81-638: Lower Barracks was a military installation in Winchester . It was the depot of the Royal Hampshire Regiment from its formation in 1881 until it moved out in 1959. The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum reopened at Serle's House in 2004. It is one of several independent museums that comprise Winchester's Military Museums . The buildings at the Lower Barracks at Winchester date back to 1730 when Serle's House, which had been designed by Thomas Archer ,
162-511: A danger to pedestrians, with only a small portion of the original Roman wall itself surviving. Of the six gates (North, South, East, West, Durn, and King's Gates), only the Kingsgate and Westgate survive, with sections of the walls remaining around the two gates and near the ruins of Wolvesey Castle . Three notable bronze sculptures can be seen in or from the High Street by major sculptors of
243-593: A gradual change through increased trade links rather than migration. To the Celtic Britons, the settlement was probably known as Wentā or Venta (from a common Celtic word meaning "tribal town" or "meeting place"). An etymology connected with the Celtic word for "white" ( Modern Welsh gwyn ) has been suggested, due to Winchester's situation upon chalk. It was the Latinised versions of this name, together with that of
324-545: A population of 127,439 in 2021. Winchester is the county town of Hampshire and contains the head offices of Hampshire County Council . Winchester developed from the Roman town of Venta Belgarum , which in turn developed from an Iron Age oppidum . Winchester was one of the most important cities in England until the Norman conquest in the eleventh century. It has since become one of
405-407: A role in displaying the power and wealth of the local inhabitants and as a line of demarcation between the town and the countryside. According to Jane McIntosh, the "impressive ramparts with elaborate gateways ... were probably as much for show and for controlling the movement of people and goods as for defense". Some of the oppida fortifications were built on an immense scale. Construction of
486-418: A settlement to be called an oppidum , the main requirements emerge. They were important economic sites, places where goods were produced, stored and traded, and sometimes Roman merchants had settled and the Roman legions could obtain supplies. They were also political centres, the seat of authorities who made decisions that affected large numbers of people, such as the appointment of Vercingetorix as head of
567-471: Is St Peter's Catholic Church . It was built in 1924 and designed by Frederick Walters . Next to it is Milner Hall, built in the 1780s, which was the first Catholic church to be consecrated since 1558. The old Victorian Corn Exchange is now used as a cultural hub. A series of 24 bollards on the corner of Great Minster Street and The Square were painted in the style of famous artists, or with topical scenes, by The Colour Factory between 2005 and 2012 at
648-535: Is a state funded special school for pupils aged 4 to 11, located just outside of the city in the boundaries of Compton . The University of Winchester (formerly King Alfred's College) is a public university based in Winchester and the surrounding area. It is ranked 10th for teaching excellence in The Times and The Sunday Times 2016 Good University Guide, with a 92% rating, and fourth for student satisfaction in England in
729-473: Is also reflected in the archaeological evidence. According to Fichtl (2018), in the first century BC Gaul was divided into around sixty civitates (the term used by Caesar) or 'autonomous city-states', which were mostly organized around one or more oppida . In some cases, "one of these can be regarded effectively as a capital." Oppida continued in use until the Romans began conquering Iron Age Europe. Even in
810-674: Is also used more widely to characterize any fortified prehistoric settlement. For example, significantly older hill-top structures like the one at Glauberg (6th or 5th century BC) have been called oppida . Such wider use of the term is, for example, common in the Iberian archaeology; in the descriptions of the Castro culture it is commonly used to refer to the settlements going back to the 9th century BC. The Spanish word castro , also used in English, means 'a walled settlement' or 'hill fort', and this word
891-542: Is buried in the cathedral. While staying in Winchester from mid-August to October 1819, the Romantic poet John Keats wrote "Isabella", "St. Agnes' Eve", " To Autumn ", "Lamia" and parts of " Hyperion " and the five-act poetic tragedy "Otho The Great". In 2013, businesses involved in the housing market were reported by a local newspaper as saying that the city's architectural and historical interest, and its fast links to other towns and cities, had led Winchester to become one of
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#1732876992140972-715: Is commonly identified as the city of Cair Guinntguic listed among the 28 cities of Britain in the History of the Britons (commonly attributed to Nennius ). The city is known as Caerwynt in Modern Welsh . Between 476 and 517 AD, the town and surrounding areas seems to have been fortified by several Jutish settlements and to have operated as part of a larger polity. The city became known as Wintanceaster ("Fort Venta") in Old English . In 648, King Cenwalh of Wessex erected
1053-453: Is flexible and fortified sites as small as 2 hectares (4.9 acres) have been described as oppida . However, the term is not always rigorously used, and it has been used to refer to any hill fort or circular rampart dating from the La Tène period. One of the effects of the inconsistency in definitions is that it is uncertain how many oppida were built. In European archaeology, the term oppida
1134-572: Is in Martyr Worthy , just outside the city. From 1835 to 1974, Winchester was governed as a municipal borough of Hampshire. Until 1902 the city's affairs were also administered partly by its parishes: St Lawrence, St Mary Kalendar, St Maurice, St Michael, St Peter Colebrook, St Swithin, St Thomas, St John, St Bartholomew Hyde, Milland, St Faith, and St Peter Cheesehill, and its extra-parochial areas: Cathedral Precincts, St Mary's College Precincts, St Cross Hospital Precinct, and Wolvesey. Historically,
1215-640: Is now a school of the University of Southampton . The School of Art is complemented by the University of Southampton's Erasmus Park student accommodation in Winnall. Peter Symonds College is a college that serves Winchester. It began as a Grammar school for boys in 1897, and became a co-educational sixth-form college in 1974. Oppidum An oppidum ( pl. : oppida ) is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. Oppida are primarily associated with
1296-655: Is often used interchangeably with oppidum by archaeologists. What was swept away in Northern Europe by the Roman Conquest was itself a dynamic indigenous culture extending across the transalpine landmass, usually known today as that of the Celts. The proto-urban Oppida – a Latin word used by Julius Caesar himself – remain one of the most striking manifestations of this pre-Roman northern European civilization. According to pre-historian John Collis , oppida extend as far east as
1377-473: Is predominantly composed of Abbotts Barton , Hyde , and Winnall ; St Luke is predominantly composed of Stanmore and Winchester Village; St Michael is predominanlty composed of Bar End , Highcliffe, Saint Giles Hill, St Cross , and much of the city centre including the Cathedral Close; St Pauls is predominantly composed of Fulflood, Sleepers Hill, and West Hill. Winchester is currently represented in
1458-476: Is that the court was mobile in this period and there was no fixed capital. Martin Biddle has suggested that Winchester was a centre for royal administration in the 7th and 8th centuries, but this is questioned by Barbara Yorke , who sees it as significant that the shire was named after Hamtun, the forerunner of Southampton . However, Winchester is described by the historian Catherine Cubitt as "the premier city of
1539-477: The insulae of Roman cities (Variscourt). Little is known, however, about the purpose of any public buildings. The main features of the oppida are the walls and gates, the spacious layout, and usually a commanding view of the surrounding area. The major difference with earlier structures was their much larger size. Earlier hill forts were mostly just a few hectares in area, whilst oppida could encompass several dozen or even hundreds of hectares. They also played
1620-561: The 37th (North Hampshire) Regiment of Foot and the 67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot . Following the Childers Reforms , the 37th and 67th regiments amalgamated to form the Royal Hampshire Regiment with its depot in the barracks in 1881. The Lower Barracks were demoted to the status of out-station to the Wessex Brigade depot at Topsham Barracks in Exeter in 1959. Serle's House
1701-522: The Celtic late La Tène culture , emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretching from Britain and Iberia in the west to the edge of the Hungarian Plain in the east. These settlements continued to be used until the Romans conquered Southern and Western Europe. Many subsequently became Roman-era towns and cities, whilst others were abandoned. In regions north of
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#17328769921401782-773: The Gothic revival style, the Royal Hampshire County Hospital , designed by William Butterfield , and Winchester City Mill , one of the city's several water mills driven by the River Itchen that runs through the city centre. The mill has recently been restored, and is again milling corn by water power. It is owned by the National Trust . Castle Hill is the location of the Council Chamber for Hampshire County Council . Between Jewry Street and St Peter's Street
1863-592: The Henry Beaufort School , Kings' School Winchester , and The Westgate School are all situated in the city. A fourth state school, the Osborne School , a community special school is also located in Winchester. Independent junior/preparatory schools are The Pilgrims' School Winchester , the Prince's Mead School and Twyford School , which is just outside the city and claims to be the oldest preparatory school in
