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.

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.

Unfortunately The Vyne was covered in scaffolding when we visited.  This was due to damage inflicted on the property due to severe weather earlier in the year. Parts of the property were leaking and in need of repair. The Vyne with its rich history is surrounded by gardens and woodland.

The Vyne is a warm red-bricked Tudor mansion built in the 16th century for Lord Sandys, Henry VIII’s Lord Chamberlain, which later passed into the hands of the Chute family, who cared for the house and estate for over 300 years. It was remodelled to its present configuration in the mid-17th century with the addition of a classical portico and summerhouse, firsts of their kind in England.

Visitors will encounter 500 year-old Majolica tiles, Renaissance stained glass, and exquisite wood carvings in the Tudor chapel and period linen-fold panelling in the oak gallery. The house holds treasures collected by the Chute family, including furniture, tapestries and paintings, Murano glass and silk wall hangings. Stroll through rooms once enjoyed by notable guests like Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Horace Walpole, and Jane Austen.

The house is set in 13 acres of beautiful, relaxing gardens. Styles range from the formal summerhouse and stone gallery gardens with fine herbaceous borders, to the more natural wild garden and fruit trees of the orchard and walled garden. Nestled in the Hampshire countryside, The Vyne Estate also features acres of woodland with trails that pass by ancient trees, a medieval fishpond and the park pale. The wetlands attract an abundance of bird life. The rolling parkland grazed by cattle perfects the lakeside setting.

I woke up to find that my back was thankfully back to normal with no unpleasant twinging pains. We decided to visit a National Trust property called The Vyne and arrived just as it opened. We obtained a timed ticket and set out towards the house. After a slight detour due to faulty map reading (not mine I am pleased to say) we arrived at the house just in time for our ticket slot. We had the house almost to ourselves as most of the other visitors to the property were attending a race event that was taking place in the extensive grounds of the property.

When we had completed  the house tour we visited the garden areas before having lunch in the National Trust cafe. After a bit of wavering on Mr Cs part we decided to visit another National Trust property called Hinton Ampner.  The reason for the indecision was because the first floor of the property is currently closed due to storm damage to the roof that took place earlier this year. We made the right choice, the gardens were wonderful and well worth the visit. The summer sunshine added to our enjoyment. I was quite taken with some glass friendship hearts that were on sale in the National Trust shop and I couldn’t resist buying one to add to my collection of hearts

In the evening we dined in The Old Vine which is not to far away from the hotel we were staying in.