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Venta Belgarum was foundedaround AD70 with earth and timberdefences. In the late 2nd century thedefences were rebuilt with a newearthen bank and ditch that, for thefirst time, fully enclosed the urbanarea. The ramparts werestrengthened in the early 3rd centurywith a masonry wall about 3m thick.The succession of defences can beseen in the model in the CityMuseum . The same line of the wallscontinuedto befollowedup to the18th
centurywhengreatlengths ofthe wallsweredemolished. The short lengths thatsurvive are mainly post-Romanthough the fragment behind the grillin the weirs is part of the core of theRoman wall.
The Westgate 5 Winchester’s Roman walls1Did you know?
Hampshire Record Office offershelp to people looking to tracetheir ancestry via army records.Go to www3.hants.gov.uk/archives/hals-collections/army-records.htm to find out more.
Did you know? 15 Victoria Cross medals arecurrently on display in WinchesterMilitary Museums. Further medalsof Wintonians who have beenawarded this honour are also ondisplay in the Imperial WarMuseum.
Just months after 1066 andWinchester’s surrender, William theConqueror ordered the constructionof a castle within the city walls.Winchester Castle became one ofthe great fortresses of medievalEngland. It was maintained andenhanced until 1645 when it wasbesieged, captured by Cromwell,and eventually demolished. TheGreat Hall, built between 1222 and1235, is the only substantialsurviving part of the medieval castle.A drawing of Winchester made byWillem Schellinks in 1662 shows theslighted castle as a still imposingruin overlooking the city. On-siteinterpretation panels and displaystell the story of the castle.
Located directly opposite Normandy,Hampshire was the springboard for‘Operation Overlord’, the code namefor the Allied Invasion of Europe inWorld War II. The county became a vastarmed camp full of allied troopsencamped in towns, villages andwoods. Winchester’s newly-built by-pass became a giant tank park and
camp for British and American troops. Even Peninsula Barracks in the city wastaken over by the Ninth US Infantry Division see overleaf for more informationon their stay. It was here that American troops were reviewed by Churchill andEisenhower. (See and overleaf for more details)
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The city offered the site of the castleto Charles II who paid his firstknown visit in 1682. A scheme wasdeveloped for a park and a ‘noblePalace, sufficient like Windsor, for asummer residence for the wholeCourt’. Construction of the palace,Designed by Sir Christopher Wrenand influenced by Versailles, beganin 1683 but ended on the death ofCharles in 1685. ‘The King’s House’,little more than a carcass of a house,served as a prison for 5,000 Frenchsoldiers during the Seven Years’ Warfrom 1757 to 1764 and from 1778to 1785 during the American War ofIndependence. From 1792 to 1796 itwas home to refugee clergy fromRevolutionary France beforebecoming an army barrack in sameyear. The King’s House waseventually destroyed by fire on thenight of 19th December 1894. Someparts of Wren’s palace were reusedin the replacement building whichwas ready for the army by 1904 andlater renamed Peninsula Barracks,see The army remained inoccupation up to 1983.
7b
Winchester Cathedral enshrines along history of military service andsacrifice. It contains majormemorials (including the RifleBrigade Centenary Window),monuments to illustrious militaryleaders, and many inscriptionsrecording the deaths of individualsoldiers in both famous and lesser-known campaigns. It houses the laidup colours of several localregiments, and also Books ofRemembrance for units includingThe Royal Hampshire Regiment, TheRifle Brigade and the MerchantNavy. The cathedral itself is nostranger to conflict – the WestWindow testifies to a violentincursion by Parliamentary troopsduring the Civil War and BishopPeter Mews, a Royalist spy identifiedby the number 757, wasWinchester’s equivalent of JamesBond. Special military-themed tourscan be booked through the website. www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk
Peninsula Barracks‘The King’s House’7a
Winchester Castle
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PeninsulaBarracks in WWII
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Winchester Cathedral 2
Erected in1905,located nearthe junctionof JewryStreet and StGeorge’s
Street in Winchester, thislandmark commemorates the450,000 horses killed in the SouthAfrican War of 1899-1902.
Boer War horse trough8
Vibrant. Ancient. Cultured.
MILITARY
“O Trinity of love and power!; Our brethren shield indanger's hour; From rock and tempest, fire and foe,Protect them wheresoe'er they go;”
Words from ‘The Navy Hymn’ written as a poem in 1860 byWilliam Whiting of Winchester
Winchester has a rich and varied military history. FromIron Age forts, to Civil War sites, through two World Warsto the completion a Nuclear bunker sited at Twyford - thedistrict’s military stories span centuries of history.
