Winchester is a city on the edge of the South Downs in Hampshire.
The early history of Winchester dates as far back as pre Roman times with an Iron Age enclosure to the west of today’s city.
Winchester was the capital of England during the 10th and 11th centuries until the Norman times when London became the capital.
Winchester Cathedral was built in 1079 and is the second longest building in Europe.
Pilgrims travelled to the Cathedral to see the shrines of local saints especially St.Swithun who had been a Bishop and whose festival (15th July) was said to set the pattern for the weather of the next forty days.
The pews in the choir of the Cathedral have gabled canopies and are carved with flower, owls, dragons and knights. Evensong is still held in this part of the Cathedral.
Winchester also has a castle. This is famous for its Great Hall and King Arthurs Round Table.
The Sir John Moore Barracks houses the Army Training Regiment, where Army recruits undertake phase one of their training programme.
Another famous landmark is Winchester College it is the oldest continuously run school in the country and is also on the most respected in the UK.
The University of Winchester is situated near the City centre but the Winchester School of Art is actually part of the University of Southampton.
Set near the Water Meadows, is the Hospital of St. Cross, this is a group of Grade I listed buildings dating from 1132. It has a medieval hall, 15th century tower and Tudor cloisters.
Marwell Zoo is situated close to Winchester and is home to many species of animals with some of the larger breeds at the zoo including giraffes, zebra and hippos. There is also the very popular Penguin World. It also runs holiday activities and has shops, restaurants and an adventure playgound. Throughout the summer the zoo is open from 10am-4pm, seven days a week.
There are many sporting clubs in Winchester including football, rugby, hockey, roller hockey, bowls and a very successful Ladies Football Club.
Rental properties for both flats and houses are always available in and around the City of Winchester with prices in the region of £620-£720pm for a l bed flat, £725-£825pm for a 2 bed flat and a 3 bed house would be around £850-£875pm.
There is a large shopping area with a variety of shops and some of the big names are in the High Street such as Next and Marks and Spencer whilst others such as Bhs and Beales are in the Brooks Shopping Centre.
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