View from St Catherines Hill

This is a view of Winchester from St Catherine's Hill. You can see a glimpse of the Itchen River in the bottom right, and the Cathedral and roof of the Guildhall

** I am on holiday now for a week so I have scheduled some photos whilst away - sorry if I don't respond to any comments straightaway - thanks for stopping by **

I is for Itchen

The River Itchen's source is situated just south of the village of Cheriton in Mid Hampshire, it passes through Winchester and down to Southampton Water and is 28 miles long. The river flows in several different channels through the Winchester, some of which come close enough to Winchester Cathedral to have caused serious problems to the building's foundations in earlier years. The main channel flows through Winchester City Mill along an area known as the Weirs, the river then heads south through a series of water meadows passing the Hospital of St Cross before leaving the city and heading towards the villages of Twyford and Shawford. This photo of the Itchen is in the St Cross area with St Catherine's Hill to the right.

For more 'I' themed posts see ABC Wednesday

St Catherine's Hill

This photo was actually taken last summer. St Catherine's Hill sits to the South East of Winchester, the summit it is 97 metres (318 ft). In 150 BC an Iron Age Hill fort was built here. There are also buried ruins of the Norman chapel that gives the site its name.

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.