If you are interested in finding out more about themilitary history of Winchester, ancient and modern, thenfollow these two informative trails – one based in the cityand one taking you further afield.OPEN Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm
Follow King Alf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/King_Alf
Winchester Tourist Information Centre
Closed between Christmas and New Year
Guildhall Winchester, High Street, Winchester, SO23 9GHTel: 01962 840 500 Email: [email protected]: www.visitwinchester.co.uk
Like King Alf on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KingAlfWinchester
www.visitwinchester.co.uk
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Colour key 1 - 8 in date order
Iron andBronze Age,
RomanVikings and
Anglo Saxons
Middle Ages,
Tudors &
Civil War
ModernHistory
6 Winchester College
Founded in 1382, Winchester College has thelongest unbroken history of any English school.Whilst WWI claimed the lives of over 500 oldWykehamists, a further 275 died in World WarII. Officially opened in 1924, the War Cloisterwas designed by Sir Herbert Baker tocommemorate those who had lost their lives.Notable Old Wykehamists with a military careerwho were all awarded the Victoria Crossinclude Dennis George Wyldbore Hewitt (1897-1917); Charles Doughty-Wylie (1868-1915);
Daniel Burges (1873-1946); Arthur Forbes Gordon Kilby (1885-1915); and AirChief Marshal Hugh Dowding (1882-1970). Please see www.winchestercollege.org/guided-tours for details of regularguided tours around the College, and for tours of War Cloister.
An important residence of the wealthyand powerful Bishops of Winchestersince Anglo-Saxon times, the survivingruins date largely from the 12th centurywork of Bishop Henry of Blois (1129–71). In September 1141, during the Civil Warbetween King Stephen and the EmpressMatilda, the besieged defenders ofWolvesey set fire to and destroyed mostof Winchester whilst holding offMatilda’s force.
Did you know?Winchester city centre is spectacularlytransformed by Homecoming Paradesthat assemble at The Guildhall for areception by the Mayor of Winchester.
Trace Winchester's military past from the Iron Age to the Nuclear Age
FOR ALL THE FAMILYSO MUCH TO SEE – TOO GOOD TO MISS
WMM
inchester’s
useumsilitary
HorsePower (Museum of The King’s Royal Hussars)
The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum
The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum
The Gurkha Museum
The Adjutant General’s Corps Museum
www.winchestermilitarymuseums.co.uk
Visitors’ Centre and refreshments at the Café Peninsula.
For more information: (01962) 877 826 / 843 659
Email: info@winchester’smilitarymuseums.co.uk
One of King Alfred’s defensive ‘burhs’,Winchester was established as refuge and strongpoint to resist the Danish invaders. A raiding army haddestroyed the settlement in 860AD but the oldRoman town walls were refurbished and a newstreet system was laid out inside the walls. Theseintramural streets (such as North Walls) were laid withthe intention of rushing troops to threatened parts ofthe walls. The town’s walls were largelydismantled by the end of the 18th century.
Winchester
City centre guide to Winchester’s military past
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Now a museum, the Westgate wasbuilt to be one of the defensiblegateways in Winchester’s city walls,first established by the Romans inthe first century AD. The line of thewalls remained unalteredthroughout later times and, thoughthe Westgate’s present structure ismedieval and dates mainly from the12th to 14th centuries, it is thought tostand on the site of the earlierRoman gate. The west wall wasentirely rebuilt in the 14th centurywhen a whole series of newdefences was added in view of apossible invasion from France. Theworks included a portcullis,machicolations, gun ports andpossibly a drawbridge. The twoinverted keyhole gunports, intendedfor primitive hand cannons, areamongst the earliest pieces ofarchitectural evidence for the use ofartillery in this country. The Westgateis open weekends in the afternoonbetween February and October.
If you see anthere is somethingto see on the sitetoday. If there isno there islimited access orno visible remainsso a visit isinadvisable.
Wolvesey Castle (Old Bishop’s Palace) 4
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Around Winchester guide to military past
In the early Iron Age an unfortifiedsettlement, dated at 550-450 BC, wasestablished on this hilltop. Thedefences, formed by the building of aditch-and-bank earthwork enclosingnine hectares, were constructedaround 250-200 BC. The original wideentrance was reconstructed withtimber and included guard houses setin bays in the ramparts on either side.In the 2nd century BC, the entrance wasnarrowed and strengthened with chalkblocks. The site was abandoned on orshortly after 50BC.
St Catherine’sHill SU 484 2761
A Scheduled Ancient Monument onprivate land, and just visible from theadjoining footpath, this is a singleditch Iron Age enclosure of 7.9 acres(3.2 hectares). Sub-circular in shape,the enclosure was badly damaged byploughing with only the north andwest ramparts surviving. The originalentrances lie at the south east andsouth west corners of the site.
Norsebury RingSU 4909 40083
The enclosure consists of a simpledefensive bank and ditch built in the1st millennium BC but there are anumber of earlier Bronze Age burialmounds within the interior. Outsidethe western entrance to the hillfortthere are further barrows of BronzeAge date grouped around an evenearlier Neolithic long barrow.
