Winchester – My London+

A Day in Winchester

Abbey Gardens, Winchester

It was good to be back in Winchester again. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity on a lovely sunny day to visit my favourite city. There is is always something new to see. This day work was gearing up for the light show in Abbey Gardens, and filming was taking place (I know not what for), so large vans were parked along the street leading to the water meadows, cables snaking across the pavement, and one street was blocked off.

Abbey Gardens. Getting ready for the light show

This will look good at night all lit up

St. Mary’s Abbey, also known as the Nunnaminster, was a Benedictine nunnery in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded between 899 and 902 by Alfred the Great’s widow Ealhswith, who was described as the ‘builder’ of the Nunnaminster in the New Minster Liber Vitae. (details Wikipedia)

The Refrectory, where I usually have lunch, is going through a revamp, so the main building is closed. Instead, there is a smaller room being used. It was crowded and only outdoor space was available. However, the food is as delicious as ever, and it was a fine day for eating outside.

On arrival, I’d nipped into The Arc for a hot chocolate and then had a quick look around the library. There is corner that sells cards, books and tourist items. I made a note of things I might buy on my way back to the station!

I went to have a look at where the latest exhibition about the Anglo-Saxons is. The interactive exhibition is situated in The Brooks Shopping Centre. As it is based on a game and the second part is accessed via an App as you walk around the city, I’d already ruled this out for me. Much more for the kids, this one! Instead, I went to browse in Waterstones bookshop, and ended up buying a book about the Thames Path. Like I don’t have enough of those!

The River Itchen, Abbey Gardens

Near to the Cathedral

The back of Winchester Cathedral

Christ’s Hospital (1607) which I discovered on my walk.

After lunch I set off for a walk. With one road being closed, I headed off down another. I had no idea where this was going. It was a long road and in the end I consulted Google Maps just to get my bearings.

One of Winchester’s Gates. This one leads in the The Close

River Itchen (part of the water meadows walk)

It wasn’t long before I found my way to where the water meadows meet the path to the Hospital of St Cross. I have walked that path many times. Today, I decided to walk back into the city along the water meadows. Eventually, I found the path to St Giles Viewpoint. I’d forgotten what a steep hill this was! I was confronted by what seems like unending steps. There was a break part way up and I sat down and enjoyed the view in the other dirtection.

A quick sit down part way up St Giles Viewpoint

The last haul up the steps was hard, but the view from the top is worth it. The day was much about exploring parts of the city I don’t so often go to, and looking in certain shops (I rarely shop when I’m in Winchester). The day went all-too quickly. The evenings still draw in early and I wanted to be away before the sun faded.

The many steps to the top

Information board

The view from the top

Ah, that blue sky

The Church of St Lawrence

I went back into the city for some last exploring. Firstly, to The Church of St Lawrence and that lovely glass entrance they have.

Glass engraved panels at the entrance to The Church of St Lawrence

Then a look at the William Walker public house, dedicated to a famous man.

Afterwards I headed back to The Arc, and bought a book on sketching and watercolour, then headed to the station. I’m already thinking about my next visit. Maybe be a short stay next time to get some walking in.

Winchester City Mill

Although I have been to Winchester many times, I had never been to the old city mill. But what a beautiful place. Owned by the National Trust (and free to visit) the mill has a long past. It has been there since Saxon times, lived through the black death, and then with the loss of the Calais wool trade, the mill declined and in 1471 it was derelict.

The cafe is at the far end. Here is the milling room.

In Tudor times the mill came under ownership of the crown, but after Winchester hosted the marriage of Queen Mary Tudor to Philip II of Spain, Mary gifted the mill back to the city. In 1743 the mill was owned by James Cooke who replaced timbers, exchanged thatch for tiles and added lead to the windows.

In 1795 JMW Turner drew a sketch of the mill.

1931-2005 the mill had a new role. It became a Youth Hostel and you can view the records and photos from that period in the mill. In 2004, after repairs, the first milling demonstration took place 90 years after it stopped.

Winchester is known to flood when excessive rain hits, and the mill was flooded during the winter of 2013/14. You can view a video on their website of flood water pouring through.

The mill still does milling demonstrations and sells bags of flour in the gift shop. Going downstairs to see the waterwheel is very exciting. Water rushes in from the River Itchen, and the noise is wonderful! The mill also has a lovely garden running alongside the river, as well as a cafe, where I stopped for lunch. There is lots of information about how the mill works, its history, as well as some hands-on things. There is also a video in the secondhand bookshop explaining the history of the mill. They also run courses there.

The mill is open from Wednesdays to Sundays 11.00am-4.00pm. Well worth a visit.

The working mill

Day Trip to Winchester

I believe my heart belongs to this place. Winchester ticks all my boxes, so it was great to be back in this lovely city again. I had bought a ticket for two events. The first was Extraordinary Everyday: The Art and Design of Eric Ravilious, and the second was Lux Murualis, a light show at Winchester Cathedral. But first there was lunch at The Refectory, which is always a treat. Here I gatecrashed someone’s table as there were no free spaces. I ended up chatting to a man, who is training to be a Priest and was spending twelve weeks at the Cathedral. Isn’t it funny how some people you click with? We discussed everything under the sun in the hour and half we sat together.

Off to the exhibition (no photos allowed, but do look at this website to see the art of Eric Ravilious. A quick low-down. Eric grew up in Sussex, one of his art tutors was Paul Nash (another painter whose work I adore). They were both war artists and friends. Eric died while at war. His aircraft never returned. Just think what he could have achieved if he had survived? Eric was a painter, engraver, illustrator and designer. His range is incredible. I spent an hour studying his painting closely, looking at his brushstrokes, trying to see how he achieved the effect. His designs for plates and bowls are quite fun and I would dearly love to own one of his works.

Outside The Arc, home of the Eric Ravilious exhibition

I can remember sitting on a hillside with a friend just outside Rottingdean in Sussex, on a walk Eric Ravilious might have taken, and looking at the patchwork fields. I said to my friend, ‘This looks just like an Eric Ravilious painting.’ And it really was. I could see his work all around me.

After the exhibition I went for a wander through the city and down to the Deanery Secondhand Bookshop. Unfortunately. it was closed. So I ended up in Waterstones bookshop instead (as you do!).

More wandering took me back up through the City to The Great Hall, which was closed the last time I was there. There were parts of it I couldn’t remember, and through talking to the lady in the gift shop, I realised it was pre-2017 when I was last in there! This is a lovely place and is all that remains above ground of Winchester Castle. The hall has been used for all sorts of things, including the assize courts, county offices and more recently for filming such things at The Crown and Wolf Hall. The myth of Arthur and the Round Table dominates here, and the table is around eight hundred years old! Built in 1222 and 1235 it is part of the castle started by William the Conqueror. Outside there is Queen Eleanor’s Garden, a peaceful place to sit. The long gallery holds more information about the hall and castle through the ages and leads to the gift shop.

I can see the old castle passageways outside. Part of this is open again now, though you can only go so far before there are gates looking into a very dark underworld! Creepy.

By now, it was time for afternoon tea. I had a leisurely break over a toasted teacake and tea and caught up with some reading. It was too early to go to the Cathedral for the light show, but I decide to go for a quick walk down to the River Itchen, and ended up walking to where the Water Meadows begin. By then it was 5.45pm and hardly anyone was around. Standing there by the river, the blackbirds were singing their hearts out as dusk began to fall. It was magical. Enjoy my little video.

I arrived at the Cathedral and joined the queue for the light show. Looking at the windows, I could already see lights flickering inside. Excitement was building. Finally, I was in. Wow! Every part of the cathedral had moving projections and music. I ended up taking lots of photos and videos. It was amazing. The theme was science, so there were projections of skeletons, muscles, double helix, faces of scientists through the ages flashing up. The main part of the cathedral (nave) was quite stunning. I sat down and took in the whole range of images. I was there about an hour before I reluctantly left and wound my way to the station for the train home.

Just one video I took during this amazing evening.

The light show was only on for a week, so it is over now. I know a few cathedrals have done similar things, and this was really wonderful. It was a perfect day. Even the weather was good. I don’t think it will be long before I am back in Winchester again.

Outside the Cathedral while inside it’s all still going on!

Exhibition: Raymond Briggs

Christmas always means ‘The Snowman’ or ‘Father Christmas’. Then came ‘Ethel & Ernest’ about Raymond Briggs’ parents and his own growing up. Finally, there was ‘The Snowman and the Snowdog’. These are the animated films I loved watching year on year. Of course, they began as books, and books begin as storyboards or large scale artworks. These are what are on show in the exhibition at the Discovery Centre in Winchester. As soon as I knew about the exhibition, I had to go! So I booked tickets for myself and a friend.

This didn’t exhibition disappoint. I had forgotten some of the works Raymond Briggs had done over the years. A man who says he doesn’t like children (he none of his own, but is step-dad to his partner’s children) and who wrote what he wanted to write – again he did not write specifically for children – yet he has entertained children for years. Kids love stuff like ‘Fungus the Bogeyman’, or Father Christmas sitting on the loo! And all the art work for these books is there in gorgeous technicolour.

I’d had forgotten some of the books he’d written, like ‘When the Wind Blows’ and there was the very controversial ‘The Tin-Pot General and the Old Iron Woman’. I’m amazed he got away with that one! For a list of his books see here. And for an interesting article (he doesn’t like Christmas!) see here. Even before these books Raymond Briggs was illustrating books of nursery rhymes. His early days are here too. What a wealth of art, what a range of pictures.

