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76-692: Spithead is an area of the Solent and a roadstead off Gilkicker Point in Hampshire , England . It is protected from all winds except those from the southeast. It receives its name from the Spit , a sandbank stretching south from the Hampshire shore for 5 km (3.1 mi). Spithead is 22.5 km (14.0 mi) long by about 6.5 km (4.0 mi) in average breadth. Spithead has been strongly defended since 1864 by four Solent Forts , which complement

152-522: A danger to pedestrians, with only a small portion of the original Roman wall itself surviving. Of the six gates (North, South, East, West, Durn, and King's Gates), only the Kingsgate and Westgate survive, with sections of the walls remaining around the two gates and near the ruins of Wolvesey Castle . Three notable bronze sculptures can be seen in or from the High Street by major sculptors of

228-609: A gradual change through increased trade links rather than migration. To the Celtic Britons, the settlement was probably known as Wentā or Venta (from a common Celtic word meaning "tribal town" or "meeting place"). An etymology connected with the Celtic word for "white" ( Modern Welsh gwyn ) has been suggested, due to Winchester's situation upon chalk. It was the Latinised versions of this name, together with that of

304-608: A large estuary flowing west to east and into the English Channel at the eastern end of the present Solent. This great estuary ran through a wooded valley and is now referred to as the Solent River. When glaciers covering more northern latitudes melted at the end of the last ice age , two things happened to create the Solent. Firstly, a great amount of flood water ran into the Solent River and its tributaries, carving

380-663: A new theory—that the Solent was originally a lagoon—was reported in the Southern Daily Echo by Garry Momber from the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology . The Isle of Wight was formerly contiguous with the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset— the Needles on Wight and Old Harry Rocks on Purbeck are the last remnant of this connection. Ten thousand years ago a band of relatively resistant chalk rock, part of

456-471: Is St Peter's Catholic Church . It was built in 1924 and designed by Frederick Walters . Next to it is Milner Hall, built in the 1780s, which was the first Catholic church to be consecrated since 1558. The old Victorian Corn Exchange is now used as a cultural hub. A series of 24 bollards on the corner of Great Minster Street and The Square were painted in the style of famous artists, or with topical scenes, by The Colour Factory between 2005 and 2012 at

532-653: Is Winchester Cathedral . The city is also home to the University of Winchester and Winchester College , the oldest public school in the United Kingdom still using its original buildings. The area around Winchester has been inhabited since prehistoric times , with three Iron Age hillforts , Oram's Arbour , St. Catherine's Hill , and Worthy Down all nearby. In the Late Iron Age , a more urban settlement type developed, known as an oppidum , although

608-558: Is a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain ; the major historic ports of Southampton and Portsmouth lie inland of its shores. It is about 20 miles (32 kilometres) long and varies in width between 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 and 5 mi (4 and 8 km), although the Hurst Spit which projects 1 + 1 ⁄ 2  mi (2.4 km) into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay to just over 1 mi (1.6 km). The Solent

684-600: Is a comparatively shallow stretch of tidal water. It has an unusual double tide that is both favourable and hazardous to maritime activities with its strong tidal movements and quickly changing sea states. Coupled with the above, the Solent is renowned for its large volume of vessel usage, thus resulting in one of the highest density of declared lifeboat stations in the world. This includes six RNLI (e.g. Calshot and Cowes ) and five independently run stations (e.g. Hamble Lifeboat and Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service ). Remains of human habitation have been found from

760-604: Is a major shipping lane for passenger, freight and military vessels. It is also an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting , hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually. It is sheltered by the Isle of Wight and has a complex tidal pattern, which has benefited Southampton's success as a port, providing a "double high tide" that extends the tidal window during which deep-draught ships can be handled. Spithead , an area off Gilkicker Point near Gosport ,

836-601: Is a state funded special school for pupils aged 4 to 11, located just outside of the city in the boundaries of Compton . The University of Winchester (formerly King Alfred's College) is a public university based in Winchester and the surrounding area. It is ranked 10th for teaching excellence in The Times and The Sunday Times 2016 Good University Guide, with a 92% rating, and fourth for student satisfaction in England in

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912-547: Is buried in the cathedral. While staying in Winchester from mid-August to October 1819, the Romantic poet John Keats wrote "Isabella", "St. Agnes' Eve", " To Autumn ", "Lamia" and parts of " Hyperion " and the five-act poetic tragedy "Otho The Great". In 2013, businesses involved in the housing market were reported by a local newspaper as saying that the city's architectural and historical interest, and its fast links to other towns and cities, had led Winchester to become one of

