Archive for the tag 'King Alfred'

Filed under Gardens, Heritage, Holidays, Winchester 2014

Abbey House and Gardens

Abbey house stands on the sight of St Mary’s Abbey. It was built about 1750 and originally faced the gardens to the rear. The present castellated front was added after the widening of Broadway in 1771. Benedictine nuns, fleeing the disturbances of the French Revolution, made their homes here in the 1790s. The house now [...]

12 Comments CherryPie on Nov 25th 2014

Filed under Art, Heritage, Holidays, Winchester 2014

King Alfred

Alfred. king of the West Saxons (AD 871-889) drove the Danish invaders from Wessex. He created fortified centres, of which Winchester, the largest was his capital. During his reign, the streets in use today were first established. Alfred was the most esteemed of English kings. He encouraged the revival of learning and monastic life, and [...]

12 Comments CherryPie on Nov 22nd 2014

Filed under Anecdotes, Heritage, Holidays, Winchester 2014

Winchester – Day Five

After our trips further afield from Winchester it was time to explore the historical town itself. We set off on a walking tour that was shown in the back of the ‘Winchester Pitkin Guide’. The first stop on route was to photograph the statue of King Alfred. It was good to find that the hanging [...]

6 Comments CherryPie on Oct 7th 2014