WINCHESTER, a city in Hampshire, of which it is the capital, sixty-two miles from London, and eleven from Southampton. It is built on the side of a hill, and on the level below it, which extends to the banks of the river Itchin. It is a remarkably clean place; and though many of the houses are in an antique style, it is well built, and the streets, though some are narrow, are well paved and well lighted. The country around it is fertile, yielding supplies, to the two weekly markets on Wednesday and Saturday, of the best kinds of meat, vegetables, fish, and all other requisites for subsistence. With the sea it has a communication by a canal, by which coals and other heavy commodities are furnished at moderate rates. From these circumstances, the city is inhabited by many respectable families in moderate circumstances, as well as by professional persons drawn to it as the county-town, and on account of the cathedral, the college, and other public institutions.

This city is one of the most ancient in England. It was known in the time of the Romans. During the contests of the Britons and the Saxons it became the capital of the West Saxons, and, under the reign of Egbert, the capital of the whole kingdom; and it was not till the reign of William the Conqueror that London began to rival it, though not then the royal residence. In the reign of Edward L, who preferred London for his abode, Winchester felt the effects of the royal abandonment, in the loss of the numerous attendants on the king, and of those who had repaired to the supreme courts of law. Edward III. erected this city into the staple or mart for wool, which gave to it some animation; but the plague, which raged in the city and neighbourhood, caused the removal of the trade to Calais, then an English fortress, about the year 1360. The dissolution of many religious houses in the reign of Henry VIII. inflicted great calamities on the city, and reduced its population, its wealth, and its extent. During the civil war of the reign of Charles I., it was seized by the parliament forces under Waller, and to this day it is related that he converted the cathedral into horse-barracks, and caused much injury to many other sacred edifices. In 1643, the king’s forces seized upon it, and converted Winchester into a garrison town, which, after the battle of Naseby, and a short siege, surrendered to the forces of Cromwell. The fortifications and castle were then destroyed, as well as the bishop’s palace at Wolversey, and several churches and other public buildings, few of which were replaced after the restoration. The last historical event relating to the place is the plague of 1665, which swept away a great portion of the inhabitants. Among the objects deserving attention, one of the most beneficial in the present day is the college, founded by William of Wykeham, then the bishop, between the years 1387 and 1393. It was built on the site of an ancient grammar-school, certainly existing in 1136, and probably at an earlier period. The building consists of two large courts, highly ornamented with ancient sculpture, and a chapel, the ceiling of the vestibule of which is much admired, while the interior has a fine effect, from the bold and lofty vaulting being richly adorned with tracery, and a variety of sculptures, representing kings, prelates, and saints. Near to the college are the cloisters, 132 feet square, a detached building for those pupils who are not on the foundation, and a library. The establishment of the college consists of a warden, ten fellows, seventy scholars, three chaplains, and masters. This foundation is connected with New College, Oxford, where the Winchester scholars become fellows. It has long been a flourishing institution, and here some of the most distinguished scholars have received their early education.

The cathedral of Winchester is one of the most interesting[7:21:893] buildings in the kingdom, considering its antiquity, the historical events of which it has been the theatre, and the character of the persons whose mortal remains have been deposited within its walls. It is also curious as exhibiting instructive specimens of the Saxon, Norman, and English styles of architecture, and of the gradual steps from one to another of them. The various parts of this building, the periods of their erection, and the most minute particulars of every portion, have been so elaborately and accurately detailed by the pen of Dr Milner, a Catholic bishop, and by others, that we must refer to their works, more especially as our limits will not enable us to do justice to admirable impressions made on surveying the whole. On the authority of Milner, we give the following as the dimensions of this magnificent building. The whole length of the cathedral is 545 feet, length of the nave from the west porch to the iron doors at the entrance of the choir 351 feet, length of the choir 136 feet, breadth of the cathedral eight-seven feet, and of the choir forty feet, length of the transept 186 feet, and height of the tower 150 feet. Since the work of Milner was published, the impression made on first entering the building has been greatly heightened, by the removal of the screen erected in the time of Bishop Fox. It is said that formerly there were in Winchester between eighty and ninety churches. At present there are only eleven remaining, most of which are very ancient, and all deserving of inspection by the lovers of antiquities.

The ancient castle has been converted into a county-hall, in which is shewn the celebrated round table attributed to King Arthur. In the town-hall, built on an ancient foundation, is preserved the bushel measure given by king Edgar, which still bears the name of this city. The market-cross is a striking building, and a specimen of the style of Henry VI. Overlooking the city is the King-House, an unfinished building, erected by Charles II. It has never been inhabited except by French prisoners in time of war. Within the confines of the city is the monastery of St Cross, now converted into a respectable kind of alms-house; and there are many other charitable institutions. The city, divided into three wards, is governed by a mayor, six aldermen, and eighteen councillors. It returns two members to the House of Commons. The population, including the extra parochial, amounted in 1821 to 7741, and in 1831 to 9212.