Winchester Cathedral Choir

Taken on Remembrance Sunday here are the choir, various church people (excuse my ignorance!) and members of the Army Cadet Corps outside Winchester Cathedral.

Josephine Chisholm

Winchester artist Josephine Chisholm has some lovely paintings, prints, postcards of Winchester. I bought a few at the Making Merry Exhibition at the Winchester Discovery Centre (pictured in the postcard top left). Josephine Chisholm also has a chalet at the Christmas Market

More Christmas Windows

Another pretty Christmas shop window can be seen at Pure Home in The Square in Winchester.

Christmas Market & Ice Rink

Surprisingly the ice rink and Christmas market weren't totally packed, but I'm sure it will be at the weekend..

Lantern Parade

The Christmas lantern parade through Winchester yesterday from the Great Hall down to the Cathedral to mark the opening of the Ice Rink and Christmas Market. There were some great lanterns that had obviously taken a while to prepare

Winchester from Blue Ball Hill

Possibly one of the most beautiful towns in southern England. Winchester has a long history which stretches back to 150BC and the Iron Age.

Is it Liberty's ?

No it's Boots!

Here's the real one Liberty of London

Look Up Winchester

There is a great book called Look Up Winchester which gives the background of many of the building's in Winchester High Street above the eye line, where they are often unchanged for many years. Here is one photo above what is now Clarks Shoe Shop (see the boot to the right). Built in 1780 on the site of St Mary Kalender Church The White Horse Inn lost its licence in 1937. In 1808 Jane Austin wrote to her sister of an incident which occurred at this Inn when adulterous lovers met there, but were recognised by the landlady who was later called to give evidence at the scandalous divorce proceedings.

The book Look Up Winchester can be bought at: Amazon.co.uk

The calm before the storm

As I mentioned in a previous post Winchester is the Christmas Capital of England! And we are now gearing up for the influx of visitors to the ice rink and Christmas Market. Here it is before the crowds arrive. I don't think the ice is quite frozen yet on the skating rink, I'd love to have a go on it though before the hoards get there!

St Cross

This is the view of St Cross taken from St Catherine's Hill. You can see St Cross Hospital England's oldest  almshouse. It was founded between 1132-1136 by Henry de Blois Bishop of Winchester . 25 brothers live here and you can still receive the Wayfarer's Dole (a small beaker of beer and a morsel of bread) when asked for.

Lone Bugler

Taken on Remembrance Sunday on the balcony of Winchester Cathedral

Winchester's got the X Factor!

Winchester is pitching itself as England's Christmas capital, with its Christmas Market, ice rink, live nativity and carols at the cathedral and today to start it all off  the Christmas lights have been turned on today by X-Factor band The Reason!

A nice cup of tea

I do like a nice cup of tea, and here is a photo of Winchester's only Tea Room, The Forte Tea Rooms in Parchment Street. Yes we have cafes, yes we have restaurants, but no-where actually selling themselves as a tea room, apart from this one.

They serve of course a great cup of tea, full English Breakfast, toasted teacakes and Devonshire Cream Tea amongst many other things - Yum!

Forte Tea Room menu

Christmas Windows

The Christmas lights in Winchester will be turned on this Thursday. Some of the shops are starting to create their Christmas window displays, and this is my favourite so far.

The Eclipse Inn & an execution

The Eclipse Inn was built in 1540. In its time it has been a house, rectory, ale house and inn in the 1800s.

The Inn has a connection with an execution in 1685 of Lady Alicia Lisle who was sentenced to death for harbouring rebels from the Monmouth Rebellion (against James II). The 71 year old, was sentenced to be burnt at the stake. Horrified clergy and citizens made such an outcry that the sentence was commuted to beheading.

For the execution, a scaffold was erected outside the Eclipse Inn and Lady Alicia spent the last day of her life in a small upstairs room, before being executed on a scaffold outside The Eclipse.

 
After James II fled the country Lady Alicia's daughters won an annulment of their mother’s conviction.
 
There have been repeated sightings down the years of a ghost in the room and passage outside where Lady Alicia was held.

A wonderful book called Time Gentlemen Please has a history of all the pubs of Winchester.

Remembrance Sunday

This must have been a good shot - look at the professionals to the left...

Hampshire Chronicle report

Old and New in Hyde

In Hyde we have the ruins of Hyde Abbey. Built into part of the old walls we see the great idea from the 1960s of incorporaring some totally out of place housing into the Abbey ruins - Nice!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Abbey

Hyde Abbey Gate

Hyde Abbey Gate is one of the few remaining parts of Hyde Abbey in Winchester. The gateway is 15th Century and built of flint and stone. This gate once controlled access to Hyde Abbey. The main buildings of the Abbey were destroyed following the Dissolution of the monasteries in 1539.

Nun's Stream Hyde

Nun’s Stream is a tributary of the River Itchen. It runs through a part of Winchester called Hyde (where I live!) The stream played a central role in the history of Hyde Abbey, providing the water that drove the abbey’s mill and feeding its fish ponds.

World War 1 Soldier

King Alfred



The statue of King Alfred in Broadway Winchester was erected in 1901. King Alfred the Great was an Anglo-Saxon king of the kingdom of Wessex from 871–899. He was one of the outstanding figures of English history, as much for his social and educational reforms as for his military successes against the Danes. He is the only English monarch known as 'the Great'. Alfred, his wife and son are reputedly buried in Winchester.

Quiz on King Alfred

Autumn in the cathedral close

Fancy Bollards

Created during the During the Hat Fair of 2005 a number of bollards in the Square in Winchester were painted  in the style of various artists.

Fireworks in Winchester - Guy Fawkes Night

The Firework display in Winchester was held on 6th November. Fireworks and bonfires take place across the UK on or around the 5th November to remember the failed Gunpowder Plot to assassinate James 1.

"Remember remember the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot... "
History of Guy Fawkes night

The Old Vine

I have only been to the pub part, but I hear the restaurant is good too

The Old Vine

Winchester Cathedral

Restaurants & shops on The Square

The restaurant on the left (La Place Bistro) has been trying for a couple of years to get permission to put seating outside of the restaurant which has been opposed by the Cathedral and in June of this year the decision was made: Outdoor seating bid blocked

Medieval tiles Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral has the largest surviving spread of medieval decorated floor tiles within a building in England. These are from the 13th Century.

Smarter than your average shop..

Is Winchester posh? It does have a KFC and a Poundland (oh the shame!) ... however it does have other shops such as this one:

I always imagine the clever clogs of Winchester chuckle to themselves when they read "Lectori Salutem. Habetis bona deum" and think "How apt!"

I think it means - Greetings Reader. Have a nice day! But you have to be clever to know that - and if you are not then please don't enter this shop! I'm sure Carpet Right have a similar latin slogan something like "insumptuosus vestis" - How apt...!



Public Transportation CDPB November Theme - Winchester Bus Station

Oh the glamour of it all! Winchester bus garage would not look out of place as the set for "On The Buses"...

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