Winchester Cathedral

We probably all know somebody who has never left their home county in their entire lives. We on the other hand have traveled the UK a great deal and quite extensively through much of Europe during our lives together working in the family antiques business which includes imports an exports. For much of the time though, there are pressures of work that involved in the carriage of goods that requires us to work quickly and efficiently as possible and consequently many of the places our work has taken us to has only been skimmed rather than thoroughly explored on the journeys. Thankfully there are some places that we have been to time and time again and we have because of that seen as many of the local gems as a bus load of tourists with a guide. 

Yesterday we went to Winchester that is less than sixty miles away and took us about an hour and forty five minutes in both direction. We have driven by many times and passed through parts of the city in the course of our work but unlike places like Bath, Bournemouth, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and London that we have stayed in and taken a good look at, we had never taken time to take a good look around the centre of Winchester even though we have been there before in one or other of our vehicles.

Since we were doing a favour really for a good client that I mentioned yesterday, who had accidentally bought an antique table from the wrong branch of an auction house he buys from a number for times per year. We left mid morning and arrived at the auction house just before lunch time. The table was in three parts and was not heavy so it was loaded before you could say sixpence.

We then drove right into the centre, basically on the look out for a coffee stop and found a parking spot bang in the centre that allowed us the take a look at the massive exterior of the Cathedral. Compared to the vast space the Cathedral spreads over the surrounding streets are ancient, narrow and quite twee. We enjoyed the two hours we spent wandering around.

 

There was an interesting market in the nearest important road close by, where we were also impressed with the Guildhall and the Statue of  King Alfred the Great glowering over the old town. King Alf’s round table also being in the area. There was a lot we did not have time to see but we did pass the impressive St. Swithins School on our way home again. St Swithins day is I think July 15^th and in Winchester you cannot miss seeing this rhyme in tourist stores;

St Swithins day if thou dost rain

For forty days I will remain

Ste Swithins day if thou be fair

For forty days ‘twill rain nae mair.

 

Winchester is a city in the county of Hampshire, on the edge of England's South Downs National Park. It’s known for medieval Winchester Cathedral, with its 17th-century Morley Library, the Winchester Bible and a Norman crypt. Nearby are the ruins of Wolvesey Castle and the Winchester City Mill, a working 18th-century corn mill. The Great Hall of Winchester Castle houses the medieval round table linked to King Arthur.

We took two completely different scenic routes for the drive there and back again that was sheer joy to drive through and the crop that is know colloquially as The Yellow Peril because it is not a native plant and was not welcomed by all, was just bursting into its unbelievable knock out yellow.

We stopped for a bite to eat in Côte Brasserie just down to the south a few steps from the Cross in Chichester. Côte is a favourite chain of our since they serve their menu all day which suits a contrary pair like us who do not like to eat late and prefer when possible to eat late afternoon.