988-737: Is commonly identified as the city of Cair Guinntguic listed among the 28 cities of Britain in the History of the Britons (commonly attributed to Nennius ). The city is known as Caerwynt in Modern Welsh . Between 476 and 517 AD, the town and surrounding areas seems to have been fortified by several Jutish settlements and to have operated as part of a larger polity. The city became known as Wintanceaster ("Fort Venta") in Old English . In 648, King Cenwalh of Wessex erected

1064-579: Is in Martyr Worthy , just outside the city. From 1835 to 1974, Winchester was governed as a municipal borough of Hampshire. Until 1902 the city's affairs were also administered partly by its parishes: St Lawrence, St Mary Kalendar, St Maurice, St Michael, St Peter Colebrook, St Swithin, St Thomas, St John, St Bartholomew Hyde, Milland, St Faith, and St Peter Cheesehill, and its extra-parochial areas: Cathedral Precincts, St Mary's College Precincts, St Cross Hospital Precinct, and Wolvesey. Historically,

1140-488: Is known as the place where the Royal Navy is traditionally reviewed by the monarch of the day . The area is of great ecological and landscape importance, particularly because of the coastal and estuarine habitats along its edge. Much of its coastline is designated as a Special Area of Conservation . It is bordered by and forms a part of the character of a number of nationally important protected landscapes including

1216-422: Is possible to believe Diodorus Siculus 's report that in his time men could wade to the Isle of Wight at low tide. In the early 16th century, Henry VIII of England built an extensive set of coastal defences at each end of the Solent, part of his Device Forts , effectively controlling access to east and west. In 1545, a naval battle was fought in the Solent between English and French naval forces. The battle

1292-480: Is predominantly composed of Abbotts Barton , Hyde , and Winnall ; St Luke is predominantly composed of Stanmore and Winchester Village; St Michael is predominanlty composed of Bar End , Highcliffe, Saint Giles Hill, St Cross , and much of the city centre including the Cathedral Close; St Pauls is predominantly composed of Fulflood, Sleepers Hill, and West Hill. Winchester is currently represented in

1368-480: Is that the court was mobile in this period and there was no fixed capital. Martin Biddle has suggested that Winchester was a centre for royal administration in the 7th and 8th centuries, but this is questioned by Barbara Yorke , who sees it as significant that the shire was named after Hamtun, the forerunner of Southampton . However, Winchester is described by the historian Catherine Cubitt as "the premier city of

1444-608: Is that the name may reflect the number of Northern Gannets (previously known as Solans or the Solan Goose) along the coast. Originally a river valley, the Solent has gradually widened and deepened over many thousands of years. The River Frome was the source of the River Solent , with four other rivers—the Rivers Avon , Hamble , Itchen and Test —being tributaries of it. Seismic sounding has shown that, when

1520-478: Is the world's only commercial passenger hovercraft. It celebrated 50 years of operation in 2015. Winchester Winchester ( / ˈ w ɪ n tʃ ɪ s t ər / , /- tʃ ɛ s -/ ) is a cathedral city in Hampshire , England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester , a local government district , at the western end of the South Downs National Park, on

1596-552: The Fortifications of Portsmouth . The Fleet Review is a British tradition that usually takes place at Spithead, where the monarch reviews the massed Royal Navy . The Spithead mutiny occurred in 1797 in the Royal Navy fleet at anchor at Spithead. It is also the location where HMS  Royal George sank in 1782 with the loss of more than 800 lives. In the operetta H.M.S. Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan ,

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1672-810: The Gothic revival style, the Royal Hampshire County Hospital , designed by William Butterfield , and Winchester City Mill , one of the city's several water mills driven by the River Itchen that runs through the city centre. The mill has recently been restored, and is again milling corn by water power. It is owned by the National Trust . Castle Hill is the location of the Council Chamber for Hampshire County Council . Between Jewry Street and St Peter's Street

1748-612: The Henry Beaufort School , Kings' School Winchester , and The Westgate School are all situated in the city. A fourth state school, the Osborne School , a community special school is also located in Winchester. Independent junior/preparatory schools are The Pilgrims' School Winchester , the Prince's Mead School and Twyford School , which is just outside the city and claims to be the oldest preparatory school in