1944-592: The House of Commons by Danny Chambers , of the Liberal Democrats, who in the 2024 General Election beat Flick Drummond , the Conservative candidate, by 13,821 votes (a margin of 24.2%). The office of Mayor of Winchester currently exists as a ceremonial role, but dates back at least as far as the late 12th century. The mayoral term length is currently one year, and is the chair of Winchester City Council , covering
2025-504: The Hungarian plain where other settlement types take over. Around 200 oppida are known today. Central Spain has sites similar to oppida, but while they share features such as size and defensive ramparts the interior was arranged differently. Oppida feature a wide variety of internal structures, from continuous rows of dwellings ( Bibracte ) to more widely spaced individual estates ( Manching ). Some oppida had internal layouts resembling
2106-705: The Late Iron Age , a more urban settlement type developed, known as an oppidum , although the archaeology of this phase remains obscure. The settlement became an important centre for the British Belgae tribe; however, it remains unclear how the Belgae came to control the initial settlement. Caesar recorded the tribe had crossed the channel as raiders (probably in the 1st century BCE), only to later establish themselves. The Roman account of continental invaders has been challenged in recent years with scientific studies favouring
2187-566: 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 8:00 pm each evening. Jews lived in Winchester from at least 1148, and in the 13th century the Jewish community in the city was one of the most important in England. There was an archa in the city, and the Jewish quarter
2268-689: The Proto-Indo-European * pedóm- , 'occupied space' or 'footprint'. In modern archaeological usage oppidum is a conventional term for large fortified settlements associated with the Celtic La Tène culture . In his Commentarii de Bello Gallico , Julius Caesar described the larger Celtic Iron Age settlements he encountered in Gaul during the Gallic Wars in 58 to 52 BC as oppida . Although he did not explicitly define what features qualified
2349-516: The Roman withdrawal from Britain , urban life continued much as it had done into the mid fifth century. The settlement reduced in size, but work was carried out to improve the city's defences. The city may have functioned as a centre for a religious community or a royal palace, as they continued to use the Christian cemeteries established in the Roman period. Winchester appears in early Welsh literature and
2430-566: The Sir John Moore Barracks , 2 miles (3 km) outside the city). The almshouses and vast Norman chapel of the Hospital of St Cross 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 way to Canterbury . The City Museum, located on
2511-693: The Trinovantes and at times the Catuvellauni , made use of natural defences enhanced with earthworks to protect itself. The site was protected by two rivers on three of its sides, with the River Colne bounding the site to the north and east, and the Roman River forming the southern boundary; the extensive bank and ditch earthworks topped with palisades were constructed to close off the open western gap between these two river valleys. These earthworks are considered
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2592-629: The 19th and 20th centuries, the earliest a monumental statue of Queen Victoria , now in the Great hall , by Sir Alfred Gilbert (also known as the sculptor of ' Eros ' in London's Piccadilly Circus), King Alfred , facing the city with raised sword from the centre of The Broadway, by Hamo Thornycroft and the modern striking Horse and Rider by Dame Elizabeth Frink at the entrance to the Law Courts. The novelist Jane Austen died in Winchester on 18 July 1817 and
2673-666: The 7km-long murus gallicus at Manching required an estimated 6,900 m of stones for the façade alone, up to 7.5 tons of iron nails, 90,000 m of earth and stones for the fill between the posts and 100,000 m of earth for the ramp. In terms of labour, some 2,000 people would have been needed for 250 days. The 5.5km-long murus gallicus of Bibracte may have required 40 to 60 hectares of mature oak woodland to be clear-felled for its construction. However, size and construction of oppida varied considerably. Typically oppida in Bohemia and Bavaria were much larger than those found in
2754-722: The Church of St Peter and St Paul, later known as the Old Minster . This became a cathedral in the 660s when the West Saxon bishop's see was transferred from Dorchester on Thames . The present form of the city dates from reconstruction in the late 9th century, when King Alfred the Great obliterated the Roman street plan in favour of a new grid in order to provide better defence against the Vikings . The city's first mint appears to date from this period. In
