Winchester

Today I’m going to share pictures from Winchester. We had a lovely day trip there, which included a visit to Winchester Museums, lunch in a pub, and seeing the stunning Winchester Cathedral. This post has a lot of pictures, so please ask if you are curious on what’s on them and so on.

The Great Hall can be visited with a combined ticket, so we got one of those and visited a few attractions with it. It can be done in a day, so do keep it in mind for a day trip. Of course, there are many more things to see in Winchester, but these attractions are the ones a visitor should start with.

Westgate Museum is a medieval gateway to Winchester. Visitors can climb the stairs to the tower and see a lovely view of Winchester. It was raining and wet at that point, so the pictures were less exciting than the ones we would have taken in a few hours when it was clear and sunny.

There is a bit on the history of the place and some interactive displays, one in which people can try on bits of armour.

Winchester City Museum spans over 3 floors, including the ground floor. It shows Winchester’s Roman past before going into medieval history and more contemporary stuff.

This Roman mosaic was found in Winchester as complete as it is. It’s quite astonishing to see it. There are quite a few mosaics in the museum, which I love.

This is Roman glass.

Next, the pub for lunch. We also previously stopped for coffee, but no pictures from there.

Hearty pub classic, a vegan pie with potatoes, peas, and gravy.

878 AD: Step into Anglo-Saxon Winchester is an immersive experience with actors telling about the history of Winchester in Viking times, and of their king, Alfred, as they face Viking Guthrum at the Battle of Edington. It was so funny, I was “cured” by a healer and we played Hnefatafl (Viking game).

You can see the actors playing.

Winchester Cathedral was, of course, the highlight of our visit. It was too late for a tour, as they were getting ready for the evening service, but we could have a look around.

I love seeing Ukrainian flags in churches. Yesterday I saw it on top of a church in Liverpool.

Jane Austin is probably the best known person to be commemorated in Winchester. She is buried in Winchester Cathedral.

There are many more people buried in Winchester Cathedral, there are mortuary chests with the bundled remains of Kings from the 600s to the 1000s. For example, King Canute of England, William II ‘Rufus’, King of England between 1087 and 1100.

The Cathedral was also the place where Mary I of England married Philip of Spain.

Have you been to Winchester?