Pictures of Winchester Cathedral

a Cathedral in the town of Winchester, in the county of Hampshire

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About Winchester Cathedral

From the moment you cross the wide sweeping lawns surrounding Winchesters' historic cathedral you become immediately enthralled by its sheer size and grace. At 556 feet, it is the longest cathedral in Europe. Once inside, the beauty of the cathedral is overwhelming, with many remarkable features of early Norman architecture. The building was begun in 1079, and interestingly, at its west end it overlaps an earlier Saxon church in the immediate vicinity of the cathedral.

The most complete remains of the early work is to be seen in the transepts. Here there are remarkable arches with heavy plain mouldings and capitals left undecorated. Splashes of colour come from bright banners, glorious stained glass and medieval wall paintings. There is a fine set of early 14th century misericords, monuments from all periods and the imposing square black Tournai Norman font, decorated with carvings depicting the life of Saint Nicholas. There are many other notable treasures, including in the cathedral library, a 10th century copy of Bede's history, a 13th century illuminated Bible and the first American Bible.

An area of quiet tranquillity is the Retrochoir, found behind the Quire. This has magnificent medieval tiles surviving from the 13th century and leads into the beautiful Lady Chapel whose walls are decorated with 15th century images of the Blessed Virgin to whom the chapel is dedicated.

There is an intricate great screen filled with superb statutory and the fan vaulting is amongst the finest of its kind.

The cathedral close focus's upon the Deanery. This has a wonderful 13th century porch and a reconstructed Prior's Hall of the mid 15th century, although this is now greatly altered. A charming Visitors Centre can be found in the close, this occupies one half of what was once the cathedral's 13th century guest house. The other half of the building is restored back to its original state, and now forms a beautiful "Pilgrims Hall" showing the earliest surviving hammer-beam roof. Many other interesting buildings remain to be seen, some from Tudor times including what was once the bishop's courthouse with its lovely jettied windows and springtime foliage.

Filled as it is with a rich array of historic buildings, Winchesters' cathedral close is a lovely area to explore. It's historic beauty is particularly enhanced by the cathedrals' great peal of bells, it is then that you really feel in awe of its wonder, mystique and mystery.
Please see below for other recommended attractions and towns to visit near Winchester Cathedral.

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Distances and directions shown below are approximate. For true driving distances please visit the AA Route Planner

Recommended attractions near Winchester Cathedral

Wolvesey Castle	(0.4 miles, 0.7 km)	Pictures
Winchester City Mill	(0.8 miles, 1.3 km)	Pictures
Marwell Zoological Park	(4.5 miles, 7.2 km, direction S)	Pictures
Farley Mount Country Park	(4.7 miles, 7.5 km, direction W)	Pictures
Hillier Gardens & Arboretum	(6.9 miles, 11.1 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Hinton Ampner Garden	(7.1 miles, 11.4 km, direction E)	Pictures
Mid Hants Railway	(7.3 miles, 11.7 km, direction E)	Pictures
Itchen Valley Country Park	(7.8 miles, 12.6 km, direction S)	Pictures
Bishop's Waltham Palace	(8.2 miles, 13.2 km, direction SE)	Pictures
Longstock Park Water Garden	(8.9 miles, 14.3 km, direction NW)	Pictures

All attractions in Hampshire
Complete A to Z of attractions in England

Recommended towns near Winchester Cathedral

Winchester, in the county of Hampshire (0.5 miles, 0.8 km)
This is an old town which was a tribal town long before the Romans landed in Britain, under their leadership it flourished to become the 5th largest city in the land, and was later heralded as the capital of King Alfred.
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Itchen Abbas, in the county of Hampshire (4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction NE)
A beautiful village in a serene and picturesque valley whose meadows are watered by the gently flowing, trout filled waters of the River Itchen as it continues it's journey towards Southampton where it will meet with the sea.
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Alresford, a Historic Market Town in the county of Hampshire (7.1 miles, 11.5 km, direction E)
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Bishop's Waltham, in the county of Hampshire (8.2 miles, 13.2 km, direction SE)
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Wherwell, in the county of Hampshire (9.7 miles, 15.6 km, direction NW)
This enchanting little village boasts a host of thickly thatched, black and white, half timbered cottages,and has a bit of a bloody history.
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Southampton, in the county of Hampshire (10.7 miles, 17.2 km, direction S)
Southampton has many lovely gardens right in the city centre with picnic tables, flower beds and shady walks. In the spring the rhododendrons are a lovely sight.
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Totton, in the county of Hampshire (11.8 miles, 19.0 km, direction SW)
Totton is a small town lying close to Southampton Water with easy access to the picturesque New Forest National Park, making it a desirable place to stay for anyone wishing to explore both coast and countryside.
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Whitchurch, in the county of Hampshire (12.3 miles, 19.7 km, direction N)
With such pretty countryside and so much of historic interest Whitchurch makes an ideal base from which to explore the delights of rural Hampshire.
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Netley, in the county of Hampshire (12.5 miles, 20.1 km, direction S)
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Hambledon, in the county of Hampshire (13.0 miles, 20.9 km, direction SE)
This lovely red-brick village was the early home of cricket. A club was founded here in 1760 when the laws governing the game were laid down.
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All towns in Hampshire
Complete A to Z of towns in England

Nearby travel help

M3 Junction 10	(0.5 miles, 0.8 km)
Winchester Station	(1.1 miles, 1.8 km, direction N)
M3 Junction 11	(1.2 miles, 2.0 km, direction S)
Shawford Station	(2.4 miles, 3.9 km, direction S)
Southampton Airport	(7.3 miles, 11.7 km, direction S)
Bournemouth Airport	(29.3 miles, 47.2 km, direction SW)
Winchester Cathedral to London	(60.3 miles, 97.1 km, direction NE)

Accommodation & Hotels near Winchester Cathedral

Hotel Name
Mercure Wessex Winchester	(0.6 miles, 1.0 km)
Lainston House Hotel And The Avenue Restaurant	(3.2 miles, 5.1 km, direction NW)
Holiday Inn Southampton Eastleigh	(6.1 miles, 9.8 km, direction SW)
Norton Park Winchester - A QHotel	(8.0 miles, 12.9 km, direction N)
Express By Holiday Inn Southampton - M27, Jct7	(8.8 miles, 14.2 km, direction S)
Berties	(9.1 miles, 14.7 km, direction SW)
Best Western Botleigh Grange Hotel	(9.2 miles, 14.8 km, direction S)
Banister House Hotel	(10.2 miles, 16.4 km, direction SW)
New Place - De Vere Venues	(10.6 miles, 17.0 km, direction SE)
Southampton City Centre Premier Travel Inn	(10.7 miles, 17.3 km, direction S)
All of our hotels are available to book online & with special discounts