Winchester

United Kingdom / England / Winchester /
 city, county town - UK/Ireland
Winchester (originally Winton) is a historic city and the county town of Hampshire. It was originally the capital of Wessex, and during a period of the Anglo-Saxons, it was the capital of England.

Winchester's Cathedral is the second longest building in Europe. It contains much fine architecture spanning the 11th to the 16th century and is the burial place of numerous Bishops of Winchester (such as William of Wykeham) and Anglo-Saxon and later monarchs (such as King Canute), as well as Jane Austen. The ancient Pilgrims' Way travelling to Canterbury begins at Winchester.

Other attractions include Wolvesey Caslte, Winchester Castle, the Great Hall (with its famous hanging medieval round table - which was placed to commemorate the legendary King Arthur), the Guildhall and several military museums. It is also home to Winchester College, one of the oldest English school which has continuously existed.

Winchester has Roman origins as a Roman town called Venta Belgarum, although there is evidence of iron age settlements before then.

Its name was originally Caergwinntguic or Caergwintwg (literally meaning "White Fortress") as recorded by Nennius after the Roman occupation. This name changed into Wintanceastre following the Anglo-Saxon conquest, which in turn became Winton, and then Winchester ('chester' refers to the fact it is a former roman fort). Literally, Winchester means 'White Roman Fort'. Its Welsh name is Caerwynt or Caer-wynt
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winchester,_Hampshire
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   51°3'51"N   1°19'28"W

Comments

  • I've been here from nearby Basingstoke. It's a great place with lots of history.
  • I live in a nearby village and go to school here, awesome place!
This article was last modified 13 years ago