Judges bench

The Great Hall has been used as a court throughout the years. Sir Walter Raleigh was condemned to death here in 1603 (later reprieved). This is a 19th century judges bench which was used in the adjoining law courts.

Street light

Ornamental lights outside the the council offices at the Great Hall
***I am away at the moment so have scheduled this post, back at the weekend***

She's back

I'm a bit slow off the mark, the statue of Queen Victoria has been back in The Great Hall since May, after being away up to London and the Royal Acadamy of Arts.

Westgate

The Westgate & Great Hall yesterday. Not sure what the marquee was about!

Lord Lieutenant

This is the last photo from the military parade and flag raising ceremony held this week. The servicemen reached The Great Hall and were presented to the Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Dame Mary Fagan. The role of Lord-Lieutenant began during Tudor times as monarchs had no standing army and relied on noblemen within each county to organise men and arms for the defence of the realm. These days the role is to be the Queen's representative in the County, which includes making arrangements for all Royal visits to Hampshire and representing The Queen by presenting certain honours, medals and awards, and inspecting troops etc. The modern Lord-Lieutenant’s role is unpaid and non-political.

Stained Glass Window

There are a number of stained glass windows in the Great Hall. The glass was made in 1875-1880 and displays the arms of famous people associated with Hampshire. This window shows Edward I, Henry III, Hugh le Despencer and Roger De Quincey both Earls of Winchester, Edmund Earl of Kent and Elias Dereham a master stonemason who rebuilt the Great Hall for Henry III.

Forty Part Motet

Currently here at The Great Hall until 20 March is The Forty Part Motet which is a recording of forty separate voices of the Salisbury Cathedral Choir singing the Latin chant ‘Spem in Alium’ by Thomas Tallis (hear a version on You-Tube). Each individual voice is played back through one of the forty speakers positioned around the Hall. Standing in the middle it's really very impressive to hear the whole choir or move closer to each speaker to hear a single choral voice and The Hall is a great setting for this amazing sound.

The Forty Part Motet is the work of Canadian born artist Janet Cardiff and has been shown internationally at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Fondation d’enterprise in Tokyo and The Edmonton Art Gallery in Toronto.

Gates

Within the Great Hall are these 2 large stainless steel gates which were designed and made by Antony Robinson as a gift from the people of Hampshire to commemorate the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1981. I wonder what we'll get Prince William & Kate Middleton for their wedding in April?

Members of parliament

The far wall of the Great Hall is covered in a list of all Hampshire's members of parliament from the reign of  Edward I 1283 up to Queen Victoria 1868.

A random choice here from 1852.

Fire!

Yesterday the blog visited Peninsula Square which was once the home of The King's House, a palace designed by Sir Christopher Wren for King Charles II in 1683. This wall is one of the only remaining parts of the original King's House as the building was destroyed by fire in 1894. The wall itself is now part of Queen Eleanor's Garden behind the Great Hall, and although not very interesting in itself I found it fascinating as you can see on the wall the lines of melted pitch from that came from the roof during the fire.

Stained Glass Window

A stained glass window in the Great Hall. For more Window themed photos see Thursday Challenge

Was Winchester Camelot?

As mentioned yesterday here we have the legendary King Arthur's Round Table and it is thought that Winchester may infact have been the fabled Camelot, see here for more info. 

A great pull for the tourists, but unfortunately through testing of the wood it was discovered that the table was probably only created around 1270 (so modern!) and therefore is not old enough for King Arthur (if there ever was such a person).

It's believed that the table was repainted by Henry VIII, hence the Tudor rose in the centre and possible likeness of Henry as King Arthur.

Kings & The Great Hall

The Great Hall is steeped in history, many Kings stayed, lived and were born here. Another King is also linked with the Great Hall and that is the legendary King Arthur. Behind these doors sits the fabled Round Table with the names of the twenty four knights including the most famous Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot.

The Great Hall

The Great Hall is the only remaining part above ground of Winchester Castle. The original Winchester Caste was built by William the Conqueror (1066). In 1222 the original buildings were replaced by the buildings that stand today. During the English Civil War the castle was held by the Royalists until its capture in 1646. Oliver Cromwell then ordered the Castle to be demolished but the Great Hall was kept.

The Great Hall - Winchester

The Great Hall Winchester