Members’ area
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The Summer Walks programme
Lectures and talks
Members’ visits
A report on last year’s AGM
Volunteering with the Trust
Summer walks programme
The Summer Walks around Winchester are held from May to August every year. Enthusiastic experts such as architects, historians, City guides and Council Conservation Officers take a small group around places of interest in the City.
If you have an idea for a summer walk or would like to volunteer as a guide, please contact Tessa at secretary@cityofwinchestertrust.co.uk
summer walks for members may-july 2025
This year we have organised eight walks, which we hope you’ll agree feature some wide-ranging and fascinating subjects.
A donation to the Trust of £5 per person is requested for each walk. Please bring your payment in cash on the day.
To book places, please email Tessa at secretary@cityofwinchestertrust.co.uk
A walk through the private part of Winnall Moors
PLEASE NOTE THIS WALK IS FULL AND THERE IS A WAITING LIST
Thursday, 22nd May at 5pm
Duration: An hour and a half
Numbers: Maximum 15 people
Meeting place: Along Nun’s Walk past the old Leisure Centre. Exact location to be confirmed to participants.
Sam Martin, of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, will lead a walk through this wildlife haven in the middle of Winchester. Good shoes / boots recommended.
An additional contribution of £6 to the HIWWT is required for this walk.
An introduction to Anglo-Saxon Winchester
PLEASE NOTE THIS WALK IS FULL AND THERE IS A WAITING LIST
Thursday, 5th June at 6pm
Duration: An hour plus time for questions
Numbers: Up to 20
Meeting point: Outside the West front of the Cathedral
Our guide will be Professor Ryan Lavelle, Professor in Early Medieval History at the University of Winchester.
Winchester in Stone
PLEASE NOTE THIS WALK IS FULL AND THERE IS A WAITING LIST
Thursday, 12th June at 6pm
Duration: An hour plus time for questions
Numbers: Up to 20
Meeting point: Outside the West front of the Cathedral
John Parker, retired geologist and Cathedral guide, will take us on a fascinating tour of the different stone used to build Winchester through its history. See also John’s article on page 14.
St Giles Hill - past, present and future
Thursday, 19th June at 6pm
Duration: An hour plus time for questions
Numbers: Up to 20
Meeting place: Entrance to Abbey Gardens
Dr Harry Mycock, Chairman of Friends of St Giles Hill, will tell us about St Giles Hill as we wend our way slowly uphill, stopping on the way for short talks.
The Archives of Winchester College
Thursday, 3rd July at 6pm
Duration: An hour and a half
Numbers: Up to 18 people. Not suitable for those with mobility problems
Meeting Place: The Porter’s Lodge, College Street
Suzanne Foster, Archivist at Winchester College for 25 years, will take us on a guided tour of the Archives.
Georgian style and society in St Thomas’s Street
PLEASE NOTE THIS WALK IS FULL AND THERE IS A WAITING LIST
Thursday 10th July at 6pm
Duration: 45 minutes to one hour
Numbers: Up to 20 people
Meeting place: The Buttercross
A look at some of the buildings and who lived in them in the Georgian era in the company of Judith Hoskins, Green Badge Guide and genealogist.
The Black Death in Winchester
PLEASE NOTE THIS WALK IS FULL AND THERE IS A WAITING LIST
Thursday July 17th at 6pm
Duration: An hour and a quarter plus time for questions
Numbers: Up to 20
Meeting place: The Buttercross
Professor Emeritus Tom Beaumont James MBE PhD FSA will be our guide.
The Winchester Union Workhouse
PLEASE NOTE THIS WALK IS FULL AND THERE IS A WAITING LIST
Thursday, 24th July at 6pm
Duration: One hour
Numbers: Up to 20 people
Meeting place: By the apple tree at the entrance to Alison Way
Richard and Caroline York, who have lived in part of the former Workhouse for the past 19 years, are our guides.
spring talks programme 2025
We are pleased to announce the details of our new programme of four talks for the spring. The talks are open to all, members and non-members.
Tickets cost £10 to cover admin, venue and refreshment costs. This year tickets are only available from our online booking system and are payable in advance.
CLICK HERE TO BOOK AND PAY FOR TICKETS.
All talks will start at 5.45pm.
Tuesday, 22nd April - St Giles Hill Park: past, present and future
Venue: St Lawrence Parish Room, Colebrook Street SO23 9LH
Time: 5.45pm
Speaker: Dr Harry Mycock, local historian, noted horticulturalist and Chairman of the Friends of St Giles Hill Park.
Established in 1878, St Giles Hill Park extends to just under 11 acres or just over six full size football pitches. Today, the Park provides a recreational area of valuable green space with terrific views of Winchester.
