We arrived at the breakfast room to find that there were a few people there already. The slightly increased numbers meant that there was a full buffet service rather than food cooked to order. The hot offering was tepid rather than hot and there was a limited range of food available. The breakfast was not as enjoyable as it had been on the previous day.

After breakfast we visited the Cathedral. I got chatting to one of the flower ladies as she was leaving a side chapel. She apologised for the mess inside the chapel; the ladies were in the process of creating the Easter garden prior to the Easter service the following day.

She also encouraged me to enter the chapel and look at the altar cloth, which matched the stained-glass windows above and was created by artist Sophy Hacker whose artwork was on display in the nearby North Transept during the Easter period. I enjoyed the themes and pieces of art that were on display.

Steps nearby led down to the crypt where Antony Gormley’s sculpture Echo Sound II is located. I was pleased to see it for the first time partially submerged in water. I lingered a while to enjoy the changed view and capture some photos on my camera.

I also enjoyed the Kings and Scribes exhibition, the creation of which had caused this part of the Cathedral to be shrouded in scaffolding with limited accessibility on our previous two visits to Winchester. Here we were able to see the Winchester Bible and the various stages of creating medieval manuscripts.

The exhibition also unearths the secrets of the six mortuary chests that are displayed high on the walls of the Quire and are thought to contain the bones of medieval bishops and royalty. Whilst I was watching the video about the research into the bones contained in the chests, Mr C went missing. He had missed the entrance to this part of the display which was a shame because he was interested in  the contents of the mortuary chests and had asked one of the Cathedral guides about them.

I tracked down Mr C and we visited the Cathedral shop where I got my Cathedral passport stamped. Then we had lunch in the Café. I chose pancakes with blueberry fruit compote and yoghurt. Once again, I forgot to photograph the tasty delight.

After lunch we decided to visit the Gurkha museum which we had both enjoyed during a previous visit to Winchester. We arrived to find that it was closed for major refurbishment and won’t reopen until the autumn. We visited the short-but-sweet temporary exhibition after which there wasn’t enough time to choose another afternoon activity so we walked into town taking in the second-hand bookshop along the way. We returned to the board game shop where the game, Quacks of Quedlinburg, that had been on my radar for a while somehow found its way into my hands and walked me to the till.

We chilled out in our room where I put a few colouring pencils to paper and read some of my book before walking to the nearby Blossom and Palm Sugar Thai restaurant. The food was delicious, although I wished I had chosen a different dish. My choice proved to be a variation on a theme that is available in many restaurants. My original choice was a little different but the waiter put me off choosing that dish.

The Crown and Anchor was too quiet so we returned to the hotel for a nightcap. Surprisingly for a chain hotel, the bar buzzing and vibrant with a friendly barman. He warmed Mr C’s brandy over a glass of hot water. How cool was that!

I awoke refreshed, the bed was so cosy and comfortable. When we arrived in the breakfast room it was surreal, there being only one other couple in the room (a few others arrived as we were about to leave). We were given a menu of breakfast items that were cooked to order. I enjoyed what I ordered, although Mr C was not completely satisfied with his breakfast.

Before returning to our room, we reported some minor issues with our room; a bedside light was not working, the shower hose did not allow water to flow and the curtain had slipped off the rail. We were surprised when a man from the maintenance team arrived at our room a few minutes after us. He fixed the light immediately; it had been unplugged behind the bedside table where we had not thought to look. He took the other issues away to be repaired later in the day.

Our destination of the day was Beulieu Motor Museum. Mr C’s SatNav did not choose the most direct route. When we arrived near to where we were supposed to be it took us on a circuitous route where we never quite arrived at our destination. The detour gave us the pleasure of driving through the New Forest and seeing the delightful wild horses.

Realising that we were ‘getting nowhere’ we stopped to reprogramme the SatNav, using the town and not the postcode. By this stage we were missing my TomTom with its more accurate and accommodating route directions plus live traffic updates. As we travelled on the more direct route to our destination we encountered a long line of traffic in the opposite direction. The hold up was a random donkey trotting up the road in front of the line of traffic.

