129-567: The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun , commonly known as Winchester Cathedral , is the cathedral of the city of Winchester , England, and is among the largest of its kind in Northern Europe . The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Winchester and is the mother church for the ancient Diocese of Winchester . It is run by a dean and chapter, under
258-511: 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
387-431: A depth of 16.4 metres (54 ft) below the floor to support the new lift. In June 2017, the lift shaft and outer frame was installed, comprising 4 tonnes of steel rising 12.6 metres (41 ft) from the floor. To enable this, the 12th-century groin vault of the south transept aisle was opened up in a world first. The lift shaft is entirely free standing, it does not exert any pressure on the vault or walls. By November,
516-548: A gateway tower situated some distance from the west end. Wine died in c. 672, but one of his later successors, Swithun, would become one of the most famous Bishops of Winchester. Whether Swithun himself oversaw any expansion of the Old Minster is unknown, but it is recorded in Acta Sanctorum that from 963 to 984, Bishop Æthelwold greatly expanded the church, the works being finished by the following Bishop, Alphege. The church
645-593: 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
774-467: A half years longer than originally expected. In June 2024, some cathedral staff and volunteers were reported by the Hampshire Chronicle to have concerns about music at the cathedral. A senior member of the chapter, Mark Byford , resigned, and the bishop, Philip Mounstephen , commissioned an independent review of the events that had preceded this. The Chronicle said that there was "a storm over
903-438: A large number of chantry chapels , often dedicated to the various Bishops of Winchester. These chantry chapels, which can be found mostly in the retrochoir but also the nave, are intricately designed. Famous chantry chapels include those of William Wykeham, William Wayneflete, Richard Fox and Henry Beaufort. The earliest recorded organ at Winchester Cathedral was in the tenth century; it had 400 pipes and could be heard throughout
1032-469: A layer of chalk silt between the peat and gravel bed, which further destabilised the building. Jackson was against stopping pumping, as he could not see an alternative. Fox, however, summoned diver William Walker from London, who arrived in Winchester on 5 April 1906. Walker, who was arguably the most experienced diver in the country at the time, had an extremely challenging job. His task was to descend into
1161-437: A layer of topsoil, and ten feet of clay , at which point they arrived at the raft. Below this was a solid layer of peat , about 8 feet thick, and below this at a depth of 16 to 24 feet below the cathedral floor, they encountered a more solid layer of gravel, which they intended to utilise as the new base for the foundations. Jackson and Fox proposed to sink a series of trenches around the eastern end, about 50 in number, down to
1290-528: 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
1419-454: A medieval ecclesiastic clad in an alb, made of Portland stone . By February 2017, the cathedral were only £200,000 short of their fundraising goal, which had increased to £20.5 million. Also in February, a pit was created in the south transept floor to allow future insertion of a lift, thus allowing the exhibition on the south transept triforium to be accessible to all. Eight piles were inserted to
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#17328456856051548-545: 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
1677-520: A site just to the south of the Old and New Minsters, the site of the present building. The new cathedral was consecrated with the completion of the east end in 1093, and the many tombs of Saxon kings moved from the Old Minster into the new cathedral. The following day, demolition of the New and Old Minsters began, and quickly progressed, leaving virtually no remains. The outline of the Old Minster can still be seen today to
1806-632: A small, cross-shaped building just north of the present building. This building, known as the Old Minster , became the cathedral for the new Diocese of Winchester in 662, a vast area stretching from the English Channel to the River Thames , the bishopric having been transferred from Dorchester on Thames , Oxfordshire by Bishop Wine . The design of this early church cannot be confirmed, for no trace other than ground plan exists today, but Wolstan mentions
1935-471: 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
2064-482: 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
2193-452: Is also the sixth-largest cathedral by area in the UK, surpassed only by Liverpool, St Paul's , York , Westminster (RC) and Lincoln . A major tourist attraction, the cathedral attracted 365,000 visitors in 2019, an increase of 12,000 from 2018. Though churches were recorded in Winchester as early as 164, the first Christian church can be traced back to c. 648, when King Cenwalh of Wessex built
2322-542: 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
2451-715: 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
2580-572: 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,
