Winchester Cathedral

After Hursley, Lakshmi dropped me off back in Winchester and I was bound and determined to find the cathedral. And I did and it was so worth it.

To be honest the cathedarl doesn't look like much from the outside. Rather squat and really old.

There are a few steps down to enter and once inside you see the amazing expanse of the entire building. It is the longest Gothic church in England at 556 feet. And you can see the full length of it. Brilliant!

There are medieval tiles completely through the east end. Near and under the altar are these amazing 12th century Norman murals that were discovered during renovations of newer 16th century murals.

You can even go to the crypt under the church where you see a modern sculpture surrounded by water which floods the crypt.

Walking outside and to the other side is a peaceful landscaped garden where the monastery used to be. From here you can see where the entire east end of the cathedral has subsided. A diver (never found out why a diver) rescued the building in the early 1900's by installing concrete under the entire eastern section to keep it from sinking and falling off.

Oh, and Jane Austen is buried here.