68 discoverbritainmag.comWINCHESTER
Enjoy the literary charms of England’s ancient capital
24 hours in...
The English Romantic
poet John Keats spent a
few months in Winchester
in 1819, leading him to
pen his famous ode, To
Autumn. He may have
been simply escaping
the din of his landlady’s
daughter learning the
violin, yet his Sunday
strolls along the River
Itchen inspired him
to celebrate the city’s
“seasons of mist and
mellow fruitfulness”.
Last year was the 200th
anniversary of that poem
and Visit Winchester
created a self-guided,
two-mile walking tour,
a map of which can
be downloaded from
their website. From the
cathedral to the water
meadows, it covers much
of what is great and good about
this oft-overlooked destination.
Situated on the western tip of the
South Downs National Park less than
30 miles from Stonehenge, Winchester as
a settlement dates back to Roman times.
In the late 9th century, King Alfred the
Great made it his de facto capital, building
his royal palace here and ripping up the
street plan so that it could be realigned in
preparation for Viking raids. Alfred’s bones
were recently rediscovered at Winchester
City Museum and a 1901 statue of him
stands at the end of The Broadway.
Winchester’s heyday didn’t last long.
Fires were started during the Rout of
Winchester in 1141, part of the English
Civil War, and more trouble followed in
1264 after King Henry III and his barons
clashed. By this point, the Royal Mint had
relocated to London and a century later the
Black Death of 1348 proved the final straw
for Winchester’s standing, killing half of the
city’s population. England’s ancient capital
had lost out to London, yet it remains a
fascinating hotbed of medieval history.Clockwise, from
above: King Alfred the
Great statue on The
Broadway; Winchester
Cathedral; outdoor
cafés on The Square;
The Wykeham Arms;
P&G Wells, the old
bookshop where Jane
Austen had an account68 discoverbritainmag.com
WINCHESTER
Enjoy the literary charms of England’s ancient capital
24 hours in...
The English Romantic
poet John Keats spent a
few months in Winchester
in 1819, leading him to
pen his famous ode, To
Autumn. He may have
been simply escaping
the din of his landlady’s
daughter learning the
violin, yet his Sunday
strolls along the River
Itchen inspired him
to celebrate the city’s
“seasons of mist and
mellow fruitfulness”.
Last year was the 200th
anniversary of that poem
and Visit Winchester
created a self-guided,
two-mile walking tour,
a map of which can
be downloaded from
their website. From the
cathedral to the water
meadows, it covers much
of what is great and good a o
this oft-overlooked destination.
Situated on the western tip of the
South Downs National Park less than
30 miles from Stonehenge, Winchester as
a settlement dates back to Roman times.
In the late 9th century, King Alfred the
Great made it his de facto capital, building
his royal palace here and ripping up the
street plan so that it could be realigned in
preparation for Viking raids. Alfred’s bones
were recently rediscovered at Winchester
City Museum and a 1901 statue of him
stands at the end of The Broadway.
Winchester’s heyday didn’t last long.
Fires were started during the Rout of
Winchester in 1141, part of the English
Civil War, and more trouble followed in
1264 after King Henry III and his barons
clashed. By this point, the Royal Mint had
relocated to London and a century later the
Black Death of 1348 proved the final straw
for Winchester’s standing, killing half of the
city’s population. England’s ancient capital
had lost out to London, yet it remains a
fascinating hotbed of medieval history.
Clockwise, from
above: King Alfred the
Great statue on The
Broadway; Winchester
Cathedral; outdoor
cafés on The Square;
The Wykeham Arms;
P&G Wells, the old
bookshop where Jane
Austen had an account