2709-483: Is made from Carboniferous limestone from Belgium. It features unique carvings of the healings of Saint Nicholas . The font was gifted to the cathedral by Henry of Blois . The Morley Library, housed in the triforium of the south transept, houses a collection of rare books, all of which were given to the cathedral by George Morley , Bishop of Winchester from 1662 to 1684. The books still rest on their original 17th-century carved shelves. The Kings and Scribes exhibition
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#17328456856052838-560: 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. William Giffard William Giffard ( d. 1129 ),
2967-473: 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
3096-476: 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
3225-448: Is the culmination of a £20.5 million restoration of the transepts and east end, and displays hundreds of ancient artefacts, including skulls, weaponry and building stone, all displayed alongside 21st-century technology. Also in the exhibition is the famous Winchester Bible, which is considered to be the largest and best-preserved 12th-century Bible in England. The text, in the Latin of St Jerome,
3354-468: Is unusual in that the central bays are only slightly higher than the aisles that surround them. The aisles are lit with large lancet windows. The newer section of the east end is the presbytery east of the crossing and was built in the Perpendicular Gothic style from 1458 to 1520, It consists of four bays, with north and south aisles. Like the remodelled nave, this features two stages, rather than
3483-458: Is vaulted in stone throughout. The nave and aisles are vaulted using Beer stone. The aisles of the presbytery, the lady chapel and the retrochoir are also vaulted in stone. The vaulting underneath the central tower and spanning the presbytery is vaulted in wood, painted to look like stone. Many of the chantry chapels have fan vaults. The highest vault in the cathedral is 78 feet (24 metres) above ground level. The transepts are not vaulted except for in
3612-565: The Dean of Winchester . The cathedral as it stands today was built from 1079 to 1532 and is dedicated to numerous saints, most notably Swithun of Winchester . It has a very long and very wide nave in the Perpendicular Gothic style, an Early English retrochoir , and Norman transepts and tower. With an overall length of 558 feet (170 m), it is the longest medieval cathedral in the world . With an area of 53,480 square feet (4,968 m), it
3741-719: 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
3870-592: 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
3999-592: 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
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4128-459: The Isle of Wight , Bath stone or Oolite reused from demolished Old Minster, Caen stone from Normandy , ashlar , Beer stone and Purbeck Marble . The cathedral is 558 feet (170 m) long, and the vaulting has a height of 78 feet (24 m). The central tower is 150 feet (46 m) high. The north and south transepts are the oldest unaltered sections of the present cathedral, constructed under
4257-705: 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
4386-566: 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
4515-607: The Old Minster , chief burial place of the Wessex ruling dynasty , but they are believed to have been transferred to Winchester's Norman cathedral after the minster was demolished in 1093 to make way for the new construction. Their bones were placed in chests, but these were heavily disturbed during the English Civil War , and the remains are today commingled, with several individuals found within each chest, and some individuals spread over multiple boxes. The cathedral building contains
4644-516: 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
4773-566: 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
4902-629: 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
5031-433: The 27 tonne scaffolding frame to a height of 80 feet (24 m) above the cathedral floor onto the roof. This scaffolding frame, which was moulded to the shape of the roof, was then covered with a waterproof layer to allow the lead underneath to be removed. Over the next few weeks, 54 tonnes of lead were removed from the roof, dating back as far as the early 19th century, and sent to Leicester to be recast. This stage of work
5160-669: 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
5289-516: 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
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5418-661: The Great West Window was put back together with clear glass as a mosaic following the restoration. As such, most of the surviving stained glass is in the upper levels of the cathedral, such as in the Great East Window, which was restored as part of the 2012-2020 restoration. The great east window dates from 1620s, and contains the work of Flemish craftsmen, whose work can also be seen in King's College Chapel in Cambridge . Much of
5547-403: 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
5676-516: The King and Queen, to give thanks for the work of Jackson, Fox and Walker. Walker was later rewarded with the MVO and is credited with saving the cathedral from collapse. The total cost of the work was £113,000, equivalent in 2017 to nearly £9 million. Walker laid more than 25,000 bags of concrete, 115,000 concrete blocks, and 900,000 bricks. In February 2000, a three-year project was completed to clean and conserve