Old Winchester Hill SU 642 205
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120ft (37m) tall on a granite base, thismonument stands on Portsdown Hill,two miles north of PortsmouthHarbour. Designed by John ThomasGroves, it was paid for by the Navy.Construction began in 1807 when itwas dedicated to Nelson. It is situatedat a very specific point on PortsdownHill where it could act as a sea markfor vessels coming into PortsmouthHarbour. Of unusual design - notbeing in the classical styles of Greeceor Rome but modelled on a style ofarchitecture from Ethiopia - it issurmounted by a funerary bust ofAdmiral Horatio Lord Nelson
Nelson Monument,Portsdown Hill SU 607 072
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Built by Lord Palmerston to prevent a French land attack on the Portmouth dockyardonly six miles away, this is one of five defensive forts built on the summit of PortsdownHill in the 1860s. A garrison of 200 volunteers accompanied by regular army officerswere to man the fort in times of war. It was not fully armed until the 1890s; disarmedin 1907 and used for military accommodation. In 1938 it was converted to an areaanti-aircraft ammunition store. It was abandoned in the 1950s. Since 1995 it has beenhome to the Royal Armouries national artillery collection and is open to the public as astate-of-the-art museum.
Fort NelsonSU 607 0727
Between 1642 and 1649 the EnglishCivil War raged. By 1644 parliamentcontrolled the south coast ports ofPortsmouth, Southampton andFareham, the Royalists held Winchesterand Andover. On 27 March 1644 thepikemen, musketeers and cavalry of thetwo armies met at Cheriton, theRoyalists led by Ralph Hopton, theParliamentarians by Sir William Waller.By late afternoon Hopton’s army was inretreat – setting Alresford ablaze forcover – and Royalist military influencesouth of the Thames had ceased. Aleaflet is available to download fromwww.visitwinchester.co.uk andreenactments happens annually.Interpretation panels exist on site.
Cheriton battlefieldsite SU 642 205
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BISHOP’SWALTHAM
ALTON
PETERSFIELD
PORTSMOUTH
FAREHAM
WICKHAMSOUTHAMPTON
ANDOVER
WINCHESTER
ROMSEY
STOCKBRIDGE
WHITCHURCH TO BASINGSTOKE
The New Forest
Royal ArmouriesFort Nelson
A3
A32
A31
A272
B2177
A326
A27
M27
A31
A30
A303
A34
M3
A3090
B3349
A305
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ALRESFORD
RiverTest
RiverMeon
RiverItchen
Beaulieu
A32
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3
4
76 Nelson
Monument
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EASTLEIGH
15 MarwellAirfield
9 10 Hazeley down
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Droxford railway station16
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Southwick House13
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M27
Norsebury Ring
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Iron andBronze AgeRoman
Vikings andAngloSaxons
Middle Ages,Tudors & CivilWar
Modern History
Colour key1 - 20 in date order
Did you know? Every June Winchester holds aweek long celebration to markArmed Forces Day. Touristattractions, restaurants and shopsoffer special ‘thank yous’ to militaryfamilies for their contribution toprotecting the nation.
This crosscommemoratesthe troops whomarched by en-route toFlanders in1914.
Shawford Downwayside cross SU 468 245
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A seat listing the regiments and theircommanding officers who marchedfrom Hursley Park to Southampton toembark for France in 1914.
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This memorialcommemoratesthe troopsstationed atHazeley DownCamp in WorldWar I. It wasinaugurated ata service held inAugust 1916.
The Hazeley Downmemorial SU 5008 2550
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Fort Southwickbecame theoperationalheadquartersof GeneralEisenhowerand co-ordinatedall theplanning for ‘Operation Overlord’. TheGolden Lion pub became the unofficialofficer’s mess where Eishenhowerenjoyed half pints of the pub’s own-brewed bitter. Visit by appointment only.
Southwick House (. )SU 63218 0880513
General Eisenhower, the Supreme AlliedCommander-in-Chief of Allied Forces,addressed American troops here justprior to the invasion of Normandy inthe early hours of 6 June 1944 thatheralded the end of World War II.
Cheesefoot Head.SU 530 27914
[Image from PruPWCM 27484](acknowledgeImperial WarMuseum –sending theirconditions)
This house was requisitioned by the Ministryof Aircraft Production to re-house the Designand Production department of VickersSupermarine which had been bombed out
of its original premises in Woolston, Southampton. During this time, Vickers worked onthe development of many aircraft - the Spitfire, and also the early jet fighters like theAttacker, Swift and Scimitar. The house is now the executive briefing centre for IBM.
Hursley House17
On 2 June 1944, Churchill andmembers of his Cabinet; GeneralEisenhower; Charles de Gaulle;Canadian William Lyon McKenzie Kingand South African leader Jan Smuts;all met on the royal train in the sidingat Droxford. A plaque marks the event.Droxford was chosen because of theprotection against enemy aircraftafforded by a deep cutting The oldMeon Valley line closed in 1955 andthe station is now a private residence.Picture: Droxford siding with Churchill,
Eisenhower, and Smuts on the platform
Droxford railwaystation16
BetweenSeptember 1941and March 1944,Cunliffe-OwenAircraft used anarea within the Marwell Estate as an airfield to support the manufactureof military aircraft at its nearby factoryat the site now home to SouthamptonAirport. After the end of the war theairfield was returned to agricultural use.Some of the hangars remain.
