On the way home from the New Forest Chris and I called into Winchester for a couple of hours. Winchester is located just to the north of the New Forest, about 60 miles south-west of London. I had never been to Winchester before so was keen to visit especially at Christmas time to see its famous Christmas Market.
We parked in Chesil St Multi Storey car park which is free on Sundays although we had to wait for about 20 minutes before we could find a space. As we walked into the city centre we stopped along Bridge Street for a coffee in the Winchester City Mill cafe.
After coffee and a slice of festive parsnip and ginger cake we had a look around the restored water mill which harnesses the energy from the River Itchen to power the mill machinery. The mill was built in 1744 and is currently owned by the National Trust. This building is thought to have been built on the foundations of an earlier Roman mill so it has a history of over 1000 years.
We learned that otters are regular visitors to the City Mill. In 1994, 3 otters were released further upstream of the River Itchen and since then their population has been thriving. They sometimes pass through the mill at night, swimming underneath the powerful waters. A webcam captures their activities and we saw footage from the previous night where one had been clambering around the lower rafters of the mill.
Close to the City Mill is the Statue of Alfred the Great. This 4.5 meter statue is made of bronze and weighs over 5 tonnes. Alfred the Great was one of the most famous of Anglo-Saxon kings. He fought the Vikings before making peace with them to enable the English and the Vikings to co-exist. In 871 at the age of 21 he was crowned King of Wessex and established Winchester as his capital.
Next we walked past Guildhall Winchester which provides the largest multifunctional space in the city. Its rooms can be hired for functions such as weddings, conferences or other events.
We met up with Matt and Yvey for a farewell drink in the Eclipse Inn which is a 16th century half timbered pub in the historic centre of Winchester. The building dates back to 1540 and inside it was cosy with its timber beamed ceiling and timber pillars. And it’s Christmas decorations and Christmas music.
Interestingly this pub was the scene of a horrific event back in 1685 with the execution of Lady Alice Lisle. She spent her last night in an upstairs room of the pub before she was beheaded just outside. Apparently a ghostly figure of a woman has been seen on occasions floating along an upper corridor of the pub…
Winchester Cathedral was opened in 1093 and is one of the largest in Northern Europe. It was once the seat of Saxon and Norman power and is the resting place of royalty, bishops and the English novelist Jane Austin. The cathedral was closed so we didn’t have the opportunity to look inside however it was very busy as this is also the site of the Christmas Market.
Set within its grounds Winchester Cathedral promotes its Christmas market as being ‘one of the best in Europe’. Visiting it on the Sunday afternoon before Christmas was probably not the ideal time as we had to queue for a few minutes to get in and there were long queues at the many food chalets. Thankfully we were not hungry!
We had a wander around the hustle and bustle of the German inspired wooden chalets where local handicrafts, mulled wine, wurst (German sausage) and suchlike could be purchased. With its traditional homemade Christmassy decorations the above chalet had a delightful smell of cloves.
Summary
This weekend was a lovely introduction to Christmas and a visit to Winchester is recommended if you really want to start feeling festive and getting into the Christmas spirit.
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