the Danes from taking control of southern England, he completely reconstructed the old Roman city street plan to better protect it from attack. Almost a thousand years later novelist Jane Austen died in Winchester and is buried in the cathedral.
Amongst all the splendid half-timbered houses, the 12th century Wolvesey Castle, former home of the Bishop of Winchester, and the 11th century Winchester Castle, originally constructed by William the Conqueror in 1067, Winchester Cathedral is the town’s stand out historical building. A shame then that to get inside and experience its 1,000 years of history costs £14. I didn’t need to see Jane Austen’s tomb that badly.
To be fair to the cathedral it may well be worth the money, but I’d already been burned to the tune of £9 visiting the Great Hall in Winchester Castle. It may well have been built by William the Conqueror, and was once the seat of power for medieval monarchs, but it’s also an underwhelming experience. There is ‘King Arthur’s Round Table’ hanging from a wall, but that’s a 13th century fake. I almost asked for my money back.
That disappointment aside, Winchester was a revelation. The town has always been a military center and behind the Great Hall are the former barracks of the Royal Hampshire Regiment. Now converted to apartments, the barracks are impressive. I strolled down the hill to the pedestrianised High Street, which has a number of timber-framed buildings, and then popped into the Royal Oak pub for lunch.
This was fortunate because the Royal Oak claims to be the oldest pub in England, dating to 1002, and was also the home of Queen Emma of Normandy. Emma is the only English queen to have been crowned twice: first when she married King Aethelred the Unready, and later on King Cnut (not a misspelling). It was her son Edward the Confessor‘s death in 1066 that led to the Norman invasion and conquest.
Amidst this history, I ordered a traditional pub lunch and a pint of local beer. Refreshed, I set off to explore the rest of Winchester. It was a sunny day and the street cafes were busy. I made my way to the gardens surrounding the cathedral and then the Abbey Gardens until I reached the River Itchen. There’s a lovely walk along the banks of the river that extends into beautiful water meadows to the south.
It also passes by Wolvesey Castle. Built in the 12th century for the Bishop of Winchester, it was destroyed by the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War. Today, it makes for an impressive ruin. Next door is the new Bishop’s Palace. I took a walk through the shady water meadows and returned to the centre past Winchester College, a public school for the wealthy that has been operating since the 14th century.
Next door to this playground for privilege, is the house in which Jane Austen died. It’s a private house so no access, but there is a blue plaque on the wall. More importantly, in a city full of excellent pubs, the nearby Wykeham Arms is one of the best. I popped in to see what locally brewed beers they were offering. The pub sits in one of the warren of narrow streets that lead away from the cathedral, and which make a pleasant stroll.
After the 13th century, Winchester faded in political and economic importance, which today makes it an anomaly: a city with a cathedral with fewer than 50,000 residents. In truth it feels like a rural market town with the water meadows to the south and the rolling South Downs to the east. It was a great place to spend a day before setting off for a six day hike along the South Downs Way.
