Sunday 9 August 2009

Winchester - The Great Hall

We walked on from Wolvesey Castle to The Great Hall, said to be home of King Arthur's Round Table (proved to be a 14th century fake that was later repainted in the Tudor style on the orders of Henry VIII)

Along the way we met Gareth the crazy street entertainer, whose finale was juggling a chainsaw.



Into the Great Hall, the last and largest of the great medieval halls of England.



On one end wall was the Round Table, the other was decorated with a painted mural depicting all the Members of Parliament for Winchester until the Victorian era.



Close up of the most recent part of the mural



Bronze of Queen Victoria (not looking very amused!)



Interesting piece of stonework, the face looked quite anguished which of course it would do as it was supporting such a heavy weight.



The fake Round Table with the names of King Arthur and his 25 Knights, though the original legends name over 50 knights in the various stories. The middle is the Tudor Rose, uniting the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster.



Stainless Steel gates (one of a pair) at one end of the Hall commemorating the wedding of Diana, Lady Spencer to Charles, Prince of Wales



One of the many stained glass windows, this one caught my eye as it commemorated Edward, The Black Prince (Blackadder anyone?)



Outside to a small formal garden and then onwards back to the Cathedral.



These two Celtic inspired designs caught my eye, they are part of an installation celebrating the history of Winchester.






The Round Table set in stones in the pavement outside a civic office



Public sculpture on the way back through Winchester

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