A Walk Through Winchester

 

Finished with the Winchester Cathedral visit just before noon and still feeling full from our big morning breakfast, we decided to go ahead and begin our exploration of the surrounding area. I pulled up the city introduction walk from the GPS My City app and we began.

The King’s Gate was our first stop. It is one of the five main gates of the city and was first mention in documents that date back to 1148.

Next up was the last home where Jane Austen lived. She resided there for six weeks until her passing on July 17, 1817. The home is privately owned and not open to the public but there is a plaque on the outside wall commemorating her.

We walked past Winchester College but passed on the tour which was scheduled for later in the afternoon. Past the college and a bit farther, we found a path that led to the Wolvesey Castle ruins. The Castle was also known as the “Old Bishop’s Palace” and was the official residence of the bishop of Winchester back in 970. The ruins reminded me of another castle in Ireland, one I photographed and used as the cover for Secrets Among The Shamrocks.

Bob was eager to see the Winchester City Mill. We found a pleasant walkway along the Itchen River that led to the site of the mill. The mill sits on a busy street and you have to walk through a gift shop to get inside of it. To his disappointment, Bob found that the mill was no longer working but there were displays to show what it would have looked like when it did. Again there are references to it in cathedral records that indicate it could date back as far as 932.

There were several times that we had walked down High Street which is a very busy shopping area, all pedestrian and with booths set up each day with various crafts, produce, bakery, etc. in addition to the shops that line each side of the way.

On our next stop at the Guildhall we found the doors were locked and we moved on.

The military museum held no interest for us but we truly wanted to see the Great Hall of Winchester Castle, the main attraction being King Arthur’s Round Table. We were able to purchase concession tickets (special pricing for seniors, the perks of getting old) for 8 pounds or $10USD. Inside there was not much to see except kiosks that explained some history and at the end of the Great Hall high above our heads on the wall was the Round Table.

The table is 18 feet in diameter and weighs about 2 tons. It was taken down in in the 1970s to further examine and date it. There are places for twelve legs, thus seating for the legendary 12 knights.

While the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table lives on, the table is actually thought to have been built by Edward I for the grand tournament he held in Winchester in 1290 to celebrate the betrothal of his children. What a way to celebrate an empty nest!

It was tea time when we were finished and we made our way back to The Ivy restaurant for “cream tea”. The tea was refreshing and the scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam—perfect.

While at tea, Bob spotted a sign that said, The Royal Oak, oldest bar in England. Our place for dinner was decided. We dined on mussels, sea bass and sausage in an atmosphere of an old pub with beamed ceilings.

 [Note: My postings will be sporadic as the internet seems to be spotty. We are four days into our cruise as I post this and will try to catch up while it is still good.]