Cool Places
The Great Hall
Castle Avenue Winchester SO23 8UJ
The sole surviving feature of Winchester Castle, the 13th-century Great Hall is the finest of its type in the country. The Castle was originally constructed for William the Conqueror in 1067 to help secure his hold on the city after the Norman Conquest and at the time the great hall housed important aspects of the government. Most visitors, however, are here for the huge oak disc that hangs from the north wall – legend has it this is King Arthur’s Round Table (the names of his ‘noble knights’ fill each of its panels), though sadly the woodwork says otherwise, dating it some 700 years later, to the reign of Edward I. Whatever you believe, its quite a sight and set in the wonderful hall its worth a visit.