5805-564: The Kings and Scribes exhibition, and is kept in a climate-controlled room on the ground floor of the south transept. The physical book cannot be read by the public, but it has been replicated digitally, and visitors can use large screens to read the digitised Bible. The cathedral also has a very large number of ancient mortuary chests, including those of Alfred the Great , King Canute and his wife Queen Emma , William Rufus and King Egbert . The remains of these individuals were originally interred in
5934-498: 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
6063-626: 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
6192-770: 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
6321-491: 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
6450-489: 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
6579-713: 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
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#17328456856056708-476: The Winchester Bible in the south transept triforium. During the end of 2012, a high-level internal access scaffold was erected in the presbytery to enable close inspection of the vault and clerestory windows. The vault was subject to a detailed construction and paint analyses. The results of the inspection and analysis revealed severe corrosion in the windows, many of which had holes in and collapsed glass, and
6837-591: The aisles, instead, they have 19th-century wooden ceilings. The cathedral has numerous monuments and treasures. These include the 12th-century Tournai font , the Morley Library, the Kings and Scribes exhibition and the Winchester Bible . The font is a rare survivor from a collection known as the Tournai fonts and dates back to c. 1150. It is one of only ten fonts of its kind in England. The font weighs 1.5 tonnes and
6966-413: The auspices of Bishop Walkelin from 1079 to 1098. They are massive in construction, some 209 feet (64 m) in length across the crossing and the walls are 75 feet (23 m) high. The transepts are divided into three sections of nearly equal height, featuring an arcade at ground level, triforium and clerestory. Both transepts have east and west aisles, each of which contains a small chapel. The windows in
7095-474: 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;
7224-452: The bishops who pressed Anselm, in 1106, to give way to the king. He was finally consecrated after the settlement of 1107 on 11 August, and became a close friend of Archbishop Anselm. As bishop, William aided the first Cistercians to settle in England, when in 1128 he brought monks from L'Aumône Abbey in France to settle at Waverley Abbey . He also restored Winchester Cathedral with great magnificence. Among Giffard's actions as bishop
7353-418: The building. Huge cracks had appeared in the walls, some of them large enough for a small child to crawl into, the walls were bulging and leaning, and stone fell from the walls. Furneaux brought in a leading architect of the age, Thomas G. Jackson . Jackson's prognosis was grim, and his survey showed the entire building was listing to the south-east, and sinking into the soft ground, most likely due to defects in
7482-441: 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
7611-410: The cathedral, dating from 1330. A new oak mezzanine floor was installed in the triforium to prevent visitors from walking on the uneven floor. The glass lift was installed in the frame during this time, comprising 18 panels, the largest weighing some 550 kilograms. Starting in January 2018, the birdcage installed in 2014 was slowly removed due to the completion of the vault and window repairs, allowing
7740-400: 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
7869-428: The central nave, which gives both an impression of width and height. The nave, including the aisles, is 82 feet (25 metres) wide. The east end of the cathedral was built in two stages. The older section is the retrochoir between the high altar and the lady chapel, which was constructed between 1202 and c. 1220 in the Early English Gothic style. This too has a stone vault, with numerous highly decorative chantry chapels of
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#17328456856057998-430: The city. This first organ required two men to play it, and 70 men to blow it. The present organ has its core dating back to 1851, when a very large instrument was built by Henry Willis and Sons for the Great Exhibition , held at The Crystal Palace , London. The then Cathedral organist, Samuel Wesley, visited the exhibition and was impressed by its size and tone. He recommended to the Dean & Chapter that they purchase
8127-484: The cloister and chapter house, were later demolished, mostly during the 1560–1580 tenure of the reformist bishop Robert Horne . The 17th century saw important changes to the interior, including the erection of a choir screen by Inigo Jones in 1638–39, the insertion of a wooden fan vault underneath the crossing tower (previously the tower was open to the church) and the destruction of much medieval glass and imagery by Parliamentarian soldiers in December 1642, including
8256-454: 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
8385-417: 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
