C O N T E X T 1 2 6 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2 29 S Thursday tours Saxon Winchester walking tour Encroachment, encroachment, encroachment. That was the main message when retired city archaeologist Graham Scobie, who had worked in the district for 40 years, led delegates on a walking tour of Saxon Winchester. Soon after beginning the tour outside the city museum, Scobie sought to dismiss myths that Winchester is an early example of Saxon town planning, and set out to demonstrate how the settlement had evolved throughout the ages. Although the north-south axis of the main street, with equidistant flanking service streets running parallel to the east and the west, is a feature of Saxon settlements, the secondary streets running perpendicular to the main street appear to follow the natural terracing. This occurs as a natural geological phenomenon, evidencing the prehistoric scale of the River Itchen. Arguably northern Europe’s oldest high street, the main street today can be traced back to the Iron Age. The flanking streets and spaces tell a clear story of the city’s evolution. The streets of Winchester can be read like a historic document, with the bends and kinks in the roads, and subtle nuances that Scobie pointed out, reflecting the city’s early Saxon and medieval layout. Delegates were issued with progressive maps depicting Winchester through the ages, and lists detailing the modern and medieval names of key streets and sites, with interpretations and translations of the earlier names for reference. Scobie, an interesting and knowledgeable guide, provided the histories of specific locations in a colourful manner. Of particular interest was the former residence of Queen Emma which, owing to the fact that it was a safe haven for vagabonds and villains during the medieval period, descended into a place of moral disrepute.The somewhat noble nature of God be Got Passage today is far removed from its previous name of Grope C**t Lane. Whereas the building lines of the original Saxon Graham Scobie and delegates beside one of the many watercourses that were important in the development of Saxon Winchester. Delegates on a walking tour learn about the cathedral close.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=