Winchester in the Middle Ages
In 1302 fire was to destroy the royal apartments of Winchester Castle - these were never to be rebuilt, meaning that important visitors to the city henceforth were entertained at the Bishop's Palace (Wolvesey). Wolvesey Palace is now in ruins but is open to the public.
The Black Death of 1348 wiped out more than half the population of the city - indeed, the effects of the Black Death were felt nationwide. In 1382 Winchester College was founded. This boy's school is the oldest public school in England and is still in use. You can tour the extensive grounds of the school and you'll find that large amounts of land within the city boundaries still belong to Winchester College.
The Reformation
In 1522 King Henry VIII entertained Emperor Charles V in the Great Hall and had his own face painted on the Round Table. He would later order the destruction of St Swithun's shrine, which had been in the Cathedral.
1554 saw Queen Mary Tudor marrying Prince Philip of Spain in the Cathedral. Winchester was still very much at the heart of life for government and the English aristocracy, as evidenced by Sir Walter Raleigh's trial for treason that took place in the Great Hall in 1603.
Winchester in the Civil War
In 1642 the Cathedral was ransacked by the Roundheads, as Winchester took a central role during the English Civil Wars. The Battle of Cheriton took place close to the city in 1644 and a year later the City and Castle fell to the Parliamentarians. The Castle had proven difficult to capture and Cromwell, in typical fashion, ordered that it should be destroyed. His order was carried out in 1651.
Winchester and the Restoration
The Civil War had taken its toll on Winchester and the people of the city. 1665 saw King Charles II planning a grand palace for himself in the city. The palace was designed by Sir Christopher Wren (famed for St Pauls Cathedral in London) but was not completed before the King's death.
In 1666 the Great Plague struck the city, with one-quarter of the population losing their lives. The early-18th century saw the building of the New Guildhall (now a bank), with a clock and statue of Queen Anne.
Georgian Winchester
If the Restoration had seen Winchester firmly re-appear on the cultural map of England then the Georgian era was to bring still further development. The famous novelist Jane Austen died in Winchester, while John Keats visited the city and wrote his famous poem: Ode to Autumn.
The city was thriving, with shops and commerce developing throughout the city.
Visiting Winchester, Places to Stay in Winchester, Eating in Winchester, Medieval Winchester, Winchester in the Middle Ages, Victorian Winchester
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