8514-406: The crypt by Antony Gormley of a life-sized man, which has stood in the crypt since the 1980s. The crypt often floods in winter due to the high water table. Much of Winchester's stained glass was lost during the time of Oliver Cromwell as Lord Protector when the enormous Great West Window was smashed by Roundheads , as were many other windows in the lower levels of the building. The glass from
8643-446: The departure of the director of music Andrew Lumsden and widespread concerns about the running of the music department". An article in The Critic said that "Sources in the Cathedral Close paint a picture of bullying, micro-management and control-freakery gone wild, with Lumsden the most recent victim". Winchester Cathedral is one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Northern Europe and the longest in overall length. The building shows
8772-431: The development of the architectural building styles from the dramatic Norman work of the transepts, right through to the late Perpendicular Gothic work in the east end. The present building was begun in 1079 and was completed in 1532. It has a cruciform plan, with a long nave, transepts, central crossing tower, choir, presbytery and lady chapel. A variety of stone was used to build the cathedral, including Quarr limestone from
8901-421: 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
9030-402: The early 19th century under the direction of architect William Garbett and then John Nash . Jane Austen was buried in the north nave aisle in 1817, and many visitors continue to come today to see her final resting place. At the turn of the 20th century, Winchester Cathedral was in grave danger of collapse, and by the summer of 1905, the Dean, William Furneaux , was facing the imminent ruin of
9159-417: The east, with a large seven-light window. The vaulting of the western bay, which dates back to the time of the retrochoir, was also redone during Courtenay's time, which now features extremely intricate lierne star vaults. The southeast chapel of the retrochoir, adjoining the lady chapel, was also remodelled at this time, mostly by Courtenay's successor Thomas Langton, who gave it a pseudo fan vault and painted
9288-419: The entire cathedral on a 'floating raft', consisting of a 15-inch-thick layer of beech trees , laid diagonally one on top of the other. Some of these beech trees were solid, but others had rotted and collapsed, and as they did so, the cathedral shifted and sank into the soft ground, which was not strong enough to support the enormous weight of the building, causing the cracks, bulges and leaning walls. Fox removed
9417-532: The extension of Luci's retrochoir into a Lady Chapel . Unlike the rebuilding of the nave some 100 years earlier, the Gothic presbytery was vaulted in wood and painted to look like stone, as at York Minster . After its progressive extensions, the east end is now about 110 feet (34 m) beyond that of Walkelin's building. King Henry VIII seized control of the Catholic Church in England and declared himself head of
9546-469: The failure of the lead roof above, which was causing degrading to the 16th-century wooden vault of the presbytery. A trial removal of the 1950s paint revealed the surviving 16th-century paint underneath on the nearly 200 roof bosses. In July 2013, a £10.5 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund allowed the restoration work to begin. In 2014, a birdcage or suspended scaffold was installed below
9675-424: The final clerestory window had been reinserted. They had been removed beginning 2015 for restoration and were sent to Wells, Somerset for restoration. The Great East Window was also restored in this time but was so fragile, the conservation works were completed in-situ . Just as these window repairs were completed, conservation on eight windows in the north transept began, including the oldest stained-glass window in
9804-491: 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
9933-416: The flooded trenches in a primitive and immensely heavy diving suit and level the trenches, by removing the peat topsoil and then laying bags of cement to plug the water coming up from below. Walker's suit weighed 200 lb (91 kg) dry, and the trenches were cramped and pitch-black; Walker had to feel around with his hands. Additional challenges were that the water was full of bodies and graves, which made
10062-414: 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
10191-527: The foundations. On his instructions, large sections of the building were shored up with timber. Initial estimates for the cost of the repair were £20,000 in 1905. Jackson, acknowledging he was out of his depth, brought in engineer Francis Fox , whose company had completed projects such as the Mersey Tunnel . Jackson and Fox sunk a trench to the foundations of the east end and discovered the Normans had constructed
10320-415: The glass in the presbytery clerestory dates from 1404 to 1426, and was made by Thomas of Oxford. There is also a rose window in the gable of the north transept. The oldest stained-glass window in the cathedral is in the north transept, dating from 1330. Much of the cathedral building is vaulted, some using stone and other parts, wood. The oldest vaulted part of the building is the 11th-century crypt, which