1824-610: The House of Commons by Danny Chambers , of the Liberal Democrats, who in the 2024 General Election beat Flick Drummond , the Conservative candidate, by 13,821 votes (a margin of 24.2%). The office of Mayor of Winchester currently exists as a ceremonial role, but dates back at least as far as the late 12th century. The mayoral term length is currently one year, and is the chair of Winchester City Council , covering

1900-580: The Middle Ages , the city was an important centre of the wool trade, before going into a slow decline. The curfew bell in the bell tower (near the clock in the picture), still sounds at 8:00 pm each evening. Jews lived in Winchester from at least 1148, and in the 13th century the Jewish community in the city was one of the most important in England. There was an archa in the city, and the Jewish quarter

1976-596: The New Forest National Park, and the Isle of Wight AONB . The word predates Old English , and is first recorded in 731 as Soluente (Bede, H.E. 4, 16). This original spelling suggests a possible derivation from the Brittonic element -uente , which has endured throughout the history of Hampshire, as in the Roman city of Venta Belgarum (Latinised as Venta ), the post-Roman kingdom of Y Went, and

2052-410: The River Itchen . It is 60 miles (97 km) south-west of London and 14 miles (23 km) from Southampton , its nearest city. At the 2021 census, the built-up area of Winchester had a population of 48,478. The wider City of Winchester district includes towns such as Alresford and Bishop's Waltham and had a population of 127,439 in 2021. Winchester is the county town of Hampshire and contains

2128-524: The Roman withdrawal from Britain , urban life continued much as it had done into the mid fifth century. The settlement reduced in size, but work was carried out to improve the city's defences. The city may have functioned as a centre for a religious community or a royal palace, as they continued to use the Christian cemeteries established in the Roman period. Winchester appears in early Welsh literature and

2204-581: The Sir John Moore Barracks , 2 miles (3 km) outside the city). The almshouses and vast Norman chapel of the 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 available today, a 'wayfarer's dole' of ale and bread has been handed out there. It was supposedly instigated to aid pilgrims on their way to Canterbury . The City Museum, located on

2280-668: The Southern England Chalk Formation , ran from the Isle of Purbeck area of south Dorset to the eastern end of Isle of Wight , parallel to the South Downs . Inland behind the chalk were less resistant sands, clays and gravels. Through these weak soils and rocks ran many rivers, from the Dorset Frome in the west and including the Stour , Beaulieu River , Test , Itchen and Hamble , which created

2356-643: The 19th and 20th centuries, the earliest a monumental statue of Queen Victoria , now in the Great hall , by Sir Alfred Gilbert (also known as the sculptor of ' Eros ' in London's Piccadilly Circus), King Alfred , facing the city with raised sword from the centre of The Broadway, by Hamo Thornycroft and the modern striking Horse and Rider by Dame Elizabeth Frink at the entrance to the Law Courts. The novelist Jane Austen died in Winchester on 18 July 1817 and

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2432-451: The 19th century. These were generally known as Palmerston Forts . The Solent was one of two sites for the sailing events at the 1908 Summer Olympics . The Solent became the departure area of the ill-fated ocean liner, Titanic , in April 1912. A bank in the centre of the Solent, Bramble Bank , is exposed at low water at spring tide . This, combined with the unique tidal patterns in

2508-747: The Church of St Peter and St Paul, later known as the Old Minster . This became a cathedral in the 660s when the West Saxon bishop's see was transferred from Dorchester on Thames . The present form of the city dates from reconstruction in the late 9th century, when King Alfred the Great obliterated the Roman street plan in favour of a new grid in order to provide better defence against the Vikings . The city's first mint appears to date from this period. In

2584-529: The Conservatives from 2011 until 2019 , since when the Liberal Democrats have again been in control. The wards are: St Barnabas predominantly covers Harestock , Weeke and Teg Down. Harestock is part of Littleton and Harestock Parish whilst the remainder is part of the unparished area, but the entire ward is part of the Town Forum. The remaining wards are all completely unparished; St Bartholomew

2660-403: The High Street. It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument . The city walls were originally built in the Roman period covering an area of around 138 acres (56 ha), and were rebuilt and expanded in sections over time. A large portion of the city walls, built on Roman foundations, were demolished in the 18th and 19th centuries as they fell into ruin and the gates became a barrier to traffic and

2736-695: The Ice Age, meanders of the Solent's tributaries became incised: for example, an incised meander of the River Test is buried under reclaimed land under the Westquay shopping centre, near Southampton docks; Since the retreat of the most recent glaciation, the South East of England , like the Netherlands , has been steadily slowly sinking through historic time due to forebulge sinking . In 2008

2812-508: The National Student Survey 2015. The university origins go back as far as 1840, originally as a Diocesan teacher training centre. King Alfred's, the main campus, is located on a purpose-built campus near the city centre. The West Downs campus is a short walk away, and houses student facilities and accommodation and the business school. The Winchester School of Art was founded in the 1860s as an independent institution and

2888-691: The North garth of the cathedral is via the Norman arches of Saint Maurice's tower, in the High Street. Wolvesey 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 before their wedding in

2964-804: The Porter's Lodge for the Priory Gate. It was the Bishop's court house. The earliest hammer-beamed building still standing in England is 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 Priors (the monastic predecessors of

3040-546: The River Solent continued the line of the eastern Solent ( Spithead ) to a point roughly due east of the east end of the Isle of Wight and due south of a point about 3 kilometres (2 mi) west of Selsey Bill , and then south-south-west for about 30 kilometres (19 mi), and then south for about 14 kilometres (9 mi), and then joined the main river flowing down the dry bed of the English Channel . During

3116-516: The Solent. The estuary of the Solent River was gradually flooded, and eventually the Isle of Wight became separated from the mainland as the chalk ridge between The Needles on the island and Old Harry Rocks on the mainland was eroded. This is thought to have happened about 7,500 years ago. The process of coastal change is still continuing, with the soft cliffs on some parts of the Solent, such as Fort Victoria , constantly eroding, whilst other parts, such as Ryde Sands , are accreting. The Solent

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3192-434: The United Kingdom. There are two major independent senior schools in Winchester, St Swithun's (a day and boarding school for girls from nursery to sixth form) and Winchester College , a boys' public school . Both schools often top the examination result tables for the city and county. Osborne School is a state-funded special school for pupils aged 11 to 19 which is located in Winchester. Shepherds Down Special School

3268-493: The West Saxon kingdom" and Janet Nelson describes London and Winchester as Alfred the Great's "proto-capitals". There was a fire in the city in 1141 during the Rout of Winchester . In the 14th century, William of Wykeham played a 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 the still extant public school Winchester College . During

3344-750: The Westgate Museum (which showcases various items of weaponry ), and the Historic Resources Centre, which holds many records related to the history of the city. In 2014 ownership of the City museum was transferred to the Hampshire Cultural Trust as part of a larger transfer of museums from Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council . Other historic buildings include the Guildhall dating from 1871 in

3420-450: The archaeology of this phase remains obscure. The settlement became an important centre for the British Belgae tribe; however, it remains unclear how the Belgae came to control the initial settlement. Caesar recorded the tribe had crossed the channel as raiders (probably in the 1st century BCE), only to later establish themselves. The Roman account of continental invaders has been challenged in recent years with scientific studies favouring

3496-461: The area, makes navigation challenging. There is an annual cricket match on Bramble Bank during the lowest tide of the year, but games are often cut short by rising tide. According to the BBC, the 1 ⁄ 2  mi (800 m) tide at Ryde gives a major advantage to hovercraft which can travel right up a beach and the Solent is the only place in Western Europe where there is a regular passenger service. The operator, Hovertravel , claims it

3572-474: The behest of Winchester City Council.( 51°03′43″N 1°18′55″W  /  51.062°N 1.31525°W  / 51.062; -1.31525  ( The Square ) ) Winchester has a variety of Church of England primary schools, including both state and private provision schools. St Peters Catholic Primary School had the highest SATS results, after achieving a perfect score of 300 in 2011. There are four state comprehensive secondary schools in Winchester;

3648-441: 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 is well known for the Great Hall of its castle , which was built in the 12th century. The Great Hall was rebuilt sometime between 1222 and 1235, and still exists in this form. It is famous for King Arthur 's Round Table , which has hung in

3724-400: The cathedral. Winchester Cathedral Close contains a number of historic buildings from the time when the cathedral was also a priory . Of particular note is 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

3800-462: The character "Buttercup" is referred to as "The rosiest, roundest, and reddest beauty in all Spithead". In the book series about the naval officer Horatio Hornblower by C. S. Forester , the main protagonist starts off his career by becoming seasick in calm weather on Spithead. This Hampshire location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Solent The Solent ( / ˈ s oʊ l ən t / SOH -lənt )

3876-454: The corner of Great Minster Street and The Square, contains much information on the history of Winchester. Early examples of Winchester measures of standard capacity are on display. The museum was one of the first purpose-built museums to be constructed outside London. Local items featured include the Roman Venta Belgarum gallery, and some genuine period shop interiors taken from the nearby High Street. Other places of cultural interest include

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3952-417: The cross, they were prevented from doing so by the people of the city, who "organised a small riot", and they were forced to abandon their task. The agreement with the city was cancelled and Dummer erected a lath and plaster facsimile, which stood in the park for about sixty years before it was destroyed by the weather. The Buttercross itself was restored by George Gilbert Scott in 1865, and still stands in

4028-421: The early 10th century there were two new ecclesiastical establishments: the convent of Nunnaminster , founded by Alfred's widow Ealhswith , and the New Minster . Bishop Æthelwold of Winchester was a leading figure in the monastic reform movement of the later 10th century. He expelled the secular canons of both minsters and replaced them with monks. He created the drainage system, the "Lockburn", which served as

4104-565: The estuary deeper. Secondly, post-glacial rebound after the removal of the weight of ice over Scotland caused the island of Great Britain to tilt about an east–west axis, because isostatic rebound in Scotland and Scandinavia is pulling mantle rock out from under the Netherlands and south England : this is forebulge sinking . Over thousands of years, the land sank in the south (a process still continuing) to submerge many valleys creating today's characteristic rias , such as Southampton Water and Poole Harbour , as well as submerging

4180-444: The five city wards constitutes an unparished area . As a result, they now make up Winchester Town Forum, which matches the former Winchester Urban District. Legally an area committee, it oversees the Town account and acts as a council committee to steer some decisions affecting the town. Unlike parishes, members are not directly-elected, but instead are the city councillors who were elected to the respective wards, who sit ex officio on

4256-414: The former Urban District itself: St Barnabas, St Paul, St Luke, St Bartholomew, and St Michael; they have three councillors each apart from St Luke, which is a two-member ward. For Hampshire County Council elections, the City of Winchester district is made up of 7 divisions , with Winchester Westgate and Winchester Eastgate covering the town area. Whilst the remainder of the district is parished, most of

4332-446: The grounds of the Great Hall is a recreation of a medieval garden. Apart from the hall, only a few excavated remains of the stronghold survive among the modern Law Courts. The buildings were supplanted by the adjacent King's House , now incorporated into the Peninsula Barracks where there are five military museums. (The training that used to be carried out at the barracks is now done by the Army Training Regiment Winchester, based at

4408-436: The hall from at least 1463. The table actually dates from the 13th century, this it is still of considerable historical interest and attracts many tourists. The table was originally unpainted, but was painted for Henry VIII in 1522. The names of the legendary Knights of the Round Table are written around the edge of the table surmounted by King Arthur on his throne. Opposite the table are Prince Charles 's 'Wedding Gates'. In

4484-399: The head offices of Hampshire County Council . Winchester developed from the Roman town of Venta Belgarum , which in turn developed from an Iron Age oppidum . Winchester was one of the most important cities in England until the Norman conquest in the eleventh century. It has since become one of the most expensive and affluent areas in the United Kingdom. The city's major landmark

4560-412: The hull and a large number of artefacts can be seen in the Mary Rose Museum located in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard . In 1685, King James II narrowly escaped shipwreck while sailing in the Solent. Musician Henry Purcell wrote "They that go down to the sea in ships" to be sung by the extraordinary voice of John Gostling in commemoration of this event. More forts were built on land and at sea in

4636-424: The later Deans) 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. Now part of The Pilgrims' School , 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 etc. Entrance for pedestrians to

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4712-437: The modern name of Winchester . It later appears in Anglo-Saxon records as Solentan . A pre-Celtic and supposedly Semitic root meaning "free-standing rock" has also been suggested as a possible description of the cliffs marking western approach of the strait. This Semitic origin may be a relic of the Phoenician traders who sailed to Britain from the Mediterranean as part of the ancient tin trade . Another suggestion

4788-423: The most expensive and desirable areas of the country and ranked Winchester as one of the least deprived areas in England and Wales. Winchester is situated on a bed of Cretaceous lower chalk with small areas of clay and loam soil, inset with combined clay and rich sources of fuller's earth . As with the rest of the UK, Winchester experiences an oceanic climate ( Köppen Cfb ). The nearest Met Office station

4864-432: The prehistoric, Roman , and Saxon eras, showing that humans retreated towards progressively higher ground over these periods. Offshore from Bouldnor , Isle of Wight, divers have found at 11 metres (36 ft) depth the submerged remains of a wooden building that was built there on land around 6000 BC when the sea level was lower and the land was higher. There is an early Norman period report that much land on

4940-400: The sea level was lower, the River Solent incised its bed to a depth of at least 46 metres (151 ft) below current Ordnance Datum . The Purbeck Ball Clay contains kaolinite and mica , showing that in the Lutetian stage of the Eocene water from a granite area, probably Dartmoor , flowed into the River Solent. Seabed survey shows that when the sea level was lower in the Ice Age

5016-408: The second century. At the beginning of the third century, Winchester was given protective stone walls . At around this time the city covered an area of 144 acres (58 ha), making it among the largest towns in Roman Britain by surface area. There was a limited suburban area outside the walls. Like many other Roman towns however, Winchester began to decline in the later fourth century. Despite

5092-437: The south of Hayling Island was lost to sea flood. South of Hayling Island in the Solent is a deposit of stones, which scuba divers found to be the remains of a stone building, probably a church. There is an old report that this church was formerly in the middle of Hayling Island. If similar amounts of land have been lost on other parts of the Solent shore, the Solent was likely to have been much narrower in Roman times, and it

5168-416: The south of the city had come under the " Liberty of the Soke ", and was thereby self-governing to a large extent. In 1889, the city came under the new Hampshire County Council , and the city was later administered by Winchester Urban District . Since 1974 the area has been governed as part of the wider City of Winchester district of Hampshire . The district has 16 electoral wards, five of these cover

5244-400: The town drain until 1875, and still survives. Also in the late 10th century, the Old Minster was enlarged as a centre of the cult of the 9th century Bishop of Winchester , Saint Swithun . The three minsters were the home of what architectural historian John Crook describes as "the supreme artistic achievements" of the Winchester School . The consensus among historians of Anglo-Saxon England

5320-447: The town forum. The current ward boundaries were adopted in 2016 , when all seats were up for election. Since then, Winchester City Council elections take place in three out of every four years, with one third of the councillors elected in each election. From the 2006 election until the 2010 election the council was led by Conservatives . In 2010 it was controlled for a year by the Liberal Democrats , before being led again by

5396-408: The tribe that gave the town its Roman name of Venta Belgarum . After the Roman conquest of Britain , the settlement served as the capital ( Latin : civitas ) of the Belgae and was distinguished as Venta Belgarum , "Venta of the Belgae". Although in the early years of the Roman province it was of subsidiary importance to Silchester and Chichester , Venta eclipsed them both by the latter half of

5472-480: The wider district since 1974. Winchester Cathedral was originally built in 1079 and remains the longest Gothic cathedral in Europe. It contains much fine architecture spanning the 11th to the 16th centuries and is the place of interment of numerous Bishops of Winchester (such as William of Wykeham ), Anglo-Saxon monarchs (such as Egbert of Wessex ) and later monarchs such as King Canute and William Rufus . It

5548-533: Was inconclusive with no significant losses other than Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose , which foundered and sank while making a sharp turn. From a total crew of over 400 (some estimates have suggested as many as 700 ), fewer than 35 survived the sinking. The remains of the Mary Rose were discovered at the bottom of the Solent by a salvage project in 1971 and were successfully salvaged in 1982. The remains of

5624-598: Was located in the city's heart (present day Jewry street). There were a series of blood libel claims against the Jewish community in the 1220s and 1230s, which was probably the cause of the hanging of the community's leader, Abraham Pinch, in front of the synagogue of which he was the head. Simon de Montfort ransacked the Jewish quarter in 1264, and in 1290 all Jews were expelled from England. A statue of Licoricia of Winchester , described as "the most important Jewish woman in medieval England", located in Jewry Street,

5700-477: Was once an important pilgrimage centre and housed the shrine of Saint Swithun . The ancient Pilgrims' Way to Canterbury begins at Winchester. The plan of the earlier Old Minster is laid out in the grass adjoining the cathedral. The New Minster (the original burial place of Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder ) once stood beside it. The cathedral has a girls choir and a boys choir, who sing regularly in

5776-754: Was unveiled by the then Prince of Wales on 10 February 2022. The City Cross (also known as the Buttercross ) has been dated to the 15th century, and features 12 statues of the Virgin Mary , other saints and various historical figures. Several statues appear to have been added throughout the structure's history. In 1770, Thomas Dummer purchased the Buttercross from the Corporation of Winchester, intending to have it re-erected at Cranbury Park , near Otterbourne . When his workmen arrived to dismantle

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