We eventually arrived at our destination and parked in one of the few remaining parking spaces.

We chose to visit the Abbey and House before the Motor Museum. Stepping away from the museums and entrance area, the crowds thinned out and we were left with peace and quiet.

The house had items of interest that weren’t part of the experience on our previous visit. The interestingly themed bedrooms and bathrooms were a delight to see, as was the display of photographs and memories of the late marquess that his son the current marquess had personally chosen to share in memory of his father.

We walked back to the café and museum area via the gardens where we didn’t linger long; it was too early in the year for the garden displays. In the café we enjoyed sharing a sandwich which we each followed by cakes of our choice.

We enjoyed the motor galleries and were reminded of some of our favourite exhibits. Afterwards we returned to the café for a drink before our return journey to Winchester. Once again, the SatNav was trying to take us on a weird route. We ignored it, forcing it to take us on a more direct route to our destination.

Eventually we arrived back at the hotel to find that all the maintenance work had been sorted out, although the debris from the faulty shower had been left behind next to the tea and coffee facilities. Room service, which you have to order each day, had been a little half hearted, the bed had not been made up.

We chilled out in the room before it was time to dine in Rick Stein’s Restaurant. The food was delicious. I chose a soft-shelled crab burger, which to my shame, I forgot to photograph. The crab came complete with legs which are completely edible. For a Friday night, the restaurant was not as full as it had been on our previous visits. Probably a sign of the times and prices. This was the most expensive meal we have had in recent times. It was almost as expensive as the tasting menu and wine flight we enjoyed in the Peacock at Rowsley for our anniversary in 2025. The meal at the Peacock included more personal and attentive service, making it a very memorable experience.

After dining we returned to the Crown and Anchor which was lively and noisy in a different way than the previous evening. It was Karaoke night and everyone was having a lot of fun.

We like to spend the Easter weekend in a location where we can join the Sunday Easter service in one of the English Cathedrals. This year we chose Winchester, a place where we have previously enjoyed several mini breaks.

We broke our long, tedious journey for lunch at Gilks Garage café in Kineton.  The Café is themed to its former use in the motor trade. The menu is extensive and I was spoilt for choice, eventually settling on a vegetarian (vegetable) sausage bap. The sausages were served on a lightly toasted bun. Another hidden gem revealed to me by the Extra Mile book.

Suitably refreshed we continued our journey to Winchester stopping briefly at a service station for a leg stretch. When we arrived in Winchester we booked into our hotel, The Winchester Wessex. It is no longer a Mercure hotel and has been rebranded as Winchester Wessex Hotel by Sunday.

First impressions were favourable; we were greeted by a lovely young man who booked us into our room. The room itself, one that looks over the Cathedral Green with a view of the Cathedral, had been spruced up and looked cleaner and fresher than it did on our previous visit several years ago.

We dumped our bags in the room and headed into town where we checked out the board game shop. We were overwhelmed by the number of board games on offer. One game had been on my radar for a while but I chose to leave it on the shelf (for now). We had a mooch around Waterstones and Robert Dyas before returning to the hotel to unpack and enjoy a refreshing cup of tea.

When it was time to dine, we walked to the nearby Fish and Chip Shop, Shoal, for a freshly cooked chippy dinner. I chose haddock accompanied by a glass of rose wine. The food was delicious.

The night was still young so we retired to the nearby Crown and Anchor which had Timothy Taylor Landlord Ale on tap. That made Mr C content and, of course I chose a lovely glass of rose wine. The atmosphere was comfy and initially quiet until a group of very loud ladies settled on the table next to us. This caused one gentleman drinking quietly on his own to beat a hasty retreat (after finishing his beer) to move to another nearby pub.

