Tours & Trails

These tours offer a great introduction to the Cathedral. Hear about Winchester during Anglo-Saxon times and what changed when the Normans invaded. Learn more about the many characters and events that have shaped the history of England and left their mark on this magnificent building.

Available Monday – Saturday, frequent guided tours are available from 10:00am – 3:30pm (Included in admission, no tickets required). *Please note there will be a limited number of tours taking place  due to tour guide availability. 

Please note: Tours are offered in English. (Welcome leaflets are available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Hungarian, Russian, Japanese and Chinese. Foreign language tours are available for pre-booked groups. A minimum of three weeks notice is required).

Enjoy an exhilarating tower tour of Winchester Cathedral which offers magnificent views across Winchester and the county. You will see the ringing chamber, the great Cathedral bells and walk the full length of the Nave roof with its huge wood beams.

Available on Monday 2.15pm, Wednesday 2.15pm, Friday 2.15pm and Saturday 11.30am and 2.15pm. Tickets are £10.00 and can be booked via the Cathedral Box Office on 01962 857 275.

Please note: The minimum age for these tours is 12 years and children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Although there is no set upper age limit for this tour, please be aware of the difficulty of the climb. The tour may be unsuitable for those who are elderly, infirm, disabled, pregnant, those suffering from heart or respiratory disorders, or any other medical condition which could be affected by the climb. Due to width restrictions, all large items of baggage are not permitted and regrettably cannot be left unattended or stored at ground level. Suitable clothing and foot-wear should be worn.

These pre-bookable tours are available to groups of 5 or more and must be booked in advance. These tours focus on areas of specific interest. To book one of the below listed tours, please contact the Visitor Services Team on 01962 857 275 or email visits@winchester-cathedral.org.uk.

Cathedral Tour

See the Cathedral come to life with this guided tour. Experienced guides will point out some of the most treasured artefacts, tell some of their favourite stories and give a general overview of the Cathedral history. This is out most popular tour and offers a comprehensive introduction for first-time visitors.

Are there bones beneath these stones?

A detailed look at some of the gravestones, tombs etc in the Cathedral.

Art in the Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral is rich in art objects, some from hundreds of years ago. More recent works include pieces by well known artists such as Peter Eugene Ball, Cecil Collins, Eric Gill, Antony Gormley and Justin Knowles, as well as local artists Sophie Hacker, Tim Harrisson, Alice Kettle, Tracey Sheppard – and many more. This tour enables visitors to enjoy a close-up interaction with a number of these works, within the context of this very special, time-honoured place.

Chantry Chapels – Our Hidden Places

The Cathedral is famous for its chantry chapels.  However, as access can sometimes be difficult they are usually kept locked and can only be seen from the outside.  On this tour the chapels will be open and visitors will be allowed inside to see, at close quarters what they contain.

Close Encounters – Exploring the Close
Walk the Inner Close in the footsteps of Benedictine monks and explore over 1000 years of history.  From monastic times, through the turbulence of the Civil War, up to the present day.  Enjoy ‘Close Encounters’ with the people who lived in and walked through the close and step briefly into their lives.

Face the Music

Face the music includes background musical history and examines aspects of music with in the Cathedral.  There are three types of visual clues: firstly, images in stone, wood, glass and embroidery reflecting ‘heavenly harmony’; secondly memorials and graffiti referring to specific musical personalities; and thirdly, places and objects with musical functions such as organ or the Treasury.

From Vision to Reality – The Architecture and Building of the Cathedral

Winchester Cathedral contains fine examples of all the main styles of ecclesiastical architecture which will all be seen and explained in some detail. In addition, the tour will describe the construction methods used in medieval times and how Bishop Walkelin achieved the amazing feat of completing most of the original building in just 14 years.

Hurray for Henrys

An account of some of the distinguished men called Henry who have played significant roles in the Cathedral.

Come and find out about the King who wasn’t there, and the naval Henry who saved his ship from a hurricane. The Henry who was crowned here but never reigned, and the Henry who celebrated his wedding with “crowned swans”. There was an outlaw Bishop and the man who helped save the Cathedral and build the London underground – all called Henry!

The Icons of the Cathedral

There are 12 icons in Winchester Cathedral.  This tour aims to study each in turn; the way they are made, their roots in history and the tradition which produced their artistic style, also to explore the layers of symbolism and meaning within them.

Jane Austen – Her Life and Times
Jane Austen died in Winchester in 1817, in rented rooms in College Street. She was buried in the north aisle of the Cathedral, probably arranged by her brother Henry who had been ordained shortly before her death. This tour offers visitors an intimate and often amusing insight into her life and connections with the Cathedral.

Just Williams

Learn about the many illustrious and or some cases lesser-known men called William who have played significant roles in the history of the cathedral.

Literary Links

On this tour you will discover some of the many literary links we have in the Cathedral, including ‘literary legends’ who are buried here and other writers with memorials. The building itself has inspired novelists such as Thomas Hardy and most recently Tracy Chevalier. Medieval conflict, Tudor intrigue and Victorian scandal have provided writers with some great material. Come and learn about these literary connections and listen to extracts spanning over four hundred years of Literature from Shakespeare to Hilary Mantel.

Pestilence penitence and Putrefaction: A Medical History of Winchester Cathedral

For nearly 1400 years, those associated with the Cathedrals in Winchester have played an important part in the care of the sick and management of disease. This tour recounts the history of medicine in relation to the structure of the present Cathedral and the people commemorated within it.

Stitched and Woven

(cushions and altar frontals)

With few exceptions, all the vestments, cushions and altar frontals, were made between the late nineteenth century and the present day. Amongst earlier examples are some pieces of Spanish work believed to have been used at the marriage of Queen Mary in 1554. The vestments include a treasured set designed by Ninian Comper over a century ago. Sets of cushions and the altar frontals complement the glass and stonework throughout the Cathedral. The beautiful embroidered cushions and kneelers in the Quire are the work of Miss Louisa Pesel assisted by her friend Miss Sybil Blunt and 200 volunteer broderers. Much interest has been shown in them recently since they featured in Tracy Chevalier’s recently published novel ‘A Single Thread’.

Supertour (90’)

A unique opportunity to take an in-depth tour of the cathedral, bringing to life the events of nearly 1000 years; encompassing monarchs, bishops, monks, plague, Reformation and civil war together with the work of medieval and contemporary craftsman.

This Royal House of Saxon Kings and Saints

Return to the roots of the Kingdom of England. Visit the Anglo-Saxon Minster and learn about its role in the birth of the English nation, the historic figures who ruled, reigned and are remembered here, and the traces of their world which remain visible today. Part of this tour is outside on slightly uneven ground, suitable clothing and footwear should be worn.

The Victorian Story – Vision, Virtue and Infamy

The Cathedral was cold, dismal and colourless when Queen Victoria came to the throne. This tour traces its transformation and introduces colourful Victorian personalities associated with the Cathedral including Soapy Sam; the Bishop of Borneo; the anti muckabite Dean Garnier and the inspiration for one of Trollope’s characters.

Walking on History

The famous tile