3d. 12s. 2d. 10s. 6d.
=Accommodation Obtainable.=--"George Hotel," "Royal Hotel,"
"Black Swan Hotel," etc.
=Alternative Route.=--Train from Paddington. Great Western Rly.
Winchester, the ancient Saxon capital of England, is situated near the
foot of the chalk uplands surrounding the river Itchin. It is a city
full of historical interest, and its two most striking features are the
cathedral and college. Long before the Norman Conquest there was a
grammar school at Winchester under the care of the monks. Bishop William
of Wykeham was educated at this earlier school, and it was he who
re-established it on a larger scale. The new college was founded at the
end of the fourteenth century, under the direction of a corporation, and
was allied to one of the colleges at Oxford. For five centuries this
college, the most ancient of the public schools in England, has kept a
foremost place among the many educational centres that now exist. Many
of the college buildings remain almost the same as they were originally
founded.
The cathedral, which is the largest in England, shows every style of
architecture from pure Norman to Early Renaissance. It was founded by
Walkelin, the first Norman bishop, whose carved font is one of the
finest treasures of the building. Bishop Wykeham, at the end of the
fourteenth century, continued the building, which had been steadily
progressing for a considerable time, and commenced the partial casing of
the Norman columns with Perpendicular mouldings.
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