Janine Di Giovanni

Joseph Campbell

Mottisfont derives its name from a spring:

Fertile land and a plentiful water supply attracted the first settlers. The site’s name comes from a spring (“font”) that is still producing water in the grounds. It was the font around which the local community held its moots or meetings. An Augustinian priory was founded here in 1201 by William Briwere, a businessman, administrator and courtier to four Plantagenet kings who chose to make a public demonstration of his wealth and piety. The canons welcomed pilgrims en route to Winchester, who came to worship Mottisfont’s relic, said to be the finger of St John the Baptist.

Struck by the Black Death, the initially prosperous priory suffered from the mid-14th century onwards. During the Dissolution of the Monasteries under King Henry VIII, the priory was dissolved and the king gave Mottisfont to a favoured statesman, Sir William Sandys, who turned it into a country home, but rather unusually, chose not to demolish the existing priory. Sandys instead turned the church nave into the main body of the new mansion, building additional wings on either side. Sections of the original medieval church may still be seen, with the later additions built around them. The 13th-century cellarium also remains present today.

In the 18th century, the old monastic cloisters and Tudor courtyard were demolished by the Mill family, creating the modern appearance of the estate’s facade. It was at this time that the owners added “Abbey” to the name of the house rather than the more historically correct “Priory”. The National Trust speculates that the name was considered to be more romantic.[3] Then, under Sir John Barker Mill, in the early 19th century, the estate became a centre for hunting, shooting and fishing, and a new stable block was built.[3]

The last decades of the 19th century saw Mottisfont let to wealthy banker Daniel Meinertzhagen under eccentric terms that forbade the installation of electric light or central heating. The ten Meinertzhagen children included Daniel and Richard, who built aviaries for their collection of eagles, hawks, owls and ravens. Richard wrote detailed diaries about his childhood and growing interest in the natural world.[4]

Angel Mosaic by Boris Anrep
The arrival of Maud and Gilbert Russell in 1934 made Mottisfont the centre of a fashionable artistic and political circle. Maud was a wealthy patron of the arts, and she created a substantial country house where she entertained artists and writers including Ben Nicholson and Ian Fleming. She commissioned some of her artist and designer friends to embellish Mottisfont, always with an eye on its history, which fascinated her. Rex Whistler created the illusion of Gothic architecture in her salon (now known as the Whistler Room), a piece of trompe-l’œil painting that recalls the medieval architecture of the priory. Boris Anrep contributed mosaics both inside and outside the house, including one of an angel featuring Maud’s face – the couple had a long love affair.[citation needed]

During World War II, Mottisfont was commandered as a hospital with 80 beds.[4]

Maud Russell gifted the house and grounds to the National Trust in 1957, although continuing to live there until 1972.[5] One of the artists who had visited regularly was Derek Hill, a society portrait painter who had a private passion for landscape painting, and who collected work by his contemporaries. He donated a substantial collection of early 20th-century art to the National Trust to be shown at Mottisfont, in memory of his long friendship with Maud Russell. Today, these works are joined by a changing programme of temporary exhibitions of 20th-century and contemporary art.

The Church of St Swithun upon Kingsgate has been a place of worship for more than 750 years. The church, built in the middle ages is located above the medieval Kingsgate, one of the principle entrances to the city. The church is unusual in that it forms part of the city wall.

From Wikipedia:

The first mention of the church is recorded in 1264, when it was apparently burned by the citizens of Winchester during a dispute with the Priory.^[2] Most likely the church served as a chapel for lay people who worked for the Abbey.^[1] In 1337 some woodwork was done on the church, costing a total of fifteen shillings, and in 1484 the windows underwent repair.^[2]

St Swithun was an Anglo Saxon saint, born in Winchester and in 852 becoming the 19th bishop of the city. He died in 862 when King Alfred the Great was still a young man.^[2] It is possible that St Swithun was tutor to the young king, and accompanied him on a pilgrimage to Rome.^[2]

By the 17th century the church had fallen into disrepair, and had become home to one Robert Allen, the porter of Kings Gate, and his wife, “who did and doth keep swine at ye ende of the Chapell”.^[1][2] The situation was improved around 1660 when the church was restored, its bells re-hung in 1677.^[1] It has remained a place of worship since that time.^[2]

After we had eaten breakfast we set off in the beautiful sunshine to Mottisfont, a former priory turned country house. We were amongst of the first people to arrive which meant that we were able to walk around the garden and grounds before it got busy. The walled garden is delightful, although it was a bit early in the season to see it at its best. The font (source of water) from which the name Mottisfont is derived was pretty with the sun and reflections shining on it.