10449-405: The gravel bed, and to build up to the raft with concrete and brick. However, the upper walls were so weak that digging under the foundations without supporting the walls could bring the structure down. Therefore, Fox began grouting the walls using the ' Greathead Grouting Machine ' to fill in the cracks. When grouting was completed, a new problem was encountered. When the peat was dug through to reach
10578-439: The gravel bed, water rushed up to a height of fourteen feet. The peat had acted as a seal, and when it was broken, water from the nearby River Itchen flooded the trenches. Jackson ordered a powerful steam pump to remove the water from the trenches. This caused a rift between Fox and Jackson, as Fox thought the pumping could further destabilise the foundations and cause the collapse of the building. Pumping nevertheless began. In
10707-524: The graveyard outside the church, was brought inside and housed in a magnificent shrine. When William the Conqueror invaded England in 1066, he began to install his own bishops in place of the Anglo-Saxon bishops. William installed his friend and relative Walkelin as the first Norman Bishop of Winchester in 1070, and nine years later, in 1079, Walkelin began the construction of a huge new Norman cathedral, on
10836-634: 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
10965-490: 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
11094-430: The installation of bells above, thus closing the upper stages of the tower off to the cathedral below. Underneath the tower is the choir, separated from the nave by a large and intricate wooden screen dating from the 1870s, by George Gilbert Scott . Behind the screen are the choir stalls and misericords , some of which date back to 1308, and are made out of carved oak. The nave, originally built between c.1100 and c.1129,
11223-482: The instrument for Winchester. The purchase was completed for £2,500, and the instrument was installed at Winchester three years later, in 1854, after being reduced in size slightly. The instrument, as installed, had four manuals and 49 stops. It was modified in 1897 and 1905, and completely rebuilt by Harrison & Harrison in 1937 and again in 1986–88. Organists at Winchester have included composer Richard Browne (1627–1629); Christopher Gibbons whose patronage aided
11352-424: 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
11481-465: 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
11610-423: 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
11739-413: The nave and west front, which were last cleaned in 1897. For those three years, the nave had been covered with scaffolding both internally and externally. Following the removal of the scaffolding in early 2000, it was the first time the cathedral interior had been free of scaffolding since 1990. During August 2006, a near-catastrophic fire was narrowly averted, when a flying Chinese lantern got caught on
11868-405: The nave continued. From 1450 to 1528, under the leadership of Bishops William Waynflete , Peter Courtenay , Thomas Langton and Richard Foxe , major rebuilding and expansion was carried out on the Norman choir and Early English retrochoir. This work included the building of further chantry chapels in the retrochoir, the replacement of the Norman east end with a Perpendicular Gothic presbytery, and
11997-616: The near-complete destruction of the massive Great West Window by Cromwell and his forces. The window was put back together by the townspeople as a mosaic following the Restoration of the Monarchy , but it has never regained its original appearance as the damage was too great. In the 18th century, many visitors commented on the neglect of the cathedral and the town; Daniel Defoe described the latter in about 1724 as "a place of no trade… no manufacture, no navigation". Major restoration followed in
12126-506: The new Church of England . The Benedictine foundation, the Priory of Saint Swithun , was dissolved . The priory surrendered to the king in 1539. Richard Pollard and Thomas Wriothesley came to dismantle the shrines and altar; the shrine of St Swithun was destroyed. The next year a new chapter was formed, and the last prior, William Basyng , was appointed dean. Mary I married Philip II of Spain here in 1554. The monastic buildings, including
12255-491: The north of the present nave. Work quickly progressed to the transepts and central tower, and these were certainly complete by 1100 when William Rufus was buried underneath the crossing tower. Work to the nave was probably interrupted in 1107 when the central tower fell, but was restarted following reconstruction of the tower, and completed before the death of William Giffard , who was Bishop of Winchester from 1100 to his death in 1129. The standard of much of this building work
12384-582: The revival of church music after the Interregnum, Samuel Sebastian Wesley , the composer of sacred music and Martin Neary , who arranged the music for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey . 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 the heart of the wider City of Winchester ,
12513-423: The roof and began setting fire to it. Fortunately, no lasting damage took place and the fire was quickly extinguished. A spokesman for Hampshire Fire & Rescue said that had it not been spotted, the fire could have been similar in scale to the 1984 fire at York Minster , which almost completely destroyed the south transept. In March 2011, a new single-storey extension in the corner of the north presbytery aisle
12642-464: 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
