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| King Alfred The Great, 849-899AD |
For all the photos from today, see the link at the right...
She said
Winchester, UK
(If you are reading this in the morning, pour yourself a cuppa. If in the evening, a glass of wine will do. This is a long entry.)
Delicious, organic everything breakfast downstairs in the inn's restaurant.
More about The Old Vine:
The plot of land on which The Old Vine now stands has always been famous and sought after - a Saxon and Norman Royal Palace, a Royal Castle, a private residence in the mid-13th century and a tavern in the mid-14th century. From the 14th - 19th centuries, it was the prestigious property owned by the mayors of Winchester. Location, location, location. Winchester Cathedral is, literally, across the small square in front of the inn.
From this central location, the inn has witnessed most of Winchester's (and England's) wacky history - Kings, Queens, invasions, the Black Death, executions and the Civil War.
Every 300 years (apparently, whether it needed it or not) the inn underwent renovations, still plainly seen now, at least to those who know English architecture. To me, everything just looks crazy old - wooden ceiling beams reminiscent of Shakespeare's time, low, angled eaves and wavy window glass.
Yet, they have modernized what should be modernized - baths, beds, linens, etc. - quite comfortable.
Worth noting - the remains of a 14th century inn are in the cellar, there was a bridge (gallery) connecting the two property buildings spanning a narrow street (alley) and the buildings encroached on and finally consumed that alleyway in the 17th century.
The current inn rooms are named for the contemporary designers whose work, wallpaper and fabrics decorate the room - Osbourne and Little, Zimmer & Rohde, Nina Campbell and Zoffany. (Carol L. and Sudha, do those names mean anything to you?). Anyway, quite a clever way to add a contemporary touch to otherwise very old decor.
As I write this, the church bells of the Cathedral are ringing away. Delightful.
More after our day out today...
Back from a full day out in Winchester. First up, a guided walking tour of the old town led by our very knowledgeable and excellent tour guide, Kate. A blustery and cold start, but no rain - yippee!
Winchester sits in a sheltered river valley - the perfect situation for a settlement. 2000 years ago, Iron Age people settled here. They were conquered by the Romans, because of Winchester's "fine location" in the center of England and the Romans ran their empire from here. Then came the Anglo-Saxons, then the Normans (Norsemen - Vikings) until finally, in the mid-9th century, Wessex found a champion in Alfred who defeated the Danes and took back England.
So, in 871, at the age of 23, Alfred takes the throne. His father, the King before him, and his three brothers had all died fighting the Danes. Alfred was a scholar and never intended to be a King, but the times chose him and he fought out of duty. In 878 he defeated the Danes and saved Wessex, Winchester and England. To this day, he is the only English monarch to have "the Great" added to his name.
As was the custom in those days, when Alfred died, his widow became a nun and in honor of her husband's (and her) love of learning, created St. Mary's Abbey. (The Abbey was dissolved in 1539 by Henry VIII, along with all the other Catholic holdings in England.)
Back to Winchester.
The River Itchen runs through it and because it was born in the chalk escarpments above the town, the river is clear and swift moving so powered 9 water mills in Winchester. Trout love it and anglers come from far and wide to fish the River Itchen. Watercress also loves it and many cress gardens dot the river.
(Keats also loved it - he came to Winchester and is said to have walked daily along the River Itchen, becoming inspired and writing his glorious poetry.
Still today, a beautiful river walk is enjoyed by all.)
So, the Golden Age of Winchester is a few hundred years before and after 1066 (Battle of Hastings).
Happiness ends around the late 1400's, mainly because of two main things - The Black Death (everyone died, so that put a damper on things, as you can imagine) and the Hundred Years War (with the French - those still alive probably thought "What the hell? The Black Death is killing everyone and I'm fighting my brains out for decades? I don't want to do this anymore!")
Winchester languished until the late 17th century when some bright soul decided locks on the River Itchen would bring some industry (transport of goods) to town. Only marginally successful.
Giant markets and fairs were more successful and Winchester settled into being a hub of commerce.
Parts of the Medieval wall around the city still stands - denoted by its herringbone pattern of rocks.
The Iron Age Hill Fort mounds on St. Catherine's Hill above Winchester are still visible - the Iron Age settlers fled up the Hill when they needed to defend against marauders.
Wolvesey Castle ruins still stand - the Medieval home of the Bishops of Winchester.
Winchester College (the third great treasure of Winchester - the Cathedral, more later, Arthur's Round Table, more later and the College, more now.)
It was founded in 1382 and is constructed with the classic building materials of the time - "flint and rubble" - not beautiful but certainly durable as much of Winchester, built in the same era, stands intact today.
On to The Cathedral.
We entered the Cathedral Close by The Cheney Court, the second most photographed place in Winchester (after the Cathedral) which is now a private residence. Old stucco and timbers and slanted roofs and leaded glass. Wisteria climbing all over it and just beginning to bloom. Pretty spectacular.
Next up, the Stables, another fine example of old stucco and timbers and slanted roofs and leaded glass.
Then, Pilgrims School. Some cleric somewhere along the line decreed that there should always be a Boys Choir composed of 16 boys at the Cathedral and to this day, the Pilgrims School educates the boys who sing in the choir, until their voices change, then they're booted out and the next crop takes over.
Another crazy but impressive piece of English tradition.
When William the Conqueror won the Battle of Hastings in 1066, he hightailed it over to Winchester as that was the seat of the Treasury of England (it's good to be the King). He ordered two things to be built in Winchester - a Cathedral and a Castle. The Cathedral stands intact, but only The Great Hall of the Castle still stands. Sad, as the Castle was the largest castle in all of Medieval England. (In 1651, Oliver Cromwell, on his power grab through England, said, effectively, "off with your head" to the Castle and had it razed, except for the Great Hall, where Arthur's Round Table tribute hung - even Cromwell was in awe of the legend of Arthur).
