Winchester Castle

The cathedral is one of the largest in England.

Two Saturdays ago, we visited Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The original cathedral, known as the Old Minster, was founded in 642. After 450 years the Old Minster was demolished and its stones used for the new cathedral. The new cathedral was consecrated in 1093. It is truly magnificent!

We had a picnic, and then Cooper and the other boys ran around outside.

This photo was taken in the oldest area of the cathedral.

These 12th century wall paintings are visible in the Holy Sepulchre Chapel. 

The stone crypt dates from the 11th century and floods in rainy months.  Antony Gormley's sculpture, Sound II, is sometimes knee-deep in water. 

There are more than a thousand carvings in wood or stone that cover the joins of the vaulted ceilings. They range from simple 13th century leaf designs to elaborate Renaissance images.  

The bones of King Cnut, king of Denmark and England, who died in 1035 are said to lie in this mortuary chest. The cathedral has six mortuary chests supposedly containing the assorted remains of early Wessex and English kings including Egbert, Ethelwulf, Cnut and the Norman King William II (Rufus) - son of William the Conqueror. 

This is one of seven chantry chapels added between the 14th and 16th centuries.  The chapels were built for powerful bishops including the founders of New College, Magdalen College, and Corpus Christi College, Oxford. 

Jane Austen's Grave

The cathedral has the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe.