UK Winchester – The Original Capital of England

England's First King, Egbert, was Crowned Here in the Year 827

May 24, 2009

Winchester was chosen by Alfred the Great to be England's capital and here, in the 9th-century (871) he was crowned. It remained the capital for several centuries.

A fifty-five minute train ride from London takes you to Winchester, in the county of Hampshire. In Saxon times this, what seems today like an a medium-sized town, was to become the capital of England.

Winchester College

The College was founded in 1382 as a public school for boys and is believed to be the oldest continuously running school in the country. It served as the model for later public schools. Remember that, in the UK, ‘public means ‘private’, and vice versa. This is a school for the toffs and many of Britain’s greatest politicians, writers and artists were educated here. Take the guided tour, which concentrates on the medieval heart of the College, with its original medieval cloister and fourteenth century Gothic chapel. Keep an eye out for ancient graffiti etched on its old stone walls by generations of students.

Winchester - The Great Hall and The Round Table

The Great Hall is all that remains of Winchester Castle which was originally built by William the Conqueror during the Norman reign of England. It contains the fabled Round Table associated with the legend of King Arthur. The table is 5.5 metres wide and weighs a hefty 1200 kg. It has the names of the twenty four knights including the most famous Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot.

Winchester Cathedral

The cathedral has been on the same site since the seventeenth century, when a Christian church was first built here. Today's cathedral was built by the Saxon King Alfred the Great, was completed in 1093 and is now over 900 years old. Many famous people are buried here, including Jane Austen and Izaak Walton, the inventor of the art of fly fishing.

The Crypt is a slightly creepy part of the Cathedral which usually floods in the winter months. It seems the perfect location for Antony Gormley's evocative statue: Sound II.

The song, "Winchester Cathedral" was released in late 1966 by Fontana Records, whereupon it shot to the number one spot on the British charts. It was released by The New Vaudeville Band.

Winchester and Watercress

Winchester has been cultivating watercress for many years and exports it all over the world. For almost a hundred years a steam train chugged along the track to deliver watercress to the major fruit and vegetable market, Covent Garden. Today, visitors can take a tour on the Watercress Line, a 1940s steam train through the pretty Hampshire countryside.

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