Another Round Table/Arthur aside:
The Tudors came to their throne by fighting and battles, so to legitimize their rule in the eyes of the world (mostly England and France, at the time) Henry VIII said the Tudors were descended from Arthur. He was keen to claim a bloodline from Arthur as everyone knew and loved Arthur even though no one really knows who the heck Arthur really was or if he even really existed.
More on Henry and his ego later.
Winchester Cathedral was started in 1079 and consecrated in 1093, and expanded over the years.
Later during the English Civil war in 1642, Cromwell's troops rode roughshod (on horseback) through the Cathedral, breaking everything, including the magnificent stained glass window at the front of the church. The townspeople of Winchester were so appalled by the desecration, that they collected all the broken glass and had the windows releaded with all the salvaged glass. No rhyme or reason to the assemblage, but that brilliant crazy-quilt-looking mosaic window still graces the front of the Cathedral.
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| The collage of Winchester's front glass |
The Cathedral is deceptive - from the outside it does looks large, but inside it is enormous. And grand. And intricate. And lovely. The Choir seating is backed by gold stars on a field of saturated royal blue - so unexpected in a cold stone church and, well, divine!
Jane Austen is buried in Winchester Cathedral as she came to Winchester when she was ill because Winchester was renowned for its medical facilities and forward thinking cures. Alas, it didn't pan out for Jane and after 6 weeks, she died here. Her burial stone on the floor of the Cathedral makes no mention of her contribution to letters (ladies of her day just didn't do what she had done - earned a living by writing) but later admirers installed a brass plaque singing her praises. (Also interesting is that all the advertising and marketing collaterals today in Winchester espousing Jane's writing prominently feature Colin Firth handsomely dressed as Darcy, not that I minded.)
Lunch in our room from Sainbury's.
Then, out to the Great Hall. Up the High Street, the oldest and straightest High Street in all of England (supposedly) because it follows the Iron Age track.
Through The West Gate (more flint and rubble) the original Medieval wall on the site of the original Roman wall.
And into The Great Hall.
Quite impressive. Immediately, you are drawn to the Round Table, prominently hung on the west wall of the Hall. It is 18' in diameter and weighs a ton. It was, of course, just a wooden round table, fashioned after the Legend of Arthur bringing his Knights together around a round table instead of a square or rectangular table so as to give all equal honor and voice.
Henry and his ego -
Since Henry was so keen to have his bloodline linked to Arthur's he was the first (and only, it is believed) who had the Round Table painted. The portrait of King Arthur painted on the Round Table is said to bear an uncanny resemblance to Henry VIII. (Again, it is good to be the King.)
The wall opposite the Round Table is painted with the names and dates of all the Knights of the shire, 1283 - 1868.
Eleanor's Garden (Edward I - Longshanks' wife) is restored to what is believed to be its original glory. Small, but sweet, it includes a tall bent wood arbor - to accommodate Longshank's height.
The Military Museums were closing, so we didn't get inside The Hussars (horsemen), Rifles (obvious) and the Gurkhas (Indians - dot, not feather).
The Museums are all housed in a huge and well-maintained brick barracks that once housed, among many British troops, American troops as they prepared to take part in the 1944 D-Day landing.
For our evening stroll, we headed up to St. Giles Hill for a panoramic view of Winchester. On the way, we stopped again at the ruins of Wolvesey Castle, the huge residence of the Bishops of Winchester. It was as large and elaborate as any royal castle and equally impressive. It was a great windfall for Henry VIII (ego) when he declared Catholicism out and the Church of England in (with him at the head). Catholic lands were enormously wealthy and now they all belonged to Henry and his crown. It's good to be the King.
We ended our day with a leisurely walk along the River Itchen and some of its tributaries - watching the Mayflies land on the river and the trout jump out to catch and eat them. This Mills and Meadows walk is along what's called the Water Meadows, beautiful, serene fields just a quarter mile away from the bustle of the High Street. Locals were also out enjoying the dry weather and the peaceful setting.
Such a perfect day in Winchester.
He said
yeah, a good day for history, too many pictures to post.
Today, there was no rain to speak of, and it turned into a pleasant day. Rain is still in the forecast, but, then again, it generally is in this country.
It is interesting that when the Romans arrived around 43AD, the River Itchen ran through several spread out channels, perhaps hundreds of yards from one side to the other. The Romans proceeded to move the river channels to form just two or three main water channels, and allowing bridges to be built. This increased the productivity of the settlement, and increased their ability to trade. The several water mills built later on the river would probably not have been successful if the Romans had not changes the river.
The Romans may have moved the main channels of the river, but underground water still flowed slowly well away from the main river, and this hidden fact affected the stability of subsequent building and development, for example at Winchester Cathedral built a couple of hundred yards away from the river.
If you notice some photos of a deep sea diver, he is the guy who saved Winchester Cathedral in the early 20th century. The Cathedral was started by King William the 1st (yes, the conqueror) in 1079 AD. It turns out they used wood as part of the foundation, but that eventually rotted because of the underground water from the river Itchen, and the east end of the cathedral started sinking more than the rest of it. The diver, William Walker, worked in the ground, underwater for a period of 6 years or more in order to fix the foundation for the long term. It was very hard work in total darkness, they say. The area is swampy underneath the ground due to the nearby River Itchen. It's really a surprise that the original wood foundation lasted so long.
Winchester has a long history, a history that highlights the ups and downs of diverse groups of people, and the continuous theme of people fighting each other for power and control, always requiring that the defeated be killed by the victors. Sound familiar?
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