Despite having visited Winchester Cathedral once many years ago and the Park & Ride not at all, we set off on the second Monday in February to do both things. Having allowed plenty of time the four in our car arrived in good time to have a coffee/tea stop before meeting up with the other 17 on this Questers group outing in the foyer of the Cathedral. The Cathedral is currently housing a Sound of the Whales exhibition that includes large art installation of whales hanging from the ceiling and their sounds being played over the speaker system which entertained us prior to the start of the tour.
Our Guides met us in the foyer we were divided in 2 groups for the tour of the Cathedral itself. Although there had been churches in the Winchester area since AD164, the first cathedral, known as the Old Minster was built in 662 for the new Diocese of Winchester. A New Minster was begun by Alfred the Great and completed by his son in AD901. These 2 monasteries existed side by side until after the Norman invasion of 1066 when William the Conqueror installed his own bishops and in 1079 Bishop Walkelin began building a huge new cathedral which was consecrated in 1093 on completion of the east end. This formed the basis of what can be seen today though there have been many additions and alterations, mainly Norman and Gothic architecture with a stunning vaulted ceiling and one of the longest naves in Europe.
Our guides then took us around the rest of Cathedral pointing out the various architectural styles along with the significance of Winchester Cathedral in the history of England. One of the most famous Bishops was Saint Swithun, whose original shrine was destroyed in 1538 during the Reformation and the Dissolution of the Monastries but a modern shrine was erected in 1962, one thousand years after his death to replace it. The Cathedral has a number of mortuary chests including those of Afred the Great and King Canute. The tomb of Jane Austen is on the north aisle and it is a place of pilgrimage for “Janeite’s”.
We went down into the Crypt accessed by some ancient steps. The Cathedral was built on water meadows and the crypt regularly floods but does contain a life-size man sculpture by Anthony Gormley which was installed in the 1986 (see picture).
At the end of the 19th century, Winchester Cathedral was in grave danger of collapse, and by the summer of 1905, huge cracks had appeared in the walls, the walls were bulging and leaning, and stone fell from the walls. Architects were employed and a survey showed the building was listing to the southeast due to defects in the foundations. After further investigation the architects employed the most experienced diver in the country Willliam Walker, to resolve the issue. He had to descend into the flooded trenches in a primitive and immensely heavy diving suit and level the trenches, by removing the peat topsoil and then laying bags of cement to plug the water coming up from below. Walker’s suit weighed 200 lb (91 kg) dry, and the trenches were cramped and pitch-black, he had to feel around with his hands. Additional challenges meant that the water was full of bodies and graves, which made the water septic. Walker worked 6 to 7 hour shifts almost every day for six years to achieve this, diving under the majority of the cathedral building. When he had completed his work in 1911, the pump could be used safely to remove the water without disturbing the foundations. In 1911, flying buttresses were added along the length of the south nave externally to complete the work.
Our visit ended at the stairs to at the Kings and Scribes exhibition in and around the Morely Library, which some of our party visited and many then had lunch in the Cathedral Rectory before heading for home.
Kevin Barter