Adventures with Jane! Day VI, Part 2: Winchester and the Hampshire Cultural Trust.

Coming off our visit to Steventon, we were given some free time to explore Winchester on our own, the Cathedral and College to be part of the Day 7 adventure. I have been to Winchester before, have seen all the spots associated with Jane, and at the 2003 AGM we had a grand banquet at the Great Hall. [There was a talk by the then woman mayor of the City – a Jane Austen follower! Her name was Jean Hammerton, and I see that she passed away in 2020 – she was a delight!]

Considered one of the finest surviving medieval aisled halls of the 13^th century, it is all that remains of the vast Winchester Castle, begun by William the Conqueror. I was largely alone here today, and lacking banquet tables and all that food, you can see the vastness and majesty of the place:

It is also home to the “Round Table”:

Which is nearly 800 years old, has a diameter of 18 ft, made of 121 separate pieces of English oak – and is considered the symbol of medieval mythology – think Camelot – King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Since recent dating proves it is from the 13^th century and not an original table of Arthur’s 6^th century, much conjecture remains as to who ordered this to be made (probably Edward I), and why (part of a great banquet for an ‘Arthurian’ tournament during celebrations in 1290). The painting on the Round Table is dated to the early 16^th century and has been determined to be the image of Henry VIII as a young man – Henry wanting to reinforce the Tudor claim to be direct descendants of Arthur [what a Henry…]*:

…as well as a nice reference to John F. Kennedy.

Queen Victoria has her own place of honor here – a HUGE statue for her Golden Jubilee in 1867:

and a 6-ft wide bronze sculpture for Queen Elizabeth II for her Diamond Jubilee:

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Exiting the Hall is a recreation of Queen Eleanor’s Garden [Queen Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III, and Queen Eleanor of Castile, wife of his son Edward I], opened in 1986 by Her Majesty The Queen Mother – it also includes an herb garden, filled with medieval plants, for their beauty as well as their medicinal purposes.

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I then went to the Westgate Museum, next to the Hall and within the West Gate into the City, which holds some interesting artifacts of medieval and later times – always impressed by a fine coat of armor:

A hanging gibbet, not so much…

Great views of the Hall and the City from up top of the Gate:

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And finally a return to Jane’s times, as we head to The Hampshire Cultural Trust.

We were greeted by Louise West, Trustee for the HCT, and Jaane Rowehl, Director of Programme and Collections, and two of the people working on their upcoming exhibit  “Beyond the Bonnets: Working Women in Jane Austen’s Novels”

Dates: 2 Nov 2025 – 22 Feb 2026 – you can read about it here:

We were first treated to a talk on and a viewing of some of the artifacts that would have been used by these “working women” of Hampshire: domestic servants [lady’s maids, housekeepers, washer women]; governesses and teachers; and business women [seamstresses, milliners, glazers]; and the inevitable houses of prostitution – the artifacts that will be in the exhibit about their working lives, much of what has been discovered from diaries, receipts, and letters:

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Then a behind-the-scenes tour of the HCT’s costume and textile collection – fascinating work being done here [as well as rows and rows of costumes that are rented out for plays, etc]. Here we could see some of the actual dresses in the collection that are being preserved and studied:

And this fascinating bonnet!

And the necessary Fan:

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But nothing was quite so moving [some of the group on the verge of fainting] of Austen’s original pelisse:

Many of us have seen the various replicas, but to see this so close up [no touching allowed!] was quite something… and nice to know the care it is being given…

We were treated to a proper cup of tea and refreshments and then back to the hotel, where we had the evening to ourselves – we took advantage of the lovely outdoor patio with a fine glass of wine and pub fare – another perfect day [one can get used to this…]

Tomorrow brings us to the Cathedral, final resting place for Jane, so come visit again… [this blog posting is taking longer than the trip itself!]

*Source: Hampshire City Council. The Great Hall: Where History and Legend Meet. [no date]

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