There was a temporary exhibition of Thelwell’s artwork. The exhibition included all aspects of his artwork; old favourites including the characters Penelope (and her pony, Kipper), astute observations on country life, satirical and political cartoons along with his excellent landscape paintings. The exhibition was thoroughly enjoyable and I am glad we happened to visit when the artwork was on display. The last room in the house that we visited was painted by Whistler. The painting isn’t complete due to him being killed in action during WWII.

Before we explored the last bit of the estate we had lunch where I opted for a Hot Cross scone, which was delicious. It was spiced in the same way as a Hot Cross bun.

We next visited Bishop’s Waltham which we found to have pleasant architecture and even a beautiful Easter wreath on one of the doors. However there was not enough to keep us there so we returned to Winchester. Mum went off in search of biscuits for her room whilst Mr C and I set off for afternoon tea and possibly cake, although in the end I was not tempted to a naughty cake. I was then tricked into visiting a second hand book shop. I hadn’t intended to buy a book, but Mr C pointed out Pevsner’s Shropshire to me. For some time I have been meaning to source a copy on the internet so it had to be procured Before returning to the hotel we went into the Cathedral to double check which was the main Easter day service.

We dined in The Old Vine. The food was nice although we all found the menu a bit limited. Afterwards we returned to the Wykeham Arms for a nightcap, where I noticed the blue Radley Charm that had been on my handbag had disappeared during the evening. This was a little disappointing because it always made me smile.

A miracle happened, after picking up my mum, we actually set off on our journey to Winchester on time!  The SatNav was programmed for the Eco route and we were taken through some lovely leafy lanes where the glorious sunshine highlighted the green leaves and pink blossoms. We stopped off for lunch at the Garden Tea Rooms next to Witley Court where I chose a pear and brie sandwich.

A little later we stopped there to visit the Roman museum. The town and the museum were interesting so we will go back and spend a couple of nights in Cirencester in due course. When we had finished viewing the museum we had afternoon tea, avoiding being tempted by naughty cakes.

We then set off on the final leg of the journey to Winchester, finding the Wykeham Arms (where we were staying) without a problem. We checked in and unpacked and had another cup of tea after a saga with milk. We couldn’t see any in the room so I went down to reception to ask for some. It didn’t arrive and when I phoned reception no one answered the phone… Eventually Mr C and fetched some milk.

Much later we found out that a strange looking black box high on the wall was actually a mini fridge and, you’ve guessed it, there was milk inside all along!

We dined in the Wykeham Arms where we all opted for a very tasty Monkfish and Fennel salad and I followed this with raspberry sorbet.

The stained glass in the Chapel at The Vyne is the finest in the National Trust’s care and considered to be among the most beautiful 16th-century glass in Europe. It features King Henry VIII, who visited The Vyne several times, as well as his sister Margaret and first wife Catherine of Aragon, together with their patron saints.

The stained glass windows are believed to have originally been created for the nearby Holy Ghost Chapel by Flemish glaziers. The craftsmen were from the school of great European artisans involved in major schemes such as Henry VIII’s King’s College Chapel, Cambridge.

At some point, possibly to protect it from ransacking Roundheads during the Civil War, the glass was removed and hidden, later re-appearing in the chapel at The Vyne.

Among the scenes depicted is an image of a young King Henry VIII. He stayed at the house on several occasions, first with Catherine of Aragon and later with Anne Boleyn, as the guest of William Sandys, his Lord Chamberlain.

Another window depicts Catherine of Aragon and a third shows Henry’s sister, Margaret, who married James IV of Scotland when she was just 13 years old.