12771-462: 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
12900-399: The south transept, where it is exposed to the prevailing wind. The head had sheared off at the neck and several cracks were found elsewhere in the statue. The plinth supporting the statue was also in very poor condition. Examination of the statue revealed it dated back to c. 1330 to 1352. Thanks to a grant from The Radcliffe Trust, the statue was replaced with a newly carved life-sized figure of
13029-459: The spring of 1906, there were signs Fox was right – the cathedral was still moving and sinking, and this time, more rapidly than before. It was realised for the first time that there was a serious risk to lives. Fox made a site visit in March 1906 and became concerned because the water being pumped out was no longer clear but was cloudy, containing chalk . He ordered pumping stopped. The pump had disturbed
13158-513: The support of the clergy in Henry's bid to claim the throne directly after the death of William Rufus . He was one of the bishops elect whom Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury refused to consecrate in 1101 as having been nominated and invested by the lay power. During the investitures dispute Giffard was on friendly terms with Anselm and was banished for declining to accept consecration from Gerard Archbishop of York in 1103. He was, however, one of
13287-453: The three seen in the north and south transepts, the difference being the windows in the presbytery are larger than their counterparts in the nave. Unlike the nave, however, the presbytery is vaulted in wood, painted to look like stone. The vault has some of the most highly decorative and colourful roof bosses in the cathedral. The Lady Chapel was also greatly extended in this time during the time of Bishop Courtenay (1486–1492), given new bays to
13416-459: 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
13545-506: 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
13674-408: The transepts are mostly Norman, except for the clerestory and south gable of the south transept, which has had Decorated Gothic windows inserted, including a small rose window . The south transept aisle vault was pierced in the 2012-2020 restoration (see above) to allow installation of a lift up to the triforium. The central tower, which rises only one story above the steeply pitched roof of the nave,
13803-408: 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
13932-467: The triforium at the end of the restoration project. The south transept was then filled with scaffolding and sealed off at the tower arch from the rest of the cathedral, which was expected to remain for nearly three years. In January 2015, a massive scaffolding frame began to be assembled in the Outer Close, which would be raised to cover the entire presbytery roof. In March 2015, a 300 tonne crane lifted
14061-411: The various bishops of the age. It was said to have been used as a model for Salisbury Cathedral, whose construction began just as the retrochoir at Winchester was nearing completion. When this work was completed at Winchester, the original Norman apse was demolished. There are two great arches in the western wall of the retrochoir, which allow the view of the rear of the reredos to be seen. The retrochoir
14190-524: The vault and windows to be viewed for the first time in nearly four years. The stone reredos , dating from 1450 to 1476, called the Great Screen, was cleaned for the first time since 1890. The entire project came to a close on 21 May 2019, with the opening of the Kings and Scribes exhibition in the south transept, the removal of all internal and external scaffolding, and the reopening of the south transept, which had been closed off for five years, some two and
14319-415: The vault in the presbytery, where it was expected to stay for four years. This scaffold allowed close contact with the vaults and clerestory windows to be repaired. The scaffold weighed 5 tonnes. Also in 2014, the south transept was removed of all of its items including 7,000 books from the library, to allow it to be restored and made ready for the new exhibition, Kings and Scribes, which was planned to open in
14448-407: The vaulting blue. Unlike the rest of the cathedral, the coloured vault survives. Underneath the cathedral is the crypt , an extensive Norman survivor, which extends underneath much of the eastern end of the building. The crypt has numerous sections and aisles. The crypt has a stone vault throughout and dates from the late 11th century, similar in date to the transepts. There is a prominent statue in
14577-444: The water septic. Walker worked 6 to 7 hour shifts almost every day for six years to achieve this, diving under the majority of the cathedral building. When he had completed his work in 1911, the pump could be used safely to remove the water without disturbing the foundations. In 1911, flying buttresses were added along the length of the south nave to complete the work. A special service was held on St Swithun's Day in 1912, attended by
14706-476: 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
14835-403: The work continued under successive bishops, eventually resulting in the demolition of the Norman apse . The next expansions and rebuilding took place the mid 14th century, when in 1346, Bishop Edington demolished the Norman west front and began building a new Perpendicular Gothic facade, featuring a huge west window, which still stands today. Edington also began renovation of the nave, but this
