Around Winchester

Another sunny morning so a walk around Winchester was exercise for the day.  First stop was at Peninsula Barracks, once the home of the Royal Green Jackets where we used to enjoy watching Sounding Retreat every year when we first moved to Winchester.  Now they have moved to Sir John Moore Barracks, a modern complex on the edge of the city.  We can remember when a lone bugler would pipe the last post from the apex of the roof.  It never failed to move me to tears.

The trees and lake have been created on what was the barracks square.  The Gurkha and Royal Green Jackets Museums are still within buildings here but the block on the right has been turned into luxury apartments.  On another side of the square is a new block of town houses in keeping with the old buildings and it is here we would love to live if we had the money!

We continued our walk through the narrow old streets of Winchester, past the College and came to The Bishop's Palace which adjoins the Cathedral grounds and the ruin of Wolvesey Castle.  I decided to photograph it as I once worked there in the room behind the window in shadow on the first floor.  The walls were about 12 inches thick and it was always cold in the winter but such a tranquil place to work.  I used to have my lunch on a sunny day sitting in the cloisters of the Cathedral.  The Bishop still uses the building as his residence but half of it is rented out as business premises.

Snowdrops are still in flower and are joined by miniature daffodils, the first of the season.