Winchester - city of heroes

Above: Alfred the Great - one of Winchester's many heroes

There’s no question that our love affair with Winchester is based on the city’s stunning architecture, famous cathedral, its museums and shopping (among other things), but tear yourself away and study history books on Winchester and it seems it is the people who have shaped the place.
The city council has declared 2008 as Winchester’s Year of Heroes in recognition of the achievements and notoriety of characters from the city and district, past and present. There
is a wealth of famous celebrities who have connections to the city, some of them having spent their childhood in the district. 
Not only that, there are important figureheads from the military and mighty to the literary and lowly who have made their mark on the history of the city, putting ancient Wessex on the map and who have helped create the folklore and culture of today’s England.

Legendary heroes
Throughout history a wealth of now-legendary historic figures have lived in or around the city and perhaps the most well-known of those is Alfred the Great.
Scholar, soldier and statesman, King Alfred (c849-899) rebuilt Winchester after the Dark Ages and made it his capital. Today his imposing bronze statue dominates the Broadway. His last known resting place has been commemorated with the opening in 2003 of Hyde Abbey Garden.
The reputed tutor to King Alfred, Saint Swithun (d. 862), was Bishop of Winchester and visitors today can visit his modern memorial inside the cathedral. The legend of Saint Swithun originates in Winchester. According to the story, the saint’s remains were moved, against his dying wishes, from their resting place in a simple tomb in the grounds of the cathedral to a splendid shrine in the inner sanctum, where upon it continued to rain for 40 days as a sign of his displeasure. Now, if it rains on the saint’s day (July 15), it is said to herald another 39 days of wet weather. Perhaps this would explain this summer’s atrocious weather?
Another memorial you’ll discover in the cathedral is that belonging to Izaac Walton (1583-1683). Author of The Compleat Angler and father of fly-fishing (for which Winchester’s rivers are still renowned) Izaac Walton lived in the Close. Over his tomb in the cathedral is a memorial stained glass window containing the epithet ‘Study to be quiet’.
Another of Winchester’s literary heroes is Jane Austen. One of the world’s best novelists, she lived at Chawton from 1809 and came to Winchester to be nearer her doctor during her last illness. She died in a house in College Street and her grave and memorial are in the cathedral.
Of course, we cannot forget the brave gentleman who saved the cathedral from collapse – diver William Walker. His story was the subject of an impressive exhibition in the city during the summer. For six years (1905 - 1912) he dived below the east end, replacing rotten timbers and masonry.

Unsung heroes
Perhaps less well-known, but equally as colourful, are those characters who have made a difference to our lives both culturally and practically. Thomas Hardy was one of these. He visited Winchester a number of times, both in writing and in person.
Hardy visited on August 8, 1893, to have luncheon at the now vanished George Hotel with his long-time friend and collaborator Florence Henniker. The hotel staff, mistakenly believing that they were having an illicit affair, showed them to a room. In Wessex Poems and Other Verses is the poem At an Inn, where Hardy remembers the event with a mix of humour and regret.

Marathon Madge
Madge Sharples (Marathon Madge), who lived in Winchester, became world-famous as the oldest woman to take part in the London Marathon. She took up running in her 60s and competed in more than 50 marathons around the world raising funds for a number of charities. After a lay-off due to crippling arthritis she made a comeback at the age of 79. Sporting two steel knee joints, she walked the gruelling 26-mile 1996 London Marathon course in just over 11 hours.
Another sporting hero, this time of the 19th and 20th century, with a strong connection to Winchester is Frederick (Dickie) Frost. Born in 1866, he developed his early interest in sport and became an all-round athlete winning medals for running and swimming. After his retirement he devoted his time to encouraging sport in Winchester and in the county, especially for the benefit of young people.

Juliana of the water
One of the first historical sources relating to the use of the city’s watercourses was in 1299, which documents a legal case between two residents who lived on Upper Brook Street. One was named Juliana, a washerwoman, and the other was the merchant John de Tytyng, who was also the city’s mayor and MP.
In 1299, Juliana obtained a writ from King Edward I, ordering the mayor and bailiffs to tell John de Tytyng and others to stop preventing her from scouring her clothes, yarn and thread in the Upper Brook. The case was settled in court by King Edward, who relied on the advice of the jury made up of the residents of Upper, Middle and Lower Brook Streets.
His ruling, made in the Great Hall, stated: “Water has always been common”. Had this ruling been left at this then no one would have heard of this case, but the King had also attached a few regulations at the end which changed it from Common, to Statute Law. These regulations stipulated that residents in the area should not put things in the water, such as human and animal blood, dyestuffs, soiled nappies and sheepskins.
Juliana’s contemporaries, recognising the ruling, gave her the by-name of Juliana de la Floude or Juliana of the Water. It is the earliest piece of environmental legislation relating to the use of water in Europe. As a principle, it has been incorporated into the United Nations Convention of Human Rights, which states that access to clean water is not a luxury but a human right. It provides the legal basis for the access to fresh flowing water for billions of people round the world today, all this as a result of a neighbourly tiff between an MP and a washerwoman on a back street of medieval Winchester.

Who’s your hero?
Hampshire Life and Winchester City Council’s tourism service wants you to suggest your modern-day local Hero. He or she could be from anywhere in the district – or indeed, just associated with the district on account of something special that they have done.
There has already been a big response from residents and there’s still time to vote for your favourite or even nominate another character.
Just click on www.visitwinchester.co.uk/site/heroes and vote for your own Winchester hero.