Chesil Theatre

The Chesil Theatre was open as part of the Heritage Days event and we paid a visit. Behind the bar was this stone head. It's believed to be from the late 12th century made from limestone from the Isle of Wight. It's not certain whether the stone head was part of St Peter's Church (where the Chesil Theatre resides) but as St Peter's Church was certainly in existence in the 12th century.

Black Rat

This is our Michelin Star restaurant of Winchester the Black Rat. I pass by it every day on the way to work, but haven't yet eaten here. The Black Rat became a restaurant in 2007 and received its Michelin star in January of this year. Parts of the building date back to around 1550 and it has been a pub since 1770. The Black Rat is a part of a little 'Black' chain within Winchester. There is a Black Boy pub and recently opened Black Bottle wine bar.

Chesil Theatre

Continuing the theatre theme from yesterday here is our 2nd theatre, the Chesil Theatre . It is just opposite the Chesil Rectory, in - you've guessed it - Chesil Street. The theatre occupies St Peter’s Church which once stood outside the City gates in a row of houses serving a bustling community of tradesmen and craftsmen in Chesil Street.

The earliest mention of the church was in 1148. After the Second World War the church fell out of use and by 1960 was structurally unsafe. The Winchester Preservation Trust was formed at that time and its first objective was to save the building. Winchester Dramatic Society accepted an offer of the building rent free but with the responsibility of maintaining it. Ever since then this has been the home of the Chesil Theatre Company which is the premier amateur company in the Winchester area. With over 200 members the company produces 6 plays each year. Their current play is Wait Until Dark.

C is for Chesil Rectory

The Chesil Rectory is a very nice restaurant in Winchester. It's a Grade II listed building dating back to 1450, and still retains many original features including solid oak beams, ancient doorways and beautiful open fireplaces. On their website they say they are "the oldest house in Winchester" but we already know that The Old Blue Boar also claims to be the oldest!  Whatever! They are both very old!

The word Chesil is believed to be a derivative of the old English "chisol", meaning a shingly beach or bank.

For more 'C's see ABC Wednesday