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Winchester Cathedral
We got our first view of Winchester Cathedral from St Catherine’s hill and could appreciate that is in the middle of swampy marsh. Walking to the cathedral we were impressed by the many splendid buildings on the estate. They include a splendid Bishops Palace. The veranda garden, refectory, and generous sized shop comprise the modern Visitor centre opened in 1993. It is tucked round the corner from the green spaces, trees, and magnificent main doors so the latter ‘s approach is unfettered. The café offered excellent value with wholesome fare for reasonable price; plenty of seating and toilets. The shop was also well-presented offering Easter goods and Jane Austen memorabilia as it is the 250 anniversary of her birth this year. In contrast to Guilford Cathedral the estate was buzzing with visitors and sunbathers.
The cathedral charges for admission and welcomes dogs albeit not in services. Their patron saint is St. Swinthun. His current memorial is a decorated metal canopy designed to resemble a medieval shrine category. He was a much-loved Bishop of Winchester who was known for his kindness and scholarship. His bones were exhumed in 971 and the act was followed by extensive heavy rain leading to the association with prolonged rain and St Swithin’s day.
Winchester claims to have the longest nave of all English cathedrals, so you feel in a spacious sacred environment. Our first stop was to admire the front window which was smashed during the English civil war. It is a dazzling sight in its abstractness and set the tone for our visit. Winchester is steeped in history and memories with an abundance of stones, plaques and the aura of wealth. It was the capital of England at the behest of King Alfred the Great. Its prominence means several kings and queens including King Canute and Queen Emma and King Egbert, have their bones stored in caskets above the quire. Gilbert Scott designed the Victorian quire.
There is a tablet stone commemorating Jane Austen, who died in Winchester, that, curiously, does not mention that she was a writer.
Above the crypt there are some beautiful 12th century frescoes. The crypt is below the High Altar and at the east Norman end of the cathedral. The crypt is flooded by a well, reflecting the boggy ground on which the cathedral is built. It currently holds an Antony Gormley statue called Sound II that is a figure of a man.
In the twentieth century a diver called William Walker, and wearing an incredibly heavy metal diving suit went underground to remove sunken wooden foundations and replace them with bags of cement. He is thought to have saved the cathedral from sinking. (We did note when outside for a second. time that the cathedral has a definite lilt down on one side). This onerous task took five years for him to complete His was a remarkable feat of endurance and service.
The Epiphany chapel is lovely dark wood and stained glass - an oasis of calm and peace reserved for private prayer and contemplation. The Norman font was unusual being solid and black Tournai marble. One of the many memorials is to Bishop Fox, Keeper of the Seal for Henry VI and Henry VII and he founded Corpus Christie College Oxford. Isaac Walton, Father of English Angling is buried in the St John the Evangelist Chapel. The rich and long spiritual heritage of the Cathedral is presented all around one as you tour the building. The estate was formerly an important ecclesiastical centre within Europe.
Canon Tess, Canon Missioner greeted us after Evening prayers taking time to have her picture taken and blessing us too. We appreciated the time and trouble she gave to us.