14964-470: Was completed in May 2016 with the removal of the external scaffolding and the completion of the lead replacement. As part of the works to restore the south transept ahead of its use as an exhibition space, a statue was discovered on its gable end in 2017. The original statue, made of Caen stone , was in a very poor state of repair. Caen stone was too soft as an external stone, especially on the exposed roof ridge on
15093-643: Was completed. Called the Fleury building after it was officially opened by the Abbot of Fleury from L'Abbaye de St-Benôit-sur-Loire in France, it was the first new extension on the cathedral building since the lady chapel was extended in the mid 16th century. The new building housed toilet facilities, storage and a new boiler, replacing a remote facility in the Wessex Hotel a short distance away. The new extension cost £820,000, which
15222-463: Was handwritten on 468 sheets of calf-skin parchment, each measuring 23 by 15.75 inches (584 by 400 mm). These sheets were folded down the centre, making 936 pages in all. The illustrations in the Bible sometimes used lapis lazuli which was both rare and extremely expensive, coming from Afghanistan . Other illustrations contain gold leaf or paint. The Bible is on display for the public to view as part of
15351-455: Was high, and thus much of it survives in the present building, most notably in the transepts which have an appearance almost as Walkelin left them. This building was monumental in size, more than 500 feet (150 m) in length, and it still makes up the core of the present building. The first alteration to Walkelin's cathedral was in 1202 when Bishop Godfrey de Luci started construction of a new Early English retrochoir . Luci died in 1204, but
15480-592: 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,
15609-426: Was mostly carried out by his successors, most notably William of Wykeham and his master mason, William Wynford , who remodelled the massive Norman nave into a soaring Perpendicular Gothic masterpiece. This they achieved by encasing the Norman stone in new ashlar , recutting the piers with Gothic mouldings and pointed arches, and reorganising the three-tier nave into two tiers, by extending the arcade upwards into what
15738-473: 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
15867-468: Was raised by the Friends of Winchester Cathedral. During September 2012, fundraising begins for a planned £19 million programme of repair and expansion. This project aimed to repair and conserve the ancient stained-glass windows of the presbytery clerestory, restore the wooden vault of the presbytery, replace the lead roof of the east end, rewire the building with a new sound system, and open a new exhibition on
15996-429: Was rebuilt in the Norman style following its collapse in 1107. There are indications it was originally intended to be higher, the interior of the belfry stage is highly decorative, featuring dog-tooth carvings , which additionally indicates it was intended to be a lantern stage, potentially with a belfry stage above. Whether a further stage was planned or not is unknown, but a wooden fan vault was installed in 1635 to allow
16125-575: Was rededicated in 993, and consisted of a central tower, north and south aisles, transepts, crypt and an apse, and was briefly the largest church in Europe. Also on the site was the New Minster , in direct competition with the neighbouring Old Minster. The New Minster was begun by Alfred the Great but completed in 901 by his son Edward the Elder . These two monasteries existed side by side, the monks becoming virtually intertwined with one another. Swithun's body, which according to his wishes had been buried in
16254-495: Was remodelled into the Perpendicular Gothic style from 1346 to 1420, keeping much of the original Norman work by encasing it in new stone, and remastering the elevations, merging the previous three-tier structure as in the transepts into two. It is amongst the widest Gothic naves in the country and the longest nave of its kind in Europe. The nave has a spectacular stone vault, complete with hundreds of bosses. The nave aisles are also vaulted in stone and are rather narrow by comparison to
16383-607: Was the Lord Chancellor of William II and Henry I , from 1093 to 1101, and Bishop of Winchester (1100–1129). Giffard was the son of Walter and Ermengarde, daughter of Gerard Flaitel . Giffard was the brother of Walter and the sister of Rohese , wife of Richard fitz Gilbert . He held the office of Dean of Rouen. Giffard was Lord Chancellor under William II and Henry I from 1093 to 1101. On 3 August 1100 he became bishop of Winchester by nomination of Henry I. Henry nominated him probably in an attempt to win
16512-411: Was the triforium and extending the clerestory downwards to meet it. The wooden ceiling was replaced with a decorative stone vault. Following Wykeham's death in 1404, this remodelling work continued under successive bishops, and was completed c. 1420. Wykeham's successor, Henry Beaufort (1405–1447) carried out fewer alterations, adding a chantry on the south side of the retrochoir, although work on
16641-730: 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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