Tuesday, 29th April - Sex, Politics and Architecture
Venue: St Lawrence Parish Room, Colebrook Street SO23 9LH
Time: 5.45pm
Speaker: Judith Martin
Judith Martin has been researching the owner and editor of the Architectural Review, Hubert de Cronin Hastings, 1902 - 1986. His obituary in his own magazine by one of his own staff said of him that he ‘could be a most charming, kindly man … But he was brutally tyrannical. … Why was this tolerated? Partly of course because there was no other architectural magazine worth joining, and partly, perhaps, from affection, admiration for a tough, sometimes brilliant mind, and from the realisation that there was a flaw in his genes and in his upbringing that made him the man he was.’ Judith has set out to try to discover and understand that flaw. This will be the first public airing of her findings.
Tuesday, 6th May - The Minster Streets of Winchester: a journey through time
Venue: St Lawrence Church, The Square SO23 9EX
Time: 5.45pm
Speaker: Tony Sexton
This talk takes the form of a perambulation of Great and Little Minster Streets ( including Symonds Street and the western side of The Square) describing the buildings encountered along the way and recalling aspects of the city story associated with them.
Tuesday, 13th May - Unblocking Winchester
Venue: St Lawrence Parish Room, Colebrook Street SO23 9LH
Time: 5.45pm
Speaker: Richard Lewis
Richard Lewis is a strategic transport and town planner. He is passionate about transport choices which improve people’s physical and mental health, and which reduce reliance on private motor vehicles. His talk will describe a movement strategy which prioritises walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport as a means of protecting the city’s heritage from the corrosive effects of air pollution and enabling the restoration of its Saxon streets.
members’ visits
Every year we organise outings for our members to a diverse selection of interesting venues away from Winchester. In the past these have included Spitalfields, Longford Castle, Bletchley Park, West Dean Gardens and Goodwood House. Expert guides discuss the history and points of interest.
2025 Members’ Visits Programme
Farley Chamberlayne Church and Merdon Castle, Thursday 5th June 2025
Cost £15 per person (transport not provided)
Farley Chamberlayne Church – 2pm
An isolated downland church (Grade 1 Listed) just south of Farley Mount built in the 12th century and very little altered since. Its isolation is apparently due to the Black Death. The churchwarden is kindly going to give us a tour of the church and summarise its history.
Merdon Castle – 3pm
The castle was built sometime in the 12th century by Henry de Blois, brother of King Stephen and Bishop of Winchester. Many of Hampshire’s early castles were built during the years of the ‘Anarchy’ when, in the absence of royal authority, noblemen built fortifications with the intention of creating a little havoc of their own. Henry de Blois was quick to assert his authority and set about building his own castles, initially to support his brother.
The site occupies a south facing chalk spur and had been a bronze age hill fort like so many that can be seen on the chalk downlands.
After the dissolution of the monasteries, Hursley continued in the ownership of the Bishop of Winchester until 1552 when it was surrendered to King Edward VI. The buildings continued their decline until eventually King Edward Vl granted the manor and park at Hursley to Sir Philip Hoby, a prominent statesman of the time.
In 1638 it was in the ownership of Richard Major, a member of Oliver Cromwell’s Privy Council. His daughter and Richard, son of Oliver Cromwell, were married. Richard Cromwell assumed the title “Lord of Merdon”, relating to Merdon Castle.
Over the next couple of centuries, the site fell into ruin but it gained a new lease of life in the 20th century as a military camp – both in the First World War and in the preparations for D Day.
The remaining structures have recently been stabilised by Hursley Estates with the help of a grant from Historic England. It is not open to the public and we are fortunate that we shall be given a tour by local historian David Key, who has worked at IBM and spent many years studying the site.
Practicalities
Although very close to Winchester, both these sites are down single track lanes with few passing places. It is easiest to get to Farley Chamberlayne (postcode SO51 0QP) from Braishfield so if you would like lunch first, we could meet at the Wheatsheaf in Braishfield at 12.15 and go on from there. Lunch is not included in the £15 cost.
Merdon Castle (postcode SO21 2JJ) is a couple of miles from Farley Chamberlayne as the crow flies but slightly further down narrow lanes. The site is large and involves walking on uneven grass surfaces, but it is possible that Hursley Estates could provide a buggy to assist in moving from the car park to the keep area.
Please email Tessa at secretary@cityofwinchestertrust.co.uk to book a place. Please indicate if you would like to meet at the Wheatsheaf in Braishfield beforehand for lunch (at your own cost).
agm 2024
The Trust was very pleased to welcome members to St Peter’s Pastoral Centre in Jewry Street on 7th October. After the formal business the guest speaker was Professor Christopher Turner from Winchester BID, who gave a fascinating talk on the retail environment in Winchester city centre. Members can read a report of his talk in the December 2024 newsletter.
volunteering with the trust
We are always on the lookout for volunteers who can help the Trust with its work. Do you have a valuable skill or interest? Would you like to contribute to the Trust’s views on housing, Winchester’s economy or transport? Would you like to join one of our Planning Appraisal Group panels? Maybe you have an idea for a Summer Walk topic, or could even lead a walk or help organise the walks programme. Recently, members have played a crucial role helping the Trust and Winchester City Council Conservation Officers to survey buildings in the City’s Conservation Area for the Council’s Future 50 project.
Please do email or phone our secretary, Tessa Robertson, if you would like to help in any way. We are particularly looking for help with public relations and communications.