Castles · South East England
Winchester Castle
Winchester Castle — Grade I listed castle in Winchester, United Kingdom.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Nearest railway station
- Winchester · 0.6 km
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Winchester Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Records date its origin to 1067. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "Grade I listed castle in Winchester, United Kingdom". Coordinates: 51.0618°, -1.3203°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Winchester Castle was a royal residence in Winchester, Hampshire, England, founded in 1067 by William the Conqueror. It served as a seat of royal power in the medieval period. Much of the castle has since been lost, but two notable structures survive: the Great Hall, regarded as one of the finest surviving medieval halls in England and now housing a museum of Winchester's history, and the Westgate, which once served as the castle's principal defensive gateway. The Great Hall contains the so-called Round Table, a large wooden tabletop traditionally associated with the Arthurian legend in later popular tradition.
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: River Test SSSI
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: River Itchen - 2000227 SSSI
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Winchester Castle was a royal residence in Winchester, Hampshire, England, founded in 1067 by William the Conqueror. It served as a seat of royal power in the medieval period. Much of the castle has since been lost, but two notable structures survive: the Great Hall, regarded as one of the finest surviving medieval halls in England and now housing a museum of Winchester's history, and the Westgate, which once served as the castle's principal defensive gateway. The Great Hall contains the so-called Round Table, a large wooden tabletop traditionally associated with the Arthurian legend in later popular tradition. The Westgate, preserved as a fortified gateway, provides evidence of the castle's defensive role and continued adaptation over the centuries.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
Around AD 70 the Romans constructed a massive earth rampart 800 ft long and 200 ft wide. On top of this they built a fort to protect the city of Venta Belgarum. This site was chosen by William the Conqueror as the site of one of the first Norman castles in England. The castle was built in 1067 and for over one hundred years it was the seat of Government of the Norman Kings. In 1141, during The Anarchy, forces of the Empress Matilda were besieged by the forces of King Stephen at the castle, in the Rout of Winchester. Henry II built a stone keep to house the royal treasury and the Domesday Book.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.0618, -1.3203
- County
- Hampshire
- District
- Winchester
- Parish
- Winchester, unparished area
- Postcode
- SO23 8GJ
- Parliamentary constituency
- Winchester
- Established
- 1067
- Nearest railway station
- Winchester — 0.6 km
- Official site
- www.hants.gov.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q1704670 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Winchester Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: WinchesterCastle.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Winchester Castle?
- Winchester Castle is in Hampshire, South-East England, United Kingdom (postcode SO23 8GJ), in the parish of Winchester, unparished area.
- When was Winchester Castle built?
- Built or established in 1067.
- Is Winchester Castle a listed building?
- Winchester Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Is Winchester Castle a protected site?
- Yes — Winchester Castle is part of the River Test SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the River Itchen - 2000227 SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest.
- Does Winchester Castle charge admission?
- Winchester Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Winchester Castle?
- The nearest railway station is Winchester, about 0.6 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode SO23 8GJ.