2835-516: The Conservatives from 2011 until 2019 , since when the Liberal Democrats have again been in control. The wards are: St Barnabas predominantly covers Harestock , Weeke and Teg Down. Harestock is part of Littleton and Harestock Parish whilst the remainder is part of the unparished area, but the entire ward is part of the Town Forum. The remaining wards are all completely unparished; St Bartholomew
2916-564: The Gallic revolt in 52 BC. Caesar named 28 oppida . By 2011, only 21 of these had been positively identified by historians and archaeologists: either there was a traceable similarity between the Latin and the modern name of the locality (e.g. Civitas Aurelianorum - Orléans ), or excavations had provided the necessary evidence (e.g. Alesia ). Most of the places that Caesar called oppida were city-sized fortified settlements. However, Geneva , for example,
2997-403: The High Street. It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument . The city walls were originally built in the Roman period covering an area of around 138 acres (56 ha), and were rebuilt and expanded in sections over time. A large portion of the city walls, built on Roman foundations, were demolished in the 18th and 19th centuries as they fell into ruin and the gates became a barrier to traffic and
3078-498: The National Student Survey 2015. The university origins go back as far as 1840, originally as a Diocesan teacher training centre. King Alfred's, the main campus, is located on a purpose-built campus near the city centre. The West Downs campus is a short walk away, and houses student facilities and accommodation and the business school. The Winchester School of Art was founded in the 1860s as an independent institution and
3159-626: The North garth of the cathedral is via the Norman arches of Saint Maurice's tower, in the High Street. Wolvesey Castle was the Norman bishop's palace, dating from 1110, but standing on the site of an earlier Saxon structure. It was enhanced by Henry de Blois during the Anarchy of his brother King Stephen 's reign. He was besieged there for some days. In the 16th century, Queen Mary Tudor and King Philip II of Spain were guests just before their wedding in
3240-770: 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 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 Priors (the monastic predecessors of
3321-491: The United Kingdom. There are two major independent senior schools in Winchester, St Swithun's (a day and boarding school for girls from nursery to sixth form) and Winchester College , a boys' public school . Both schools often top the examination result tables for the city and county. Osborne School is a state-funded special school for pupils aged 11 to 19 which is located in Winchester. Shepherds Down Special School
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3402-489: The West Saxon kingdom" and Janet Nelson describes London and Winchester as Alfred the Great's "proto-capitals". There was a fire in the city in 1141 during the Rout of Winchester . In the 14th century, William of Wykeham played a role in the city's restoration. As Bishop of Winchester he was responsible for much of the current structure of the cathedral, and he founded the still extant public school Winchester College . During
3483-713: The Westgate Museum (which showcases various items of weaponry ), and the Historic Resources Centre, which holds many records related to the history of the city. In 2014 ownership of the City museum was transferred to the Hampshire Cultural Trust as part of a larger transfer of museums from Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council . Other historic buildings include the Guildhall dating from 1871 in
3564-474: The behest of Winchester City Council.( 51°03′43″N 1°18′55″W / 51.062°N 1.31525°W / 51.062; -1.31525 ( The Square ) ) Winchester has a variety of Church of England primary schools, including both state and private provision schools. St Peters Catholic Primary School had the highest SATS results, after achieving a perfect score of 300 in 2011. There are four state comprehensive secondary schools in Winchester;
3645-494: The cathedral . The building is now a ruin (maintained by English Heritage ), but the chapel was incorporated into the new palace built in the 1680s, only one wing of which survives. Winchester is well known for the Great Hall of its castle , which was built in the 12th century. The Great Hall was rebuilt sometime between 1222 and 1235, and still exists in this form. It is famous for King Arthur 's Round Table , which has hung in
3726-496: The cathedral. Winchester Cathedral Close contains a number of historic buildings from the time when the cathedral was also a priory . Of particular note is the Deanery , which dates back to the 13th century. It was originally the Prior's House, and was the birthplace of Arthur, Prince of Wales in 1486. Not far away is Cheyney Court , a mid 15th-century timber-framed house incorporating
