Winchester, the ancient Saxon capital of England, is situated near the foot of the chalk uplands surrounding the river Itchin.  It is a city full of historical interest, and its two most striking features are the cathedral and college.  Long before the Norman Conquest there was a grammar school at Winchester under the care of the monks.  Bishop William of Wykeham was educated at this earlier school, and it was he who re-established it on a larger scale.  The new college was founded at the end of the fourteenth century, under the direction of a corporation, and was allied to one of the colleges at Oxford.  For five centuries this college, the most ancient of the public schools in England, has kept a foremost place among the many educational centres that now exist.  Many of the college buildings remain almost the same as they were originally founded.

The cathedral, which is the largest in England, shows every style of architecture from pure Norman to Early Renaissance.  It was founded by Walkelin, the first Norman bishop, whose carved font is one of the finest treasures of the building.  Bishop Wykeham, at the end of the fourteenth century, continued the building, which had been steadily progressing for a considerable time, and commenced the partial casing of the Norman columns with Perpendicular mouldings.  The vaulting shafts of the nave rise from the ground, and owing to the thickness of the Norman masonry, there is no proper triforium.  The reredos was built by Cardinal Beaufort in the fifteenth century, and the Lady Chapel was added about the same time.  Though it suffered much damage during the Parliamentary wars, the cathedral is wonderfully rich in monuments, all its various architects being buried there, and among the many shrines is that of William Rufus.

Winchester’s associations with King Alfred, and its numerous examples of architecture of all the centuries, make the city one of the most interesting in England.

[Illustration:  Photochrom Co., Ltd.

WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL.

Showing the Norman north transept and the west end.]

SAVERNAKE FOREST

=How to get there.=—­Train from Paddington.  Great Western Railway. =Nearest Station.=—­Savernake. =Distance from London.=—­70 miles. =Average Time.=—­Varies between 2 to 3 hours.

                     1st 2nd 3rd
=Fares.=—­Single 11s. 8d. 7s. 4d. 5s. 10d. 
          Return 20s. 6d. 12s. 10d. 11s. 8d.

=Accommodation Obtainable.=—­“Forest Hotel” (near railway station),
  “Ailesbury Arms Hotel,” etc., in Marlborough.
=Alternative Route.=—­Train from Waterloo.  L. and S.W.  Railway.

Savernake is said to be the only forest in England possessed by a subject.  It occupies a piece of country 16 miles in circumference, is entirely open to all, and the Marquess of Ailesbury also allows Savernake Forest House to be seen by strangers when the family are absent.  At Savernake Station one is brought within sight of the forest, and entering it at this point one is able to enjoy a lovely walk of 6 or 7 miles, which brings one out close to Marlborough Station, with the town on the further side of the railway.  The forest is specially famous for its glorious avenue of beech 4 miles in length, and there is little doubt that there is no finer in the kingdom.