Marwell Airfield15
An army training camp functioningduring WWII, national servicemen and recruits to the Green JacketsBrigade trained here in the1950s and1961-64 respectively. The paradeground and derelict buildings remain.During the late 1940s the camp wasjointly run by the Rifle Brigade andthe King’s Royal Rifle Corps.Picture: King George VI inspecting troops
Bushfield Camp18
This keyRoyalFlyingCorpsbasewasestablished on the site of the oldWinchester racecourse on WorthyDown in 1917. In 1918, when the RAFwas formed, it became an RAF base,home to squadrons of bombers Air-Marshals Portal and ‘Bomber’ Harrisboth passed through.The airfield,infamous for its uphill landing, becameunsuitable for larger and modernaircraft and was transferred to the RoyalNavy as HMS Kestrel in 1939. Thestation played host to a variety of FleetAir Arm squadrons and aircraft typesincluding the Swordfish, Skua andFulmar during WWII. Bombed by theLuftwaffe in August 1940, the stationwas heavily defended with a ring of 32pill boxes and trenches. Sir RalphRichardson and Sir Laurence Olivier bothserved at Worthy Down with the FleetAir Arm. In 1952 the Naval Air ElectricalSchool moved here when the basebecame HMS Ariel. In 1960 the Fleet AirArm handed the base over to the armyand it remains an army base.
Worthy Down airfield19
Just visible from the adjoining road,this bunker was created out of an oldreservoir and was designed to act as acommunications base for SouthernWater staff to restore a safe watersupply in the event of a nuclear attackon the UK. In the 1980s, water wasconsidered a priority to maintain,especially the deep underground wellswhich would have beenuncontaminated by fall-out. Twyfordwas chosen as a location as it wasconsidered far enough away fromSouthampton, which would havebeen a major nuclear target. Sixtyworkers were to have access to food,clear air and water for up to twoweeks. The Twyford bunker wascompleted in 1990 when the BerlinWall had already fallen. As theengineering contract had already beencommitted to, it remained fullyoperational until 1997 but, of course,was thankfully never used.
Twyford nuclearbunker SU 492 24120
In late Novemberof 1943 the U.S.47th Infantry werestationed at various sitesaround Winchester (Alresford,Tichborne, Cheriton, Armsworth,Bighton, Bishop Sutton and NorthingtonGrange). The HQ at 50 Broad Street, in Alresford is markedby a plaque. The men named the localpublic houses the ‘eight stars to victory’.When Hambone Jr, the regiment’sfaithful canine mascot, was run over hewas buried at The Dean, Alresford. Aburial stone erected in 1962 with thesewords, ‘Here lies Hambone Jr. faithfulfriend of the 47th Infantry Regt. NinthDivision U.S. Army May 1944.’
Alresford – 50 Broad Street12
The freedom honour is an ancientprivilege which gives the right of entryand to bear arms in a city. Historically,this right has been given to regimentsthat the host city can rely on forprotection. It also signifies a specialrelationship between the civil andmilitary authorities. The followingregiments have been granted thishonour:1945 The Hampshire Regiment (later
The Royal Hampshire Regiment)1946 The King’s Royal Rifle Corps The Rifle Brigade / Prince
Consort’s Own1970 The Royal Army Pay Corps1978 The Royal Green Jackets
(includes the former King’s RoyalRifle Corps and The RifleBrigade/Prince Consort’s Own)
1992 The Princess Of Wales’s RoyalRegiment (which includes theformer Royal HampshireRegiment)
1995 HMS Dryad1996 The Adjutant General’s Corps
(which includes the former RoyalArmy Pay Corps)
2004 The Army Training Regiment2006 The King’s Royal Hussars2007 The Rifles (includes the former
Royal Green Jackets)
Freedom of EntryDid you know? The Royal Armouries at FortNelson benefitted from a £3.5mHeritage Lottery Fundredevelopment in 2011 thatlaunched a new 'Voice of theGuns' gallery showcasing twosections of the Iraqui Super Gun.
B E A U T Y A N D H I S T O RY
For details of opening times, admissions, tours, services and events please call us on 01962 857 200 (Monday to Friday) or visit the website: www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk
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Merdon Castle 4The Bishop of Winchester, Henry de Blois, built thiscastle in 1138. It continued in the ownership of theBishops of Winchester until 1552 when it wassurrendered to Edward VI. The castle is on privateland but some overgrown remains can be seen fromthe road. The castle is sited within an earthworkwhose form is suggestive of a much earlier Iron Agehillfort.
During World War I, Winchesterbecame a major transit location fortroops destined for the Western Front.Vast numbers of barrack huts andrecreation buildings were built, coveringlarge tracts of Magdalen Hill, WinnallDown and Avington Park. It is claimed the Morn Hill Camps couldaccommodate more than 50,000troops when Winchester at the timeonly had a population of about 20,000.By late 1917, after America joined theWar, Morn Hill was transferred to theUS Army and 700-800,000 Americantroops passed through the camps. Newinformation panels mark the history ofthe site.
Morn Hill campsSU 511 295 - SU 735 265
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Hursley Park warmemorial seatSU 4276 2483
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FREE MUSEUM ENTRY
CAFE 1871/ GALLERIES / SHOP/ VISITOR CENTRE/LIVE GUN SALUTES
THE BIG GUNS JUST GOT BIGGER AT FORT NELSON
FREE MUSEUM ENTRY
If you see anthere is somethingto see on the sitetoday. If there isno there islimited access orno visible remainsso a visit isinadvisable.
