It has beautiful green spaces, historic landmarks and a close-knit community – and it’s surprisingly close to London
There is no shortage of cute places near London we can visit for a day trip. The city of Winchester, which is about one hour on a South Western Railway train from London Waterloo, is one of those places.
With its population of 48,000 and rich surroundings, there’s no shortage of things to do. But if you end up visiting and falling in love with the place, don’t hold your breath as it’s not exactly cheap.
A home there sets you back around £616,349, just under £50,000 cheaper than London’s average of £663,348. There should be no surprise as to why it’s so expensive, either. In 2016, it was crowned the best place to live in the UK by the “Sunday Times Best Places to Live” guide.
You certainly won’t be bored during your time there with heritage buildings, green spaces, independent shops, street markets, and great pubs. There are also historical spots for history buffs, such as Winchester Cathedral which has the longest nave and is the longest of any Gothic cathedral on the continent. It also boasts The Great Hall, and The Hospital of St Cross. Slightly lesser well-known historical sites include the Winchester City Mill, which is powered by the River Itchen and dates back over 1,000 years to the Saxon age.
A day-trip can also entail a wander in the surrounding market towns and dinky rural villages. This could include visiting Alresford’s colourful Georgian town centre, or going to the ruins of Bishop’s Waltham Palace. You can even visit the area’s vineyards for a glass of something sparkling (provided you’re not driving) and sample some of the local food.
MyLondon spoke to two Councillors about what it is they think makes Winchester such a brilliant place. Councillor John Tippett-Cooper is a Lib Dem who’s called the area home for all 41 years of his life, having lived in the city for seven years, and representing it for the last five.
He told us Winchester ‘has the perfect mix’ of everything to live happily. These include ‘beautiful heritage, well-used and looked-after green spaces, a very, very strong and close community feel.’ “You feel like you’re living in a village, but you’re living in a city,” he added.
It’s the ‘strength in the community’ that sees everyone ‘help each other out’ that is Cllr Tippett-Cooper’s favourite part of living there. He said the city is different from London in that ‘you know your neighbours, your local community groups, your local sports clubs, and everyone feels a bond to them.’
The demographics in Winchester are ‘mixed and becoming increasingly diverse,’ he said, running from people who have been there their whole lives to younger families moving in. All want the best from the city, he added.
The mix of Saxon, Roman, Victorian, and Edwardian history is something else the Cllr sees as great about Winchester. “There’s a real mix of historical areas,” he said.
“We’ve got beautiful landmarks like Winchester Cathedral, the Buttercross, which we’re recently restoring, and it is one of the very few butter crosses. We do our absolute utmost to preserve and restore a lot of those heritage sites.”
He also noted King Alfred statue ‘which everyone knows and loves.’ Winchester was also the Saxon capital in the 800s, he said, something ‘we have a lot of pride in.’
‘The green spaces are really lovely’
Community and history aside, Cllr Tippett-Cooper is also hugely fond of the green space around him. Just five minutes on foot from the city centre and you find yourself ‘amongst rivers and open fields and well-looked-after spaces where sports and recreation happen on a daily basis’. He also noted the ‘beautifully preserved’ Winnall Moors Nature Reserve, which is fairly near the city centre.
We also spoke to Cllr Anne Small, who’s also represented her ward for five years. She said Winchester is ‘vibrant,’ and is one of the ‘most beautiful places in the country.’ “I love being here, it’s a wonderful place,” she said.
She, too, said the locals are ‘community-minded’ and noted a volunteer-run local bus service. “When people get involved, great things can happen. And I don’t think you get that everywhere,” she said.
Cllr Small added that Londoners are most welcome, but sometimes locals raise eyebrows when people don’t want to become part of the community. However she conceded that isn’t unique to Londoners, ‘it could be anybody.’
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