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Winchester is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40,000 within a 3 mile radius of its centre. It is the seat of the City of Winchester local government district, which covers a much larger area, and is also the administrative capital and county town of Hampshire. Winchester was formerly the capital of England, during the 10th and early 11th centuries, and the capital of Wessex before that. The town is at the western end of the South Downs with the scenic River Itchen running through it. The town is served by trains running from London Waterloo, Weymouth, Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton and the North.
Notable buildingsCathedralImage:Winchester cathedral side.jpeg View of Winchester Cathedral.
Cathedral CloseThe Cathedral Close contains a number of historic buildings from the time when the cathedral was also a priory. Of particular note are the Deanery which dates back to the 13th century. It was originally the Prior's House, and was the birthplace of Arthur, Prince of Wales in 1486. Not far away is Cheyney Court, a mid-15th century timber-framed house incorporating the Porter's Lodge for the Priory Gate. It was the Bishop's court house. The earliest hammer-beamed building in England is also situated in the Cathedral Close, next to the Dean's garden. It is known as the Pilgrims' Hall, as it was part of the hostelry used to accommodate the many pilgrims to Saint Swithun's shrine. Left-overs from the lavish banquets of the Dean would be given to the pilgrims who were welcome to spend the night in the hall. It is thought by Winchester City Council to have been built in 1308. The Pilgrims' School is planning to organise some events in the year 2008. Now, the hall is used by the school for assemblies in the morning, drama lessons, plays, orchestral practices, Cathedral Waynflete rehearsals, the school's Senior Commoners' Choir rehearsals and so forth. Wolvesey Castle and PalaceWolvesey Castle was the Norman bishop's palace, dating from 1110, but standing on the site of an earlier Saxon structure. It was enhanced by Henry de Blois during the Anarchy of his brother King Stephen's reign. He was besieged there for some days. In the 16th century, Queen Mary Tudor and King Philip II of Spain were guests just prior to their wedding in the Cathedral. The building is now a ruin (maintained by English Heritage), but the chapel was incorporated into the new palace built in the 1680s, only one wing of which survives. Winchester Castle
Winchester CollegeThe buildings of Winchester College, a public school founded by William of Wykeham, still largely date from their first erection in 1382. There are two courtyards, a gatehouse, cloister, hall and a magnificent college chapel. It was planned to educate poor boys before they moved on to New College, Oxford and a life in the church. Hospital of St CrossThe almshouses and vast Norman chapel of Hospital of St Cross were founded just outside the city centre by Henry de Blois in the 1130s. Since at least the 14th century, and still availble today, a 'wayfarer's dole' of ale and bread has been handed out at there. It was supposedly instigated to aid pilgrims to Canterbury. Image:Winchesterguildhall.jpg Winchester Guildhall 1871. Other buildingsOther important historic buildings include the Guildhall dating from 1871, the Royal Hampshire County Hospital and one of the city's several water mills driven by the various channels of the River Itchen that penetrate the city centre. Winchester City Mill, has recently been restored, and is again milling corn by water power. The mill is owned by the National Trust. HistoryEarly historySettlement in the area dates back to pre-Roman times, with an Iron Age enclosure or valley fort, Oram's Arbour, on the western side of the present-day city. After the Roman conquest of Britain the civitas, then named Venta Belgarum or "Market of the Belgae", was of considerable importance. The city may have been the Caergwinntguic or Caergwintwg (literally meaning "White Fortress") as recorded by Nennius after the Roman occupation. This name was corrupted into Wintanceastre following the Anglo-Saxon conquest of the area in 519. Image:Statue d'Alfred le Grand à Winchester.jpg Hamo Thornycroft's statue of King Alfred the Great in Winchester. Anglo-Saxon timesThe city has historic importance as it replaced Dorchester-on-Thames as the defacto capital of the ancient kingdom of Wessex in about 686 after King Caedwalla of Wessex defeated King Atwald of Wight. Although it was not the only town to have been the capital, it was established by King Egbert as the main city in his kingdom in 827. Saint Swithun was Bishop of Winchester in the mid-9th century. The Saxon street plan laid out by Alfred is still evident today: a cross shaped street system which conformed to the standard town planning system of the day - overlaying the pre-existing Roman street plan (incorporating the ecclesiastical quarter in the south-east; the judicial quarter in the south-west; the tradesmen in the north-east). The town was part of a series of fortifications along the south coast. Built by Alfred to protect the Kingdom, they were known as 'burhs'. The boundary of the old town is visible in places (a wooden barricade surrounded by ditches in Saxon times) now a stone wall. Four main gates were positioned in the north, south, east and west plus the additional Durngate and King's Gate. Winchester remained the capital of Wessex, and then England, until some time after the Norman Conquest when the capital was moved to London. Image:WinchesterHighStreetHampshireRobertMudieauthor18532ndattempt.jpg Winchester High Street in the mid 19th century. Medieval and later timesA serious fire in the city in 1141 accelerated its decline. However, William of Wykeham (1320-1404) played an important role in the city's restoration. As Bishop of Winchester he was responsible for much of the current structure of the cathedral, and he founded Winchester College as well as New College, Oxford. During the Middle Ages, the city was an important centre of the wool trade, before going into a slow decline. The famous novelist Jane Austen died in Winchester on 18 July 1817 and is buried in the cathedral. Further learningThe City Museum located on the corner of Minster Street and The Square contains much information on the history of Winchester. SportWinchester's association football club, called Winchester City F.C., was founded in 1884 and has the motto "Many in Men, One in Spirit", and currently play in the Sydenhams Wessex League Division 1. Winchester also has a rugby team named Winchester RFC and a thriving athletic club called Winchester and District AC. Winchester has a thriving successful Hockey Club (http://www.winchesterhc.co.uk/), with ten mens and three ladies teams catering to all ages and abilities. Winchester women also have successful sports teams with Winchester City Women FC currently playing in the Hampshire County League Division 1 and recently went through a league campaign unbeaten. The club caters for players of all ability and ages(www.winchestercitywomen.co.uk)
Also there is a roller hockey team http://www.kingsrollerhockey.btinternet.co.uk/ they are recruteing new players Winchester Kings currently train once a week on a Sunday morning, and each age group training at different times. The times are as follows: Cubs and Colts- 9:00 to 11:00am / Juniors and Seniors- 11:00am to 1:00pm Training takes place at Winchester River Park Leisure Centre on Sunday mornings. (NB. Please check our Fixtures to make sure we're not playing a match) Education in WinchesterThere are numerous educational institutions in Winchester. Among privately owned preparatory schools, there are The Pilgrims' School Winchester, Twyford, Prince's Mead etc. Winchester College, which accepts students from ages 13 to 18, is one of the most well-known public schools in Britain and many of its pupils leave for well-respected universities. There are three state secondary schools; Kings' School Winchester, The Westgate School and Henry Beaufort, all of which have excellent reputations. The sixth form Peter Symonds College is the main college that serves Winchester, it is rated amongst the top and the largest sixth form colleges in the UK. The University of Winchester (formerly King Alfred's College) serves as Winchester's primary university. It is located on a purpose built campus near the city centre. The Winchester School of Art is part of the University of Southampton. Winchester abroadThe city of Winchester is twinned with Laon in France and the Winchester district is twinned with Gießen in Germany. The city of Winchester gave its name to a suburb of Paris, France, called Le Kremlin-Bicêtre (23,724 inhabitants), due to a manor built there by John of Pontoise, Bishop of Winchester, in the end of the 13th century. Media and cultureWinchester is the main location of Samuel Youd's post-apocalyptic science fiction series, Sword of the Spirits. The books were published under the pen name John Christopher. On Channel 4 UK's Television Programme "The Best And Worst Places To Live In The UK" 2006, which was broadcast on Channel 4 UK on the 26th October 2006, it was officially branded as the Best Place In The UK To Live In: 2006.[1] In 'the Idler book of Crap Towns:The 50 Worst Places To Live In The UK', Winchester was 5th just beating Liverpool (6th).[2] Since 1974 Winchester has hosted the annual Hat Fair, a celebration of street theatre that includes performances, workshops, and gatherings at several venues around the city. References
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