Around Winchester guide to military past
In the early Iron Age an unfortifiedsettlement, dated at 550-450 BC, wasestablished on this hilltop. Thedefences, formed by the building of aditch-and-bank earthwork enclosingnine hectares, were constructedaround 250-200 BC. The original wideentrance was reconstructed withtimber and included guard houses setin bays in the ramparts on either side.In the 2nd century BC, the entrance wasnarrowed and strengthened with chalkblocks. The site was abandoned on orshortly after 50BC.
St Catherine’sHill SU 484 2761
A Scheduled Ancient Monument onprivate land, and just visible from theadjoining footpath, this is a singleditch Iron Age enclosure of 7.9 acres(3.2 hectares). Sub-circular in shape,the enclosure was badly damaged byploughing with only the north andwest ramparts surviving. The originalentrances lie at the south east andsouth west corners of the site.
Norsebury RingSU 4909 40083
The enclosure consists of a simpledefensive bank and ditch built in the1st millennium BC but there are anumber of earlier Bronze Age burialmounds within the interior. Outsidethe western entrance to the hillfortthere are further barrows of BronzeAge date grouped around an evenearlier Neolithic long barrow.
Old Winchester Hill SU 642 205
2
120ft (37m) tall on a granite base, thismonument stands on Portsdown Hill,two miles north of PortsmouthHarbour. Designed by John ThomasGroves, it was paid for by the Navy.Construction began in 1807 when itwas dedicated to Nelson. It is situatedat a very specific point on PortsdownHill where it could act as a sea markfor vessels coming into PortsmouthHarbour. Of unusual design - notbeing in the classical styles of Greeceor Rome but modelled on a style ofarchitecture from Ethiopia - it issurmounted by a funerary bust ofAdmiral Horatio Lord Nelson
Nelson Monument,Portsdown Hill SU 607 072
6
Built by Lord Palmerston to prevent a French land attack on the Portmouth dockyardonly six miles away, this is one of five defensive forts built on the summit of PortsdownHill in the 1860s. A garrison of 200 volunteers accompanied by regular army officerswere to man the fort in times of war. It was not fully armed until the 1890s; disarmedin 1907 and used for military accommodation. In 1938 it was converted to an areaanti-aircraft ammunition store. It was abandoned in the 1950s. Since 1995 it has beenhome to the Royal Armouries national artillery collection and is open to the public as astate-of-the-art museum.
Fort NelsonSU 607 0727
Between 1642 and 1649 the EnglishCivil War raged. By 1644 parliamentcontrolled the south coast ports ofPortsmouth, Southampton andFareham, the Royalists held Winchesterand Andover. On 27 March 1644 thepikemen, musketeers and cavalry of thetwo armies met at Cheriton, theRoyalists led by Ralph Hopton, theParliamentarians by Sir William Waller.By late afternoon Hopton’s army was inretreat – setting Alresford ablaze forcover – and Royalist military influencesouth of the Thames had ceased. Aleaflet is available to download fromwww.visitwinchester.co.uk andreenactments happens annually.Interpretation panels exist on site.
Cheriton battlefieldsite SU 642 205
5
BISHOP’SWALTHAM
ALTON
PETERSFIELD
PORTSMOUTH
FAREHAM
WICKHAMSOUTHAMPTON
ANDOVER
WINCHESTER
ROMSEY
STOCKBRIDGE
WHITCHURCH TO BASINGSTOKE
The New Forest
Royal ArmouriesFort Nelson
A3
A32
A31
A272
B2177
A326
A27
M27
A31
A30
A303
A34
M3
A3090
B3349
A305
7
ALRESFORD
RiverTest
RiverMeon
RiverItchen
Beaulieu
A32
2
3
4
76 Nelson
Monument
8
EASTLEIGH
15 MarwellAirfield
9 10 Hazeley down
11
Droxford railway station16
14
12
Southwick House13
17 18
20
M27
Norsebury Ring
5
Iron andBronze AgeRoman
Vikings andAngloSaxons
Middle Ages,Tudors & CivilWar
Modern History
Colour key1 - 20 in date order
Did you know? Every June Winchester holds aweek long celebration to markArmed Forces Day. Touristattractions, restaurants and shopsoffer special ‘thank yous’ to militaryfamilies for their contribution toprotecting the nation.
This crosscommemoratesthe troops whomarched by en-route toFlanders in1914.
Shawford Downwayside cross SU 468 245
8
A seat listing the regiments and theircommanding officers who marchedfrom Hursley Park to Southampton toembark for France in 1914.
9
This memorialcommemoratesthe troopsstationed atHazeley DownCamp in WorldWar I. It wasinaugurated ata service held inAugust 1916.
The Hazeley Downmemorial SU 5008 2550
10
Fort Southwickbecame theoperationalheadquartersof GeneralEisenhowerand co-ordinatedall theplanning for ‘Operation Overlord’. TheGolden Lion pub became the unofficialofficer’s mess where Eishenhowerenjoyed half pints of the pub’s own-brewed bitter. Visit by appointment only.
