Winchester Tourist Information - Places to Visit and Things to Do
The city of Winchester is without doubt one of the most fascinating places in South East England to take a family break whatever the season. Chock full of history, Winchester was capital of the ancient kingdom of Wessex. Winchester was also capital of England until London took over that role. A statue of Alfred, King of Wessex serves as a reminder of the city's heritage and stands on a plinth of granite dominating the High street at 40 feet high. The magnificent bronze was commissioned to commemorate a thousand years since Alfred's death.
Walking up the high street, evidence of Winchester's illustrious history is everywhere. Look above the modern shop fronts to see the original mediaeval windows and gables. Take a detour down the many side passages and alleyways off the high street and discover some of Winchester's lesser known treasures such as The Church of St Lawrence in the Square. St Lawrence is the last surviving parish church of Norman foundation within the old city walls and houses real delights such as a benefactors board listing the donations to the parish over the years in 'old money' and a 12th century corbel (a piece of stone jutting out from the wall) shaped as a lion's head which sits high up on the west wall and is the earliest feature of the church. You can also read the memorial to Giles Lyford - Jane Austen's surgeon.
Living comfortably side by side with history are Winchester's shops. A visit to Winchester really does bring the joy back to shopping to those bored with the usual array of high street outlets, as the city boasts a host of independent retailers, 'big name' stores and any number of eclectic street markets including the twice monthly farmers market with over 100 stalls. Finding somewhere to eat or drink is never a problem either. Café's bars and restaurants are in abundance in the city's centre - you can even design your own milkshake flavour.
Sitting in the middle of this hub of activity and adjacent to the delightful city museum is the gothic splendour of the huge cathedral.
A visit to Winchester Cathedral, which is approached by an avenue lined with trees, can take up the best part of a morning or afternoon. If you're short of time the cathedral guides are there to give you a condensed flavour of its rich history and are happy to share their favourite cathedral stories with you. Things definitely not to be missed are: Jane Austen's tomb; Anthony Gormley's ethereal statue of a man, entitled Sound II, in the crypt, and the wonderful 12th century handwritten and illustrated Winchester Bible in the Cathedral library. The cathedral was also the setting for Queen Mary's (Bloody Mary) marriage to Philip of Spain in 1554.
The Cathedral grounds are also put to use throughout the year. Two of the main annual events are The Hat Fair and the Christmas Market.
Winchester Hat Fair takes place during the first weekend in July. The fair is the UK's longest running festival of Street Theatre, comedy, and music. The festival has expanded over its 35 years into a 3 day event attracting over 80,000 visitors from around the world. Its name derives from the coins that the audience throws into performers' hats as a token of appreciation of their acts.
During November and December the grounds around the cathedral are transformed when the Christmas market comes to town. Taking inspiration from Germany, the market stalls are built in a chalet style whose numbers increase year by year and are great for buying quirky Christmas gifts. If shopping is not for you why not escape with the children to the nearby outdoor ice-rink which is open from the end of November to January each year and has the best looking backdrop imaginable.
A permanent attraction for bookworms is the secondhand book stall tucked away behind the cathedral. Literally thousands of books on every conceivable subject can be bought here with all proceeds going towards the upkeep of the cathedral's fabric.
If you carry on in the same direction you exit the walled part of the city through the highly photogenic Cheyney court and Kings Gate. If you head down College Street you'll pass the house where Jane Austen died (unfortunately not open to the public) and come to the 12th century Wolvesey Castle built for the Bishops of Winchester. Queen Mary and Philip of Spain held their wedding breakfast in the East Hall prior to their wedding ceremony in the cathedral. Entrance to Wolvesey is free and although the castle is now in a state of ruin, the scale of the castle's operation remains evident and is worth seeing. Signs explaining the castle's features have helpfully been provided by English Heritage. If the weather is nice take in the riverside walk too. It's all too easy to forget that you're in a city centre.
Winchester also has a strong military tradition. Fans of military history should definitely take advantage of the close proximity to each other of Winchester's 5 Military museums, The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum, HorsePower, the Regimental Museum of The King's Royal Hussars, The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum, The Gurkha Museum and The Guardroom Museum, the Museum of the Adjutant-General's Corps. The museums are situated at the top of the city in the architecturally outstanding Peninsula Barracks and use a mixture of historical artefacts, weapons, written archives, medals and paintings to bring the role of the British army over the last four centuries to life. Whilst in the vicinity visit Winchester Castle and try and decipher the names on the wooden mediaeval copy of King Arthur's round table in the Great Hall.
