At the side of the organ in the south transept [of the Church of St Cross], traces of wall paintings in a tomb recess are the last remains of what was once an altar to St Thomas of Canterbury, the martyred archbishop. A nearby door was where travellers coming from the continent to Canterbury arrived. It would also have been the point of departure for crusaders. Knights of St John would spend their last night praying here before embarking at Southampton for the Holy Land.*

*From the Pitkin guide to The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty

… ‘a Norman cathedral in miniature’
Simon Jenkins, England’s Thousand Best Churches

The fine Norman church is all that remains of the original 12th century Hospital. Building began in 1135 at the east end with the north porch added nearly 200 years later. The walls are over one metre thick and built from stone brought from as far afield as Caen (in Normandy), Dorset and the Isle of Wight, as well as some flint taken from the local chalk pits.

On a column on the north aisle is carved the cross of St Cross. In the window nearest to the eastern side of the north transept, the stone surround is strangely angled. Sunlight from the window falls on the cross only on 3rd May (the day in the church calendar of the Invention of the Cross) and 14th September (Holy Cross Day).

An oasis of beauty and tranquility, the Master’s Garden includes a wide range of plants with flowering interest throughout the year. The borders are very colourful in the summer months, with shades that are particularly sensitive to the historic location and grey garden walls. The garden includes a border planted to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.

The borders continue to be designed and watched over by horticultural expert and garden owner Victoria Wakefield, the former Chairman of Trustees.

The area incorporates the Compton Garden which commemorates Henry Compton, Master of St Cross from 1667-1675. He later became Bishop of London, when its diocese included America. Bishop Compton created the garden at Fulham Palace with plants from the New World at the time when they were very newly imported into England. This garden therefore also features plants introduced from America into England during Bishop Compton’s lifetime. These have been expertly researched and sourced.

The Compton Garden was relaid in 1986.

The tulip tree in the Compton Garden was planted by Her Majesty Elizabeth The Queen Mother to commemorate her visit to the Hospital of St Cross on 8th July 1986.

Another tree originating from the New World, a cercis Canadensis Texan White was planted by  HRH The Duchess of Cornwall to commemorate her visit on 21st February 2008

After breakfast we checked out of the hotel and made our way to the Hospital of St Cross. This turned out to be a bit of a challenge, it was Winchester College’s graduation day so with the ceremony taking place in Winchester Cathedral there was traffic congestion.

The Hospital of St Cross is one of England’s oldest almshouses and it is still in use as an almshouse. The Hospital is a special place; it is very peaceful and has stunning architecture. After we had bought our tickets, we made our way to the Master’s Garden which was lovely and tranquil in the October sunshine. When we had finished walking around the garden one of the brothers starting talking to us. The party of people he was due to take round the Hospital had been delayed  so he had time to very kindly take us into the Church of St Cross and to some of the many interesting features in the church before leaving us to explore for ourselves.

We spent a long time in the church before leaving to look at the brothers hall. Making our way to the hall we inadvertently found ourselves walking along a path in a private part of the hospital. I am not quite sure how we missed the sign but I do feel quite bad about it.

After our visit we made our way to a National Trust property, The Vyne, for lunch. We toured the house which was only partially open due to roof repairs before taking lunch. It was interesting to see the scaffolding needed for the roof repairs being put into place and we enjoyed listening to the very informative commentaries about the history of The Vyne from the room guides.

We then set off on our long journey home, bringing to a close an enjoyable  break in Winchester.