Southwick House (. )SU 63218 0880513
General Eisenhower, the Supreme AlliedCommander-in-Chief of Allied Forces,addressed American troops here justprior to the invasion of Normandy inthe early hours of 6 June 1944 thatheralded the end of World War II.
Cheesefoot Head.SU 530 27914
[Image from PruPWCM 27484](acknowledgeImperial WarMuseum –sending theirconditions)
This house was requisitioned by the Ministryof Aircraft Production to re-house the Designand Production department of VickersSupermarine which had been bombed out
of its original premises in Woolston, Southampton. During this time, Vickers worked onthe development of many aircraft - the Spitfire, and also the early jet fighters like theAttacker, Swift and Scimitar. The house is now the executive briefing centre for IBM.
Hursley House17
On 2 June 1944, Churchill andmembers of his Cabinet; GeneralEisenhower; Charles de Gaulle;Canadian William Lyon McKenzie Kingand South African leader Jan Smuts;all met on the royal train in the sidingat Droxford. A plaque marks the event.Droxford was chosen because of theprotection against enemy aircraftafforded by a deep cutting The oldMeon Valley line closed in 1955 andthe station is now a private residence.Picture: Droxford siding with Churchill,
Eisenhower, and Smuts on the platform
Droxford railwaystation16
BetweenSeptember 1941and March 1944,Cunliffe-OwenAircraft used anarea within the Marwell Estate as an airfield to support the manufactureof military aircraft at its nearby factoryat the site now home to SouthamptonAirport. After the end of the war theairfield was returned to agricultural use.Some of the hangars remain.
Marwell Airfield15
An army training camp functioningduring WWII, national servicemen and recruits to the Green JacketsBrigade trained here in the1950s and1961-64 respectively. The paradeground and derelict buildings remain.During the late 1940s the camp wasjointly run by the Rifle Brigade andthe King’s Royal Rifle Corps.Picture: King George VI inspecting troops
Bushfield Camp18
This keyRoyalFlyingCorpsbasewasestablished on the site of the oldWinchester racecourse on WorthyDown in 1917. In 1918, when the RAFwas formed, it became an RAF base,home to squadrons of bombers Air-Marshals Portal and ‘Bomber’ Harrisboth passed through.The airfield,infamous for its uphill landing, becameunsuitable for larger and modernaircraft and was transferred to the RoyalNavy as HMS Kestrel in 1939. Thestation played host to a variety of FleetAir Arm squadrons and aircraft typesincluding the Swordfish, Skua andFulmar during WWII. Bombed by theLuftwaffe in August 1940, the stationwas heavily defended with a ring of 32pill boxes and trenches. Sir RalphRichardson and Sir Laurence Olivier bothserved at Worthy Down with the FleetAir Arm. In 1952 the Naval Air ElectricalSchool moved here when the basebecame HMS Ariel. In 1960 the Fleet AirArm handed the base over to the armyand it remains an army base.
Worthy Down airfield19
Just visible from the adjoining road,this bunker was created out of an oldreservoir and was designed to act as acommunications base for SouthernWater staff to restore a safe watersupply in the event of a nuclear attackon the UK. In the 1980s, water wasconsidered a priority to maintain,especially the deep underground wellswhich would have beenuncontaminated by fall-out. Twyfordwas chosen as a location as it wasconsidered far enough away fromSouthampton, which would havebeen a major nuclear target. Sixtyworkers were to have access to food,clear air and water for up to twoweeks. The Twyford bunker wascompleted in 1990 when the BerlinWall had already fallen. As theengineering contract had already beencommitted to, it remained fullyoperational until 1997 but, of course,was thankfully never used.
Twyford nuclearbunker SU 492 24120
In late Novemberof 1943 the U.S.47th Infantry werestationed at various sitesaround Winchester (Alresford,Tichborne, Cheriton, Armsworth,Bighton, Bishop Sutton and NorthingtonGrange). The HQ at 50 Broad Street, in Alresford is markedby a plaque. The men named the localpublic houses the ‘eight stars to victory’.When Hambone Jr, the regiment’sfaithful canine mascot, was run over hewas buried at The Dean, Alresford. Aburial stone erected in 1962 with thesewords, ‘Here lies Hambone Jr. faithfulfriend of the 47th Infantry Regt. NinthDivision U.S. Army May 1944.’
Alresford – 50 Broad Street12
The freedom honour is an ancientprivilege which gives the right of entryand to bear arms in a city. Historically,this right has been given to regimentsthat the host city can rely on forprotection. It also signifies a specialrelationship between the civil andmilitary authorities. The followingregiments have been granted thishonour:1945 The Hampshire Regiment (later
The Royal Hampshire Regiment)1946 The King’s Royal Rifle Corps The Rifle Brigade / Prince
Consort’s Own1970 The Royal Army Pay Corps1978 The Royal Green Jackets
(includes the former King’s RoyalRifle Corps and The RifleBrigade/Prince Consort’s Own)
1992 The Princess Of Wales’s RoyalRegiment (which includes theformer Royal HampshireRegiment)
1995 HMS Dryad1996 The Adjutant General’s Corps
(which includes the former RoyalArmy Pay Corps)
2004 The Army Training Regiment2006 The King’s Royal Hussars2007 The Rifles (includes the former
Royal Green Jackets)
Freedom of EntryDid you know? The Royal Armouries at FortNelson benefitted from a £3.5mHeritage Lottery Fundredevelopment in 2011 thatlaunched a new 'Voice of theGuns' gallery showcasing twosections of the Iraqui Super Gun.
