Log Entry for tonight
Log Entry 28: Winchester; Great Hall and Cathedral 7/21/2005
We were supposed to go to London today for a tour of Westminster Abbey at 7pm. However, when we arrived at the train station, there were rumors that the tube in London had been shut down, and that there had been another bombing. We later found out that this was true, although the bombs were smaller than the ones from two weeks ago. Possibly a copycat, though it is hard to tell. It had been exactly two weeks since the attacks.
Anyway, the professors decided to cancel the trip, so we likely won’t get the Abbey tour, which is a disappointment, of course. However, we were at the train station, so we decided to hop on a train and go to Winchester. It was only about an hour away, and we were there by 3:30.
We didn’t have a lot of time before the main shops and museums closed, so we decided to do the Great Hall and then the Cathedral.
The Great Hall is all that remains of the Saxon-era castle that once stood in the city. Winchester was at one time the capital of England, and many kings were crowned there. We had just had history class this morning, so it fit in quite well, as it was just in the time period we were talking about.
At one end of the hall is a huge family tree, depicting the line of kings, going back to the Anglo-Saxon era. The main attraction in the hall, however, is at the opposite end. Here, hanging high up on the wall is a huge round table, painted with a depiction of King Arthur. This was made in the 13th century, and painted a few hundred years later. So no, it couldn’t possibly be the real Table Round, but it is still pretty cool.
After the Great Hall, we made our way to the Cathedral. It is a massive building, quite suitable for the English capital. It was built shortly after the Norman conquest, in a fit of church-building and expansion. There are outlines in the grass which show the original Saxon cathedral (where King Alfred the Great was ordained, I believe) that was torn down to make room from the new one.
Unfortunately, the cathedral was closed to visitors for another hour. However, this turned out to be a good thing, as it was closed for an evensong featuring the Salisbury Cathedral choristers (the boy’s choir). This was a wonderful experience; they did a piece by Byrd as the anthem—Civitas sancti tui facta est deserta : Sion deserta facta est : Jerusalem desolata est. I also recognized several responses (particularly the part that goes “Because there is none other that fighteth for us…). We were very lucky to have gotten there at exactly the right time, and I am very gracious to Cozad and Hannah (although she’s semi-Catholic, actually) for indulging this Anglican.
After Evensong, we had about 30 minutes to look around the cathedral, which is probably the most ornate I have seen. Just as we were leaving, the sun came in through the West, and illuminated the entire space—perfect for a good photo (lighting in cathedrals is not ideal for digital photography).
After the wonderful cathedral visit, we had one last stop to make: Jane Austen’s house. Or rather, were she spent the last 6 weeks of her life, anyway. This turned out to be not far at all from the cathedral, so we were happy to indulge the desires of our female English major friend (personally, I’ve not read any Austen, so I don’t know how bad—or possibly good—it is.
After a long uphill trek to the train station, we were stopped in front by two policemen for a random search, per the anti-terrorism act of 2000. This is, of course, a result of the bombings earlier today. It was no trouble at all, and they were very nice about it. I guess I now have a permanent record here in the UK. Interestingly, they only searched Cozad and me, who had backpacks; they didn’t bother to search Hannah, who only had a purse.
Due to the search, we missed the train and had to wait an hour for the next one—annoying, but unavoidable. It is nice to know that the police are out there. We finally got to Oxford about 8:30, and got back to Tom Gate at 8:45.
All in all, a good day, though it is a disappointment that we will most likely not get to do the Abbey tour. Oh well. I still plan to be there Sunday morning for Eucharist. We have not heard from the 8 or so students who went into London earlier; Dr. Hamilton went on to meet them. I’m sure all is well—the bombs were not near where they were likely to be.
Tomorrow we have plans to go to Windsor. We’ll see if that works out—we may decide to go to Bath instead. Anyway, till then.
-End of Line
We were supposed to go to London today for a tour of Westminster Abbey at 7pm. However, when we arrived at the train station, there were rumors that the tube in London had been shut down, and that there had been another bombing. We later found out that this was true, although the bombs were smaller than the ones from two weeks ago. Possibly a copycat, though it is hard to tell. It had been exactly two weeks since the attacks.
Anyway, the professors decided to cancel the trip, so we likely won’t get the Abbey tour, which is a disappointment, of course. However, we were at the train station, so we decided to hop on a train and go to Winchester. It was only about an hour away, and we were there by 3:30.
We didn’t have a lot of time before the main shops and museums closed, so we decided to do the Great Hall and then the Cathedral.
The Great Hall is all that remains of the Saxon-era castle that once stood in the city. Winchester was at one time the capital of England, and many kings were crowned there. We had just had history class this morning, so it fit in quite well, as it was just in the time period we were talking about.
At one end of the hall is a huge family tree, depicting the line of kings, going back to the Anglo-Saxon era. The main attraction in the hall, however, is at the opposite end. Here, hanging high up on the wall is a huge round table, painted with a depiction of King Arthur. This was made in the 13th century, and painted a few hundred years later. So no, it couldn’t possibly be the real Table Round, but it is still pretty cool.
After the Great Hall, we made our way to the Cathedral. It is a massive building, quite suitable for the English capital. It was built shortly after the Norman conquest, in a fit of church-building and expansion. There are outlines in the grass which show the original Saxon cathedral (where King Alfred the Great was ordained, I believe) that was torn down to make room from the new one.
Unfortunately, the cathedral was closed to visitors for another hour. However, this turned out to be a good thing, as it was closed for an evensong featuring the Salisbury Cathedral choristers (the boy’s choir). This was a wonderful experience; they did a piece by Byrd as the anthem—Civitas sancti tui facta est deserta : Sion deserta facta est : Jerusalem desolata est. I also recognized several responses (particularly the part that goes “Because there is none other that fighteth for us…). We were very lucky to have gotten there at exactly the right time, and I am very gracious to Cozad and Hannah (although she’s semi-Catholic, actually) for indulging this Anglican.
After Evensong, we had about 30 minutes to look around the cathedral, which is probably the most ornate I have seen. Just as we were leaving, the sun came in through the West, and illuminated the entire space—perfect for a good photo (lighting in cathedrals is not ideal for digital photography).
After the wonderful cathedral visit, we had one last stop to make: Jane Austen’s house. Or rather, were she spent the last 6 weeks of her life, anyway. This turned out to be not far at all from the cathedral, so we were happy to indulge the desires of our female English major friend (personally, I’ve not read any Austen, so I don’t know how bad—or possibly good—it is.
After a long uphill trek to the train station, we were stopped in front by two policemen for a random search, per the anti-terrorism act of 2000. This is, of course, a result of the bombings earlier today. It was no trouble at all, and they were very nice about it. I guess I now have a permanent record here in the UK. Interestingly, they only searched Cozad and me, who had backpacks; they didn’t bother to search Hannah, who only had a purse.
Due to the search, we missed the train and had to wait an hour for the next one—annoying, but unavoidable. It is nice to know that the police are out there. We finally got to Oxford about 8:30, and got back to Tom Gate at 8:45.
All in all, a good day, though it is a disappointment that we will most likely not get to do the Abbey tour. Oh well. I still plan to be there Sunday morning for Eucharist. We have not heard from the 8 or so students who went into London earlier; Dr. Hamilton went on to meet them. I’m sure all is well—the bombs were not near where they were likely to be.
Tomorrow we have plans to go to Windsor. We’ll see if that works out—we may decide to go to Bath instead. Anyway, till then.
-End of Line
posted by Cameron Talley at 6:46 AM
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