After a wonderful hour in the exhibition, it was time to enjoy Winchester again. It has been nearly a year since I was last here, and apart from my favourite cafe having been turned into a fish and chip restaurant (sad, sad) and the big Debenhams store now being closed, much else is the same. The day was sunny and warm. So, lunch in the cathedral refectory, a long browse in the secondhand book shop behind the cathedral (yes, I did buy books), and a wander to the ruins of Wolvesey Castle followed by a walk along the water meadows, all in good company, completed a beautiful day. Not so many photos this time as I have taken masses over the years.

The exhibition is on until 18th August. It’s a lovely way to spend an hour and be a child again.

When lockdown ends (places I want to revisit)

King Alfred, Winchester – September 2020

On the 29th March the ‘stay at home’ restriction is due to be lifted. We are still advised to stay local, but local to me covers London/Surrey borders. It may be a little longer before I can visit Winchester in Hampshire, but it’s not far off.

Here I thought I would post some photos of places I wish to visit when the country opens up again. The photos are a selection from last year.

Tate Britain – galleries in general open on 17th May, all being well.

I am planning gallery visits. The first one I have my eye on is the new David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy.

Possibly my first visit to London will be along the Southbank where this iconic tourist attraction can be seen. I have been on it twice!

Thames Path – Kingston to Hampton Court stretch – June 2020 (first outing after first lockdown!)

I do like to be beside the seaside – Eastbourne – July 2020

Watermeadows, Winchester – September 2020

WINCHESTER, Hampshire

A trip out of London for a few days was something I’d tentatively planned while we were in lockdown. Having had to cancel two holidays I wondered if a short break would be possible this year. Well, I booked to go to Winchester only a few weeks ago. I found a nice self-catering apartment just off the city centre where I stayed for four nights last week. It didn’t take me long to settle in and enjoy the small garden where I regularly sat in the afternoons with my tea and a book.

I know Winchester well and have been many times, either for a day (it’s only about an hour by train from London) or to stay for a few nights. One year it was for the Christmas market.

I’d decided this break would mostly be a walking trip. I have visited most of the places of interest – Museum, The Great Hall, a couple of unique churches and the Discovery Centre. With some places still closed, others needed booking in advance, so I chose only things I could go to without booking. And of course with walking you don’t need to wear a face mask!

The first full day was spent following the river Itchen and it’s journey into the Winnall Moors Nature Reserve. There it is so peaceful, yet you are so close to the city. There is a pond and boardwalk, and if you are lucky enough you might even see a water vole (I didn’t). Afterwards I followed the river back in a different direction and then walked into the city for lunch at the Winchester Cathedral Refectory.

In the afternoon I had a stroll to West Hill Cemetery, which is old. Grass has been left so that it attracts wildlife. I remember the first time I had come through here some years ago dragging my suitcase along the main path. I was going to Winchester University (this is a regular cut through from the station) to attend a weekend writing conference. Now I had time to wander off the path and admire the view from the top of the hill. I forgotten how steep the hill was up to the cemetery!

On the second day I took a bus out of Winchester to Alresford (takes about 20 minutes by bus). The countryside is beautiful and the town has wide roads, grass verges and colourfully painted buildings. Here is also the home of the Watercress Line steam railway. The railway was runing, though I didn’t go on it. I just took some photos through fences!

I’d come for the Millennium Trail, following the River Arle. I have to say it is one of the prettiest walks I have done in a long while. The ducks were out in force! Mums with small children were feeding them. On the trail there is Eel House and the Fulling Mill (a thatched house built over the river that is so pictureque). The trail takes you alongside private land and comes out on the Winchester Road, and that takes you back to town. I skipped off back down another way to rejoin the river and eat my packed lunch while watching the ducks. There was a short detour (to see where it led!) where I found Arle Mill as well as a waterfall. That was a truly lovely day and somewhere I had never visited before.

Winchester Road looking down into Alresford with St John’s Church in the background

My final full day started late and I decided to visit Winchester Cathedral, as there was no need to book. It took me a while to realise what was different about the cathedral. And then later it clicked – all the seating had been removed from the centre. The chapels were also closed, though I took photos through the bars. I think the crypt was also closed, though I have been there before. There is an Antony Gormley figure down there. The cathedral had a special exhibition on entitled Kings & Scribes which was over three floors. It was really interesting, especially as I’d recently read a book about the Vikings where King Alfred of Wessex featured! There is a statue of King Alfred in Winchester.

On the end of the tomb of Bishop William of Wykeham

After the cathedral I walked along by the river to the castle ruins of Wolvesey and then headed off along the water meadows to The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouses. The building was closed (apart from the shop), but I had been before. Last time the church was being prepared for a wedding. This time I sat on a bench and watched walkers pass with their dogs and the dragonsflies flit around, while eating my lunch. Then it was slow walk back.

St Catherine’s Hill from the |Water Meadows

My break in Winchester was soon over. I was lucky with the weather – no rain and warm. I am sure I shall return soon as it is my favourite city. There is lots to do and some lovely walks, some of which which incorporate the house Jane Austen died in and places the poet John Keats walked. Winchester also runs a poetry festival (cancelled this year) and holds several fairs.