B E A U T Y A N D H I S T O RY
For details of opening times, admissions, tours, services and events please call us on 01962 857 200 (Monday to Friday) or visit the website: www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk
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Merdon Castle 4The Bishop of Winchester, Henry de Blois, built thiscastle in 1138. It continued in the ownership of theBishops of Winchester until 1552 when it wassurrendered to Edward VI. The castle is on privateland but some overgrown remains can be seen fromthe road. The castle is sited within an earthworkwhose form is suggestive of a much earlier Iron Agehillfort.
During World War I, Winchesterbecame a major transit location fortroops destined for the Western Front.Vast numbers of barrack huts andrecreation buildings were built, coveringlarge tracts of Magdalen Hill, WinnallDown and Avington Park. It is claimed the Morn Hill Camps couldaccommodate more than 50,000troops when Winchester at the timeonly had a population of about 20,000.By late 1917, after America joined theWar, Morn Hill was transferred to theUS Army and 700-800,000 Americantroops passed through the camps. Newinformation panels mark the history ofthe site.
Morn Hill campsSU 511 295 - SU 735 265
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FREE MUSEUM ENTRY
CAFE 1871/ GALLERIES / SHOP/ VISITOR CENTRE/LIVE GUN SALUTES
THE BIG GUNS JUST GOT BIGGER AT FORT NELSON
FREE MUSEUM ENTRY
If you see anthere is somethingto see on the sitetoday. If there isno there islimited access orno visible remainsso a visit isinadvisable.
Venta Belgarum was foundedaround AD70 with earth and timberdefences. In the late 2nd century thedefences were rebuilt with a newearthen bank and ditch that, for thefirst time, fully enclosed the urbanarea. The ramparts werestrengthened in the early 3rd centurywith a masonry wall about 3m thick.The succession of defences can beseen in the model in the CityMuseum . The same line of the wallscontinuedto befollowedup to the18th
centurywhengreatlengths ofthe wallsweredemolished. The short lengths thatsurvive are mainly post-Romanthough the fragment behind the grillin the weirs is part of the core of theRoman wall.
The Westgate 5 Winchester’s Roman walls1Did you know?
Hampshire Record Office offershelp to people looking to tracetheir ancestry via army records.Go to www3.hants.gov.uk/archives/hals-collections/army-records.htm to find out more.
Did you know? 15 Victoria Cross medals arecurrently on display in WinchesterMilitary Museums. Further medalsof Wintonians who have beenawarded this honour are also ondisplay in the Imperial WarMuseum.
Just months after 1066 andWinchester’s surrender, William theConqueror ordered the constructionof a castle within the city walls.Winchester Castle became one ofthe great fortresses of medievalEngland. It was maintained andenhanced until 1645 when it wasbesieged, captured by Cromwell,and eventually demolished. TheGreat Hall, built between 1222 and1235, is the only substantialsurviving part of the medieval castle.A drawing of Winchester made byWillem Schellinks in 1662 shows theslighted castle as a still imposingruin overlooking the city. On-siteinterpretation panels and displaystell the story of the castle.
Located directly opposite Normandy,Hampshire was the springboard for‘Operation Overlord’, the code namefor the Allied Invasion of Europe inWorld War II. The county became a vastarmed camp full of allied troopsencamped in towns, villages andwoods. Winchester’s newly-built by-pass became a giant tank park and
camp for British and American troops. Even Peninsula Barracks in the city wastaken over by the Ninth US Infantry Division see overleaf for more informationon their stay. It was here that American troops were reviewed by Churchill andEisenhower. (See and overleaf for more details)
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The city offered the site of the castleto Charles II who paid his firstknown visit in 1682. A scheme wasdeveloped for a park and a ‘noblePalace, sufficient like Windsor, for asummer residence for the wholeCourt’. Construction of the palace,Designed by Sir Christopher Wrenand influenced by Versailles, beganin 1683 but ended on the death ofCharles in 1685. ‘The King’s House’,little more than a carcass of a house,served as a prison for 5,000 Frenchsoldiers during the Seven Years’ Warfrom 1757 to 1764 and from 1778to 1785 during the American War ofIndependence. From 1792 to 1796 itwas home to refugee clergy fromRevolutionary France beforebecoming an army barrack in sameyear. The King’s House waseventually destroyed by fire on thenight of 19th December 1894. Someparts of Wren’s palace were reusedin the replacement building whichwas ready for the army by 1904 andlater renamed Peninsula Barracks,see The army remained inoccupation up to 1983.
