Winchester Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral is one of the most historically significant buildings in Britain. It is located at the heart of historic Winchester, once the seat of Anglo-Saxon and Norman royal power, on the site of an early Christian Church. Today, Winchester Cathedral stands beautifully in the idyllic green spaces surrounding it, boasting the title of Europe’s longest medieval Cathedral. The Old Minster, a Benedictine monastery, was the home of St Swithun and the present Cathedral was built on the orders of William the Conqueror. Begun in 1079, Winchester Cathedral has been a place of welcome and worship ever since.

As a thriving attraction for visitors all over the world, Winchester Cathedral is famous as the resting place of Saxon royalty, and the Cathedral’s royal heritage can be explored in Kings and Scribes: The Birth of a Nation, a three-level, permanent exhibition in the South Transept. The exhibition explores over 1,000 years of history, from the birth of the nation to the present day, and reveals some of the Cathedral’s greatest treasures including the magnificent Winchester Bible, the finest surviving 12th-century English bible. The exhibition also houses The Morley Library, a beautiful 17th century library with books that have not been moved from their shelves for 400 years, and also offers monumental views of the South Transept from Triforium level.