Winchester
Originally the Roman city of Venta Belgarum, Winchester was long a regional administrative centre of Saxon England. King Kenwal built the first cathedral in 645. In 860, Alfred built a defensive wall around the burgh of Winchester, which proved to be the salvation of the town from the raiding Danes. After Alfred defeated the Danes, Winchester, under the aegis of Bishop Swithun, prospered.
The City Museum situated in the centre of Winchester between the High Street and the Cathedral, tells the story of the city through display of its extensive archaeological and local history collections.
These vividly illustrate Winchester’s pre-historic origins, its emergence as the fifth largest town of Roman Britain, and its development under Alfred the Great as capital of Wessex and of the Anglo-Norman kingdom.
Its decline in the later Middle Ages began with the creation of a new centre of government at Westminster in London, and was hastened by the Black Death in the 14th century and the Dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. A revival of fortunes began with renewed royal interest in the 17th century when Charles II built a palace in the city, enhancing Winchester’s reputation as a fashionable market town.
The origins of the City’s role as a local shopping centre and tourist destination in the 19th century are well demonstrated by displays and reconstructions of Victorian and Edwardian shops on the ground floor of the Museum.
Dominating the upper end of the High Street and located close to the Great Hall, theWestgate is one of two surviving fortified gateways in Winchester. The structure shows evidence of 12th century construction, with modifications in the 13th and late 14th centuries. The portcullis
and two early gun ports, for use with hand-held cannon, in the western façade were part of the later remodelling.
During the 16th to 18th centuries, the Westgate was used as both a lockup prison, for the drunken and disorderly, and as a debtors’ gaol. Much of the graffiti carved in the softer stone in the upper chamber of the gate, derives from this use.
In 1898, the City Corporation acquired the Westgate and began to use it as a museum and repository for the City archives. Today, displays include the famous collection of pre-Imperial weights and measures, and a fine painted ceiling from Winchester College which was made on the occasion of Queen Mary I’s marriage to Philip of Spain in Winchester in 1554.
There is access to the roof for extensive views along the High Street and towards the Great Hall of the castle. Access to the Museum and its roof is up steep staircases with rope handrails; unfortunately there is no wheelchair access.
Winchester has one of the finest collections of medieval buildings in the country; churches, shops, inns, houses, a mill, the ruins of Wolvesey Castle, fortifications and, of course, the splendid cathedral. These buildings date from about the 12th century, and make Winchester a city for exploring.
The castle was demolished by order of Parliament during the civil war when the good citizens of Winchester unfortunately
supported the wrong side. The Great Hall, once used as an assize court, survived and is open to the public. ‘King Arthur’s’ Round Table hangs here, probably made in the time of Edward III.
The magnificent cathedral, built piecemeal from 1079 until 1404, includes all architectural styles, from Norman to Perpendicular; treasures
include the Winchester Bible and the black marble font from Tournai, both 12th century in origin.
King Alfred – Winchester 32 The Tourist Handbook Wessex 2011
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