3807-454: The corner of Great Minster Street and The Square, contains much information on the history of Winchester. Early examples of Winchester measures of standard capacity are on display. The museum was one of the first purpose-built museums to be constructed outside London. Local items featured include the Roman Venta Belgarum gallery, and some genuine period shop interiors taken from the nearby High Street. Other places of cultural interest include
3888-417: The cross, they were prevented from doing so by the people of the city, who "organised a small riot", and they were forced to abandon their task. The agreement with the city was cancelled and Dummer erected a lath and plaster facsimile, which stood in the park for about sixty years before it was destroyed by the weather. The Buttercross itself was restored by George Gilbert Scott in 1865, and still stands in
3969-421: The early 10th century there were two new ecclesiastical establishments: the convent of Nunnaminster , founded by Alfred's widow Ealhswith , and the New Minster . Bishop Æthelwold of Winchester was a leading figure in the monastic reform movement of the later 10th century. He expelled the secular canons of both minsters and replaced them with monks. He created the drainage system, the "Lockburn", which served as
4050-434: The earth and stone ramparts, called Pfostenschlitzmauer (post slot wall) or " Preist -type wall". In western Europe, especially Gaul, the murus gallicus (a timber frame nailed together, with a stone facade and earth/stone fill), was the dominant form of rampart construction. Dump ramparts, that is earth unsupported by timber, were common in Britain and were later adopted in France. They have been found in particular in
4131-444: The five city wards constitutes an unparished area . As a result, they now make up Winchester Town Forum, which matches the former Winchester Urban District. Legally an area committee, it oversees the Town account and acts as a council committee to steer some decisions affecting the town. Unlike parishes, members are not directly-elected, but instead are the city councillors who were elected to the respective wards, who sit ex officio on
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#17328769921404212-414: The former Urban District itself: St Barnabas, St Paul, St Luke, St Bartholomew, and St Michael; they have three councillors each apart from St Luke, which is a two-member ward. For Hampshire County Council elections, the City of Winchester district is made up of 7 divisions , with Winchester Westgate and Winchester Eastgate covering the town area. Whilst the remainder of the district is parished, most of
4293-446: The grounds of the Great Hall is a recreation of a medieval garden. Apart from the hall, only a few excavated remains of the stronghold survive among the modern Law Courts. The buildings were supplanted by the adjacent King's House , now incorporated into the Peninsula Barracks where there are five military museums. (The training that used to be carried out at the barracks is now done by the Army Training Regiment Winchester, based at
4374-436: The hall from at least 1463. The table actually dates from the 13th century, this it is still of considerable historical interest and attracts many tourists. The table was originally unpainted, but was painted for Henry VIII in 1522. The names of the legendary Knights of the Round Table are written around the edge of the table surmounted by King Arthur on his throne. Opposite the table are Prince Charles 's 'Wedding Gates'. In
4455-452: The heart of the wider City of Winchester , a local government district , at the western end of the South Downs National Park, on the River Itchen . It is 60 miles (97 km) south-west of London and 14 miles (23 km) from Southampton , its nearest city. At the 2021 census, the built-up area of Winchester had a population of 48,478. The wider City of Winchester district includes towns such as Alresford and Bishop's Waltham and had
4536-424: The later Deans) 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. Now part of The Pilgrims' School , 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 etc. Entrance for pedestrians to
4617-465: The most expensive and affluent areas in the United Kingdom. The city's major landmark is Winchester Cathedral . The city is also home to the University of Winchester and Winchester College , the oldest public school in the United Kingdom still using its original buildings. The area around Winchester has been inhabited since prehistoric times , with three Iron Age hillforts , Oram's Arbour , St. Catherine's Hill , and Worthy Down all nearby. In
4698-423: The most expensive and desirable areas of the country and ranked Winchester as one of the least deprived areas in England and Wales. Winchester is situated on a bed of Cretaceous lower chalk with small areas of clay and loam soil, inset with combined clay and rich sources of fuller's earth . As with the rest of the UK, Winchester experiences an oceanic climate ( Köppen Cfb ). The nearest Met Office station
