Winchester Cathedral

Although I went to university in Winchester, I've only ever been to the cathedral once, and that was at my graduation. I'd walked past it countless times but had only been inside that once. As we walked past the cathedral to get to the Christmas market today, we saw that it was open, so we popped in to take a look around. 

Wow! It's gorgeous. So beautiful and absolutely expansive! 

The huge stained glass window is absolutely stunning from the inside!

And it has a humongous Christmas tree in front of it! 

One last photo of the windows. I just couldn't get over the sheer scale of them! 

Ok, I lied. This is the view of the windows from the end of the 14th century nave. I don't like the gaudy yellow banners at the sides.

The opposite end of the nave houses The Great Screen- a towering, 15th century stone screen. 

Here's a close up of the screen. It reminds me a little of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. 

Behind the screen is this, the 14th century Presbytery. 

Rich laughed when I saw this because he knew exactly what I was thinking- It looks just like Dumbledore's lectern! 

The choir stalls are 14th century and carved from oak. Look how amazing they are! 

Jane Austen has strong links with Winchester. She moved into a house next to the cathedral grounds when she was dying from a kidney illness and was buried in the cathedral. This is her gravestone, inside the nave.

There are many stone slabs on the floor, marking the graves of those who are buried beneath the cathedral floor. 

Another Christmas tree with chapels either side. 

I really love stained glass windows. 

We spent ages looking for the crypt! Eventually, after having to ask for directions, we found it. 

This is why I was so desperate to find it- The Antony Gormley sculpture Sound II. There's a viewing platform with bars, so I couldn't get any closer than this, which is a shame, but it's amazing. I'm a huge Gormley fan and I love the positioning of this piece inside the damp, spooky crypt. When there's heavy rain, the crypt floods up to the sculpture's knees, and a tube transfers water to be cupped in his hands. I bet it looks even more incredible with the reflections.

The cathedral looks beautiful when the sun sets!