Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral tickets: which one to buy

Winchester Cathedral stands in the centre of Winchester, Hampshire, England, about an hour from London by train, and a ticket is required for visitors, valid for a year, with guided tours included. Tower tours and tours of the Winchester Bible exhibition are also offered. It is one of the largest cathedrals in Europe and has the longest nave of any Gothic cathedral.

Walking tours of Winchester combine the cathedral with the Great Hall, which displays the Round Table of King Arthur, Winchester College, the ruins of Wolvesey Castle, the statue of King Alfred and the River Itchen walk. Jane Austen is buried in the cathedral, and fans visit her grave. The cathedral has a café and a shop. It is active, with daily services and choral evensong, and the cathedral may close for events. The cathedral ticket is valid for a year, so it is possible to return for evensong or tours.

Visiting Winchester Cathedral: what to see

The cathedral was begun in 1079, after the Norman Conquest, on the site of an Anglo-Saxon minster, and it was rebuilt in the fourteenth century in the Perpendicular Gothic style, creating a nave 170 metres long. Winchester was the capital of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Wessex, and the mortuary chests in the choir hold the bones of Saxon kings, including Canute, mixed up during the Civil War. Jane Austen, who died in Winchester in 1817, is buried in the north aisle, with a memorial brass and window. The cathedral also holds the tomb of Saint Swithun, the Winchester Bible, a twelfth-century illuminated manuscript, displayed in the library, and Norman transepts and crypt. The crypt, which floods in winter, holds the sculpture Sound II by Antony Gormley.

In the early twentieth century, a diver, William Walker, saved the cathedral from collapse by working underwater to reinforce its foundations. The cathedral's choir stalls are carved with animals and figures and are among the oldest in England. The Holy Sepulchre Chapel holds medieval wall paintings. The retrochoir's floor is covered with medieval tiles. The Winchester Bible's pages are decorated with gold and bright colours. The font, made of black Tournai marble, is carved with scenes from the life of Saint Nicholas. A statue of William Walker, the diver, stands in the cathedral. The Lady Chapel holds paintings and a carved screen. The tower tour includes the bell chamber and the roof. Izaak Walton, author of The Compleat Angler, is buried in the cathedral.

Winchester Cathedral opening hours and the best time to go

The cathedral is open daily, with shorter hours on Sundays; the crypt may be closed when it floods. Winchester is busy in summer and during the Christmas market in the cathedral close, one of the most popular in England, with an ice rink. Choral evensong is sung most days. The Hat Fair, a street theatre festival, is held in July. Spring and autumn are pleasant for walking by the river. Allow about an hour and a half for the cathedral, and walk to the Great Hall to see the Round Table. The Great Hall, a short walk up the high street, is the only surviving part of Winchester Castle.