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Winchester Cathedral enshrines along history of military service andsacrifice. It contains majormemorials (including the RifleBrigade Centenary Window),monuments to illustrious militaryleaders, and many inscriptionsrecording the deaths of individualsoldiers in both famous and lesser-known campaigns. It houses the laidup colours of several localregiments, and also Books ofRemembrance for units includingThe Royal Hampshire Regiment, TheRifle Brigade and the MerchantNavy. The cathedral itself is nostranger to conflict – the WestWindow testifies to a violentincursion by Parliamentary troopsduring the Civil War and BishopPeter Mews, a Royalist spy identifiedby the number 757, wasWinchester’s equivalent of JamesBond. Special military-themed tourscan be booked through the website. www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk
Peninsula Barracks‘The King’s House’7a
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Erected in1905,located nearthe junctionof JewryStreet and StGeorge’s
Street in Winchester, thislandmark commemorates the450,000 horses killed in the SouthAfrican War of 1899-1902.
Boer War horse trough8
Vibrant. Ancient. Cultured.
MILITARY
“O Trinity of love and power!; Our brethren shield indanger's hour; From rock and tempest, fire and foe,Protect them wheresoe'er they go;”
Words from ‘The Navy Hymn’ written as a poem in 1860 byWilliam Whiting of Winchester
Winchester has a rich and varied military history. FromIron Age forts, to Civil War sites, through two World Warsto the completion a Nuclear bunker sited at Twyford - thedistrict’s military stories span centuries of history.
If you are interested in finding out more about themilitary history of Winchester, ancient and modern, thenfollow these two informative trails – one based in the cityand one taking you further afield.OPEN Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm
Follow King Alf on Twitter: www.twitter.com/King_Alf
Winchester Tourist Information Centre
Closed between Christmas and New Year
Guildhall Winchester, High Street, Winchester, SO23 9GHTel: 01962 840 500 Email: [email protected]: www.visitwinchester.co.uk
Like King Alf on Facebook: www.facebook.com/KingAlfWinchester
www.visitwinchester.co.uk
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6 Winchester College
Founded in 1382, Winchester College has thelongest unbroken history of any English school.Whilst WWI claimed the lives of over 500 oldWykehamists, a further 275 died in World WarII. Officially opened in 1924, the War Cloisterwas designed by Sir Herbert Baker tocommemorate those who had lost their lives.Notable Old Wykehamists with a military careerwho were all awarded the Victoria Crossinclude Dennis George Wyldbore Hewitt (1897-1917); Charles Doughty-Wylie (1868-1915);
Daniel Burges (1873-1946); Arthur Forbes Gordon Kilby (1885-1915); and AirChief Marshal Hugh Dowding (1882-1970). Please see www.winchestercollege.org/guided-tours for details of regularguided tours around the College, and for tours of War Cloister.
An important residence of the wealthyand powerful Bishops of Winchestersince Anglo-Saxon times, the survivingruins date largely from the 12th centurywork of Bishop Henry of Blois (1129–71). In September 1141, during the Civil Warbetween King Stephen and the EmpressMatilda, the besieged defenders ofWolvesey set fire to and destroyed mostof Winchester whilst holding offMatilda’s force.
Did you know?Winchester city centre is spectacularlytransformed by Homecoming Paradesthat assemble at The Guildhall for areception by the Mayor of Winchester.
Trace Winchester's military past from the Iron Age to the Nuclear Age
FOR ALL THE FAMILYSO MUCH TO SEE – TOO GOOD TO MISS
WMM
inchester’s
useumsilitary
HorsePower (Museum of The King’s Royal Hussars)
The Royal Hampshire Regiment Museum
The Royal Green Jackets (Rifles) Museum
The Gurkha Museum
The Adjutant General’s Corps Museum
www.winchestermilitarymuseums.co.uk
Visitors’ Centre and refreshments at the Café Peninsula.
For more information: (01962) 877 826 / 843 659
Email: info@winchester’smilitarymuseums.co.uk
One of King Alfred’s defensive ‘burhs’,Winchester was established as refuge and strongpoint to resist the Danish invaders. A raiding army haddestroyed the settlement in 860AD but the oldRoman town walls were refurbished and a newstreet system was laid out inside the walls. Theseintramural streets (such as North Walls) were laid withthe intention of rushing troops to threatened parts ofthe walls. The town’s walls were largelydismantled by the end of the 18th century.
Winchester
City centre guide to Winchester’s military past
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Now a museum, the Westgate wasbuilt to be one of the defensiblegateways in Winchester’s city walls,first established by the Romans inthe first century AD. The line of thewalls remained unalteredthroughout later times and, thoughthe Westgate’s present structure ismedieval and dates mainly from the12th to 14th centuries, it is thought tostand on the site of the earlierRoman gate. The west wall wasentirely rebuilt in the 14th centurywhen a whole series of newdefences was added in view of apossible invasion from France. Theworks included a portcullis,machicolations, gun ports andpossibly a drawbridge. The twoinverted keyhole gunports, intendedfor primitive hand cannons, areamongst the earliest pieces ofarchitectural evidence for the use ofartillery in this country. The Westgateis open weekends in the afternoonbetween February and October.
If you see anthere is somethingto see on the sitetoday. If there isno there islimited access orno visible remainsso a visit isinadvisable.
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