April 30, 2026
At Southampton we took a bus for a little less than an hour to the city of Winchester. In the middle of the city is a statue of Alfred the Great, the 9th century king, who may be buried in Westchester. His remains have been moved several times, so his actual burial site is somewhat uncertain. Less uncertain is the Winchester Guildhall, about 100 yards from Alfred’s statue, which was built in the late 19the century. You could argue that its architecture is an acquired taste, but we liked it.
About two blocks from the town center is the Winchester Cathedral, which dates back to the 11th century. It’s the longest medieval cathedral in Europe, and it shows. We’ve seen a lot of cathedrals over the years, but its length and height made it verge on awe inspiring.
Jane Austen is buried there, and she is commemorated by a nearby bronze plaque.
The cathedral’s Great West Window looks like random pieces of stained glass. Turns out that during the English Civil War, Cromwell’s anti-royalty Roundheads ransacked the cathedral, and used the windows for target practice. The story is that they threw bones of ancient kings and bishops from mortuary chests to smash the glass. Locals gathered the fragments and hid them in their homes. After the Restoration of the Monarchy, the glass was returned to the cathedral and put in the window as fragments. Some say that was to create a permanent record of the destruction caused by Cromwell. Others say that it was because the original designs were too shattered to be reconstructed. Whatever the reason, the kaleidoscopic mosaic is beautiful.
We had fish and chips for lunch at the Crown and Anchor, a pub about 50 yards from Alfred’s statue. It was a typical British pub, with the possible exceptions of the Gay Pride flag over the bar and the sign in the ladies’ room. In any case, we liked the place and thoroughly enjoyed the fish and chips, and the mushy peas that accompanied them.
Next stop, France,
Dottie and Mal
