A Grand Tour of Winchester Part V: Two Norman Building Bishops of Winchester
Main photo: Winchester Cathedral Crypt, 1093 Medieval history is partly shaped by the ‘magnates’ of a realm. These confident people, often men, positioned themselves to achieve what still echoes today. Two of the Norman Bishops of Winchester played their role, not...
A Grand Tour of Winchester Part IV: Fairs, Markets & Commerce
Winchester was well situated for trade to make its way to and from the city. Roman roads approached it from all directions and the River Itchen was navigable to Southampton Water. From there continental trade links were accessible.[i] Winchester had developed along a...
A Grand Tour of Winchester Part III: The Medieval City
Medieval Winchester is still very much in evidence in the way it is laid out. The city’s grid system of streets developed from what was laid out in the late 9th C.[i] Although many buildings have disappeared and new ones built in subsequent periods, there those still...
A Grand Tour of Winchester Part II: A Glimpse of William the Conqueror’s City
Winchester was a thriving town in the medieval period as well as the seat of powerful and wealthy bishops. It had developed along a grid system with the medieval streets being laid out in the late 9th C. The High Street was known as ‘market street’ by around 900 and...
A Grand Tour of Winchester Part I: Anglo-Saxon Wintancaester
November can be a good time to visit places to avoid tourists whilst venues are still open. I recently visited Winchester for a 2-night stay. It is a compact city with everything conveniently within in walking distance from the city centre. It was a pleasure to walk...
The Church of St Andrew, Winterborne Tomson: An apsidal chancel, wagon roof, west gallery and box pews
The second of the Dorset churches on my August ‘church crawl’ (as John Betjeman would have called such a quest) is just over 3 miles east from Bere Regis in Dorset. A turning off the A31 leads to the settlement of Winterborne Tomson. In a field by a farm is the Church...
Exploring Building History
Exploring Building History is a non-commercial site. It is my own personal musings on architectural history. There is wealth of built heritage in England, and as I explore and think about what I see, I post my reflections on this site.