Winchester Travel Guide

 deeper_blue Says:  The cathedral is the spiritual heart of the city, surrounded by lush green spaces and trees. Built in 1093, its spire can be seen from all over the city made from bright coloured limestone. The stain glass windows and bells are also impressive. 

 balhannah Says:  We went to Stonehenge from Winchester, a distance of about 33kms.We just followed the tourist sign's, and when we saw a heap of traffic, we knew we were nearly there.We drove down the road, past the Stone's which were on our left. Past them, was a dirt car park [pay] but as... 

 balhannah Says:  The Abbey Garden's are my last stop before heading to the Car parked by King Alfred's statue.The gardens are part of the site of St Mary’s Abbey which used to be one of the largest religious houses in Britain. There is a scented garden within the main Gardens complete with a... 

 balhannah Says:  On my River Itchen Canal walk, once I reached High Street, I decided to cross over and continue walking a little further.Lucky I did, as this is where the Old Mill is, and it spans the River Itchen. The original Mill was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. In 1744, it... 

 balhannah Says:  After seeing the Bishop's Palace, I decided to head back to the Car following the River Itchen Canal & Weir Walkway.Would you believe there is a 30 mile walk you can do following the River Itchen from its source to its confluence with Southampton Water. If you are feeling... 

 balhannah Says:  Walking further along College Street, I happened to notice another nice old building. It was Bishop's Palace or Wolvesey Palace, part of the west wing of a much larger and grander mansion built in the 1680s, under instruction from Bishop Morley. Old Wolvesey Castle had... 

 balhannah Says:  Moving a few steps, I find Jane Austen House.Now, word of warning, DON'T EXPECT ANYTHING SPECTACULAR, as unless you notice the plague on the wall, you can easily walk straight past.It is painted a Mustard colour, and is now a private residence, NO ENTRY ALLOWED.In 1817, when... 

 balhannah Says:  I spent a considerable amount of time in Winchester Cathedral and on heading out, I chose to walk to St. Swithin street, which is where I came across the imposing St. Swithun Gate/Kings Gate/Priory Gate, all the names you may hear it called. It was built along the line of... 

 balhannah Says:  Now I am going inside to see how spectacular the inside is!Well, I can tell you, I was overwhelmed when I saw the long, extremely high, Norman Nave! It was one of those stop still & wow moments!The Nave is the longest one in a Church in England. They say it's a highlight of... 

 balhannah Says:  Walking along Broadway street, the name changes to High Street, which is where the Guild Hall is located.It was on 22nd December 1871, Viscount Eversley laid the foundation stone for this Gothic Revival Guild Hall. Less than two years later in May 1873, Lord Selborne opened... 

 SallyM Says:  The Courtyard Cafe is part of Winchester's Guildhall. There is a large indoor seating area as well as an outdoor area. It serves light lunches, cakes and hot drinks. Lunchtime soup and a roll costs less than £4. We just dropped by for tea and were tempted into having a... 

 deeper_blue Says:  Winchester's pedestrian high street is the hub of the city. It stretches from King Alfred's statue up towards the Westgate. There are some great stalls outside selling fresh cheese, olives and meats, and a wide variety of shops, including decent pubs and coffee shops.... 

 leics Says:  The church of St Swithun is actually upstairs, lying over the Kingsgate just outside the Cathedral close. In Medieval times it was quite common to build churches over town gates, but very few remain today so it is worth popping in (it is open most days). It would be very,...