Medieval Winchester

The View From My Beer

Today I had a pint of Abbots Ale at the Royal Oak. The pub is built on the site of a building that goes back to the year 1002, when it was the residence of Queen Emma. The oldest mentions of the building being a pub is 1390. They claim it’s the oldest “bar” in England, but my research suggests that claim is fanciful unless they have a very special definition of a ‘bar’ that eliminates a number of other pubs in England that are even older. Still, it’s a very old place by any measure and let’s not let facts get in the way of a good story!

Winchester

Transition day between my 14-day cruise around Britain and my 14-day cruise to Norway and Iceland. Winchester has a long history, having evolved from an Iron Age settlement to a Roman town (Venta Belgarum), and then becoming a significant Saxon and medieval city. It was the capital of Wessex and later became the capital of England under the rule of Alfred the Great. It is home to one of Europe’s largest cathedrals and a round table that may have played a role in the stories of King Arthur.

My Walk

This being my fourth visit to Southampton this year I was beginning to know my way around town. It was also the reason I was heading out of town to find something new to explore. I decided to take a 20-minute train ride to the nearby city of Winchester. I knew it was an ancient English capital, home of the Winchester Cathedral, and King Arthur’s round table so I potentially had a lot to explore.

Winchester

The walk from the train station wound it way through several winding street. The main street was busy, with lots of small lanes down the sides providing interesting sites. It definitely had an old English charm about it.

Winchester Cathedral/College

Winchester Cathedral was close by. After William The Conqueror occupied England, he commissioned the Winchester Cathedral to be built in 1079. That cathedral forms the core of the current cathedral. The marriage of Queen Mary I and Philip II of Spain took place at Winchester Cathedral.

Next door to the cathedral is Winchester College, one of England’s first public schools, dating back to 1382.

The Great Hall

The Great Hall is one of two structures that remain from Winchester Castle, originally built by WIlliam the Conqueror. The Great Hall itself was built in 13th Century by Henry III.

Inside The Great Hall lies the iconic Round Table that is linked to the legend of King Arthur. It has hung in the Great Hall for over 700 years. We now know it constructed round 1250 during the reigns of Henry III or Edward I, well after Arthur’s King Arthur’s supposed reign in the 6th century. In the late 15th century, Thomas Malory created the story of Camelot in his writings ‘Le Morte d’Arthur’. It is possible his writing was inspired by the presence of the round table in Winchester. Following a visit to Windsor by Henry VIII in 1516, a Tudor Rose emblem was added to represent his position at the head of the table.