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The first settlement in the area was founded in the Iron Age with Oram's Arbour, a valley fort, to the west of the modern city. Following their arrival in Britain, the Romans established the town of Venta Belgarum on the site around 70 AD. In the latter half of the 4th century development at Venta Belgarum came to a halt and the town gradually fell in to a state of disrepair, ultimately being abandoned in the 5th century.
Following the defeat of King Atwald of Wight by King Caedwalla of Wessex, Winchester became the de facto capital of Wessex, ousting Dorchester-on-Thames from this role. Winchester was officially recognised as the capital of Wessex by King Egbert in 827.
Under the rule of Alfred the Great, Winchester evolved in to a “burh”, essentially a fortified town, one of several created by Alfred to protect his kingdom. The city walls, using the original Roman walls as a foundation, are still visible in places around the city. Unfortunately, the creation of the burh resulted in the loss of the Roman walls, with only a short section existing today. Many areas of the city still adhere to the ancient plan defined by Alfred the Great, which in turn was informed by the remaining Roman streets. Winchester was to remain the capital of first Wessex, and then England until after the Norman Conquest, at which time the capital was relocated to London.
It is to be expected that a city with as long and illustrious a past as Winchester will feature some stunning displays of historic architecture. Started in 1079, Winchester Cathedral is the longest in Europe. At one time it was an important centre of pilgrimage, housing the shrine of Saint Swithun. Indeed, the ancient Pilgrim's Way leading to Canterbury starts in Winchester.
At one time Winchester boasted an imposing 12th century castle, although only the Great Hall and Sally Port have survived to modern times. The hall is perhaps best known for one particular exhibit; King Arthur's Round Table. Of course, this isn't the real Round Table, rather an imitation made towards the end of the 13th century. The painted decoration on the table is later, added under the orders of Henry VIII. The centre of the table is decorated with a Tudor Rose, with Henry VIII himself in the role of Arthur at the “head” of the table.
As one can well imagine, Winchester is a highly desirable city within which to live. In the 2006 Channel 4 series, “The Best and Worst Place to Living the UK”, Winchester was voted the best. In the 2007 series Winchester had dropped to second place, but still no mean achievement, especially considering it was pipped to the post by Edinburgh.
Winchester is easily accessible to visitors by a number of transport options. For those arriving by car, the city is skirted by the M3, with the drive from the motorway to the city itself taking just a few minutes. Around 12 miles south of the city the M3 segues with the M27, linking Winchester to the nearby cities of Southampton and Portsmouth. It is near this merging of motorways that one will find Southampton Airport, offering an option to those wishing to travel to Winchester by air. Finally, Winchester is served by a mainline train station that offers direct links to London; the train journey to Waterloo takes just a little over an hour to complete.