WINCHESTER COLLEGE HERITAGE OPEN DAY

There’s a certain allure to somewhere that’s behind closed doors and not open to the public. Winchester College is such a place. We’d catch glimpses of it across the water meadows on a stroll or by peering in the porters lodge door. But that’s it.

We got close to spending a day at Winchester College this summer as we were invited to cricket but were babymooning in Portugal instead. So I jumped at the chance of a tour when I spotted it as part of the Heritage Open Days activities this September.

Put the dates in your diaries for next year folks – 13-22 September 2019. It’s a national scheme, so have a look at what is going on near you if Winchester isn’t local. Many private places open their doors, gates and gardens for free. I already want to see the Peninsula Barracks in Winchester next year as I had to miss that this year.

A one hour tour won’t give you a leisurely stroll through the rambling historic grounds or allow you linger and really take in the surroundings. But it’s long enough for some photos, interesting facts and to get some sense of the place.

Here’s what I learnt, and some photos!

Goodbye Mr Chips was filmed at the college. As was some of Les Miserables.

I am not sure the age of the oldest buildings but the school started in the 1390’s… So it’s pretty spectacular.

It’s the oldest of the public (fee paying) schools in the UK. It was set up to act as a feeder school for New College Oxford (William of Wykeham founded both). Many of the original pupils became clergy.

Our tour guide said no pictures of the children as there were ‘kidnapable’ ones. An interesting phrase but a reminder of why it retains its privacy and quite how sought after places are.

It will set you back £38k a year on tuition fees, and I believe it was the first school to top £30k back in the day.

Wykehamists have their own language – notions. As well as many fond traditions. The pastoral side to things does seem to help get the excellent academic results it’s known for.

There are 70 scholars in the school which is home to 700 pupils across 5 years. Scholars wear cloaks and other pupils wear suits. To show the importance of the scholars to the school.

The medieval chapel is more like a cathedral, really awe inspiring. I didn’t hear much of the history as Baby P was restless so we paced and gawped instead! The stained glass has portraits of the men that made it and the chapel! There’s more than one chapel, the smaller one in the cloisters is simpler yet beautiful too!

There is a war cloister to remember all the schools war dead and I believe once a year candles are lit in memorium. Names are engraved in the walls around the garden, initially the 500 alumni that fell in WWI.

The school matron is fondly called the Hag. Apparently teachers were all against a chocolate dispensing machine but she helped get them on side! Nobody else thought the boys wanted chocolate!

The school mascot is called Hircocervus. Latin: Hircus – billy goat and Cervus – stag. He has a padlock in his mouth and various other items with distinctive virtues pupils should follow.

Climbing over tables for dinner in the dining hall is apparently a sport and seemingly encouraged. A run and jump type activity to sit on the outside not the inside! All across the top of 600 year old furniture.

The cloisters are dotted with graffiti in the stonework.

Each past headmaster has his portrait in the school, in the building below. The most recent one requested his wife and dog to be in the picture. It was agreed, but apparently there was more fuss about including his wife than including the dog!

It’s motto is excellent and one doesn’t need to attend to live by it – manners makyth man. I didn’t know this but of Old Wykehamists I know there isn’t a truer phrase.

As the tour came to an end I really wanted our guide to say ‘and now please take 10 minutes to wander the grounds’… Of course she didn’t, but it would have been nice to have stuck our heads into all those medieval nooks and crannies!

Who knows, perhaps the boy will end up there – one can dream, or take the scholarship exam!