4779-572: The most extensive of their kind in Britain, and together with the two rivers enclosed the high status farmsteads, burial grounds, religious sites, industrial areas, river port and coin mint of the Trinovantes. Prehistoric Europe saw a growing population. According to Jane McIntosh, in about 5,000 BC during the Neolithic between 2 million and 5 million people lived in Europe; in the late (pre-Roman) Iron Age (2nd and 1st centuries BC) it had an estimated population of around 15 to 30 million. Outside Greece and Italy, which were more densely populated,
4860-429: The north and west of France. Typically oppida in Britain are small, but there is a group of large oppida in the south east; though oppida are uncommon in northern Britain, Stanwick stands out as an unusual example as it covers 350 hectares (860 acres). Dry stone walls supported by a bank of earth, called Kelheim ramparts, were characteristic of oppida in central Europe. To the east, timbers were often used to support
4941-419: The north-west and central regions of France and were combined with wide moats ("Type Fécamp"). Oppida can be divided into two broad groups, those around the Mediterranean coast and those further inland. The latter group were larger, more varied, and spaced further apart. In Britain the oppidum of Camulodunon (modern Colchester , built between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD), tribal capital of
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#17328769921405022-479: The presence of fortifications, so they are different from undefended farms or settlements, and urban characteristics, marking them as separate from hill forts . They are often described as 'the first cities north of the Alps', though earlier examples of urbanism in temperate Europe are also known. The 2nd and 1st centuries BC places them in the period known as La Tène . A notional minimum size of 15 to 25 hectares (37 to 62 acres) has often been suggested, but that
5103-453: The rivers Danube and Rhine , such as most of Germania , where the populations remained independent from Rome, oppida continued to be used into the 1st century AD. Oppidum is a Latin word meaning 'defended (fortified) administrative centre or town', originally used in reference to non-Roman towns as well as provincial towns under Roman control. The word is derived from the earlier Latin ob-pedum , 'enclosed space', possibly from
5184-408: The second century. At the beginning of the third century, Winchester was given protective stone walls . At around this time the city covered an area of 144 acres (58 ha), making it among the largest towns in Roman Britain by surface area. There was a limited suburban area outside the walls. Like many other Roman towns however, Winchester began to decline in the later fourth century. Despite
5265-407: The settlement to dominate nearby trade routes and may also have been important as a symbol of control of the area. For instance at the oppidum of Ulaca in Spain the height of the ramparts is not uniform: those overlooking the valley are considerably higher than those facing towards the mountains in the area. The traditional explanation is that the smaller ramparts were unfinished because the region
5346-416: The south of the city had come under the " Liberty of the Soke ", and was thereby self-governing to a large extent. In 1889, the city came under the new Hampshire County Council , and the city was later administered by Winchester Urban District . Since 1974 the area has been governed as part of the wider City of Winchester district of Hampshire . The district has 16 electoral wards, five of these cover
5427-400: The town drain until 1875, and still survives. Also in the late 10th century, the Old Minster was enlarged as a centre of the cult of the 9th century Bishop of Winchester , Saint Swithun . The three minsters were the home of what architectural historian John Crook describes as "the supreme artistic achievements" of the Winchester School . The consensus among historians of Anglo-Saxon England
5508-447: The town forum. The current ward boundaries were adopted in 2016 , when all seats were up for election. Since then, Winchester City Council elections take place in three out of every four years, with one third of the councillors elected in each election. From the 2006 election until the 2010 election the council was led by Conservatives . In 2010 it was controlled for a year by the Liberal Democrats , before being led again by
5589-408: The tribe that gave the town its Roman name of Venta Belgarum . After the Roman conquest of Britain , the settlement served as the capital ( Latin : civitas ) of the Belgae and was distinguished as Venta Belgarum , "Venta of the Belgae". Although in the early years of the Roman province it was of subsidiary importance to Silchester and Chichester , Venta eclipsed them both by the latter half of
5670-407: The vast majority of settlements in the Iron Age were small, with perhaps no more than 50 inhabitants. While hill forts could accommodate up to 1,000 people, oppida in the late Iron Age could reach as large as 10,000 inhabitants. Oppida originated in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC. Most were built on fresh sites, usually on an elevated position. Such a location would have allowed
5751-427: The wider district since 1974. Winchester Cathedral was originally built in 1079 and remains the longest Gothic cathedral in Europe. It contains much fine architecture spanning the 11th to the 16th centuries and is the place of interment of numerous Bishops of Winchester (such as William of Wykeham ), Anglo-Saxon monarchs (such as Egbert of Wessex ) and later monarchs such as King Canute and William Rufus . It
5832-408: The word for both fortified and unfortified settlements. In his work Geographia , Ptolemy listed the coordinates of many Celtic settlements. However, research has shown many of the localisations of Ptolemy to be erroneous, making the identification of any modern location with the names he listed highly uncertain and speculative. An exception to that is the oppidum of Brenodurum at Bern , which
5913-562: Was a milestone in the urbanisation of the continent as they were among the first large settlements north of the Alps that could genuinely be described as towns or cities (earlier sites include the 'Princely Seats' of the Hallstatt period ). Caesar pointed out that each tribe of Gaul would have several oppida but that they were not all of equal importance, implying a form of settlement hierarchy , with some oppida serving as regional capitals. This
5994-573: Was built for William Sheldon. The house was acquired by James Serle, a lawyer, in 1781 and then sold to the War Office in 1796. Most of the other buildings in the Lower Barracks, including a barrack block and a small parade ground, were built during the Crimean War . In 1873 a system of recruiting areas based on counties was instituted under the Cardwell Reforms and the barracks became the depot for
6075-436: Was confirmed by an archaeological discovery. In archaeology and prehistory, the term oppida now refers to a category of settlement; it was first used in that sense by Paul Reinecke , Joseph Déchelette and Wolfgang Dehn [ de ] in reference to Bibracte , Manching , and Závist . In particular, Dehn suggested defining an oppidum by four criteria: In current usage, most definitions of oppida emphasise
6156-496: Was invaded by the Romans; however, archaeologist John Collis dismisses this explanation because the inhabitants managed to build a second rampart extending the site by 20 hectares (49 acres) to cover an area of 80 hectares (200 acres). Instead he believes the role of the ramparts as a status symbol may have been more important than their defensive qualities. While some oppida grew from hill forts, by no means all of them had significant defensive functions. The development of oppida
6237-592: Was located in the city's heart (present day Jewry street). There were a series of blood libel claims against the Jewish community in the 1220s and 1230s, which was probably the cause of the hanging of the community's leader, Abraham Pinch, in front of the synagogue of which he was the head. Simon de Montfort ransacked the Jewish quarter in 1264, and in 1290 all Jews were expelled from England. A statue of Licoricia of Winchester , described as "the most important Jewish woman in medieval England", located in Jewry Street,
6318-473: Was once an important pilgrimage centre and housed the shrine of Saint Swithun . The ancient Pilgrims' Way to Canterbury begins at Winchester. The plan of the earlier Old Minster is laid out in the grass adjoining the cathedral. The New Minster (the original burial place of Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder ) once stood beside it. The cathedral has a girls choir and a boys choir, who sing regularly in
6399-532: Was referred to as an oppidum , but no fortifications dating to this period have yet been discovered there. Caesar also refers to 20 oppida of the Bituriges and 12 of the Helvetii , twice the number of fortified settlements of these groups known today. That implies that Caesar likely counted some unfortified settlements as oppida . A similar ambiguity is in evidence in writing by the Roman historian Livy , who also used
6480-547: Was retained by the Ministry of Defence but many of the other buildings were converted for private residential use in the late 1990s. The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum reopened at Serle's House in 2004. The museum contains a display of drums, uniforms and personal artifacts. Winchester Winchester ( / ˈ w ɪ n tʃ ɪ s t ər / , /- tʃ ɛ s -/ ) is a cathedral city in Hampshire , England. The city lies at
6561-730: Was unveiled by the then Prince of Wales on 10 February 2022. The City Cross (also known as the Buttercross ) has been dated to the 15th century, and features 12 statues of the Virgin Mary , other saints and various historical figures. Several statues appear to have been added throughout the structure's history. In 1770, Thomas Dummer purchased the Buttercross from the Corporation of Winchester, intending to have it re-erected at Cranbury Park , near Otterbourne . When his workmen arrived to dismantle
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