Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral: The Longest Medieval Building in Europe

Winchester Cathedral has the longest medieval nave in Europe - 164 metres from west entrance to east end. The building stands on the site of a 7th-century minster; the current structure dates from the Norman period with substantial later additions. The nave was rebuilt in Perpendicular Gothic style between 1360 and 1404 by Bishop William of Wykeham - the transformation from the original Norman barrel vaulting to the soaring Perpendicular ceiling was achieved without demolishing the Norman walls, which still exist inside the Perpendicular cladding. Look at the pier bases to see the original Norman stonework exposed.

Adult entry is GBP 10.50 (2024 pricing). Open daily from 09:00 (12:30 on Sundays). Allow two to three hours.

What to see

The Cathedral’s font, carved in black Tournai marble around 1180, is one of the finest surviving examples of Romanesque carving in England. The twelve scenes from the life of St. Nicholas on its sides are unusually detailed for the period.

The medieval floor tiles in the Guardian Angels Chapel (north transept aisle) are 13th-century originals still in situ - among the best-preserved medieval floor tile work in the country. The choir stalls, carved between 1305 and 1310, include 58 misericords (the carved ledges that allowed clergy to rest during long services while appearing to stand) depicting secular scenes - wrestlers, a mermaid, a fox preaching to geese - that sit incongruously in an ecclesiastical setting.

Jane Austen is buried in the north aisle of the nave. Her grave slab, laid in 1817, mentions her personal virtues but says nothing about her novels. The brass plaque added in 1872 is the first memorial to acknowledge her writing. The Jane Austen House Museum at Chawton, 18 miles east of Winchester, is the house where she wrote and revised her major novels.

The Cathedral Close - the walled precinct around the building - includes Wolvesey Castle (English Heritage, free entry), the ruin of the medieval Bishop’s Palace built in the 12th century and largely demolished in 1686.

Winchester beyond the Cathedral

The Great Hall, 10 minutes’ walk from the Cathedral on the High Street, is the surviving hall of Winchester Castle. The 13th-century oak roof structure is intact. The Round Table hanging on the wall - a circular oak table 5.5 metres in diameter, painted with the names of Arthurian knights - was made around 1290, several centuries after the legendary King Arthur. Scientific dating confirmed this in 1976. It was painted in Tudor colours for Henry VIII’s visit in 1516.

Wolvesey Palace, immediately east of the Cathedral close, has ruins of the medieval bishops’ residence and an adjoining 17th-century palace wing. The ruins are managed by English Heritage and freely accessible during daylight hours.

Getting there

Winchester station (London Waterloo direct, 1 hour 5 minutes, trains every 30 minutes) is a 10-minute walk from the Cathedral. There is no reasonable excuse for driving in Winchester in daylight hours; parking is expensive and the city centre is navigable on foot in 20 minutes.

The Chesil Rectory on Chesil Street, a 15th-century building operating as a restaurant (GBP 25-35 mains), is the best food option near the Cathedral. Rick Stein Winchester, more casual and reliable for fish, is on High Street.