Winchester, ENG - Postcode - SO23 9SW

Winchester, England

The English city of Winchester is known for its cathedral. Located on the banks of the River Itchen at the western edge of the South Downs National Park, Winchester is the seat of the City of Winchester, a local government district. The closest major city is Southampton, about 14 miles (23 km) away to the north. It is located 60 miles (97 km) south-west of London. Winchester, Virginia, has a total population of 45,184 as of the 2011 census. Population estimates put the size of the City of Winchester district at 116,595, with surrounding communities like Alresford and Bishop's Waltham included. Winchester serves as the county seat for Hampshire and is home to the Hampshire County Council.

Winchester originated as the Iron Age oppidum Venta Belgarum, which was afterwards colonized by the Romans. Before the Norman invasion of England in the eleventh century, Winchester was a major settlement. Since then, it's risen to prominence as one of Britain's priciest and wealthiest communities.

Winchester Cathedral is the city's most famous landmark. As for educational institutions, Winchester is home to both a university and the oldest public school in the United Kingdom, Winchester College, which is housed in its original buildings.

History of Winchester

There are 12 statues of the Virgin Mary, several saints, and numerous historical people atop the City Cross (also known as the Buttercross), which has been dated to the 15th century. A number of statues have apparently been installed at various times in the building's history. To relocate it to Cranbury Park, not far from Otterbourne, Thomas Dummer paid the Corporation of Winchester £70 in 1770 for the Buttercross. The citizens of the city "arranged a little riot" to stop his workers from dismantling the cross, and as a result, they were compelled to abandon their mission. Dummer built a lath and plaster replica, which stood in the park for sixty years before it was destroyed by weather and the city voided the agreement. It was George Gilbert Scott in 1865 who renovated the Buttercross so that it could once again stand in the High Street. Now it is protected as a historical site.

During the Roman era, city walls were constructed roughly 138 acres (56 ha) in size; they have since been repaired and expanded. Only a small section of the original Roman wall remains after the rest were removed in the 18th and 19th centuries because they had fallen into ruin and the gates had become a barrier to traffic and a risk to people. Only two of the original six gates (the Kingsgate and the Westgate) remain today, with parts of the walls still standing surrounding the two gates and near the ruins of Wolvesey Castle. 

From the High Street, you can see three impressive bronze sculptures by famous 19th- and 20th-century artists: a monumental statue of Queen Victoria by Sir Alfred Gilbert (who also sculpted "Eros" in London's Piccadilly Circus); King Alfred, facing the city with his sword raised from the center of The Broadway; and a striking Horse and Rider by Dame Elizabeth Frink.

John Keats, a Romantic poet, stayed at Winchester from the middle of August to the end of October 1819, where he penned the five-act poetic tragedy "Otho the Great," as well as the poems "Isabella," "St. Agnes' Eve," "To Autumn," and "Lamia." Those in the real estate industry in Winchester told a local newspaper in 2013 that the city's architectural and historical interest, as well as its fast links to other towns and cities, had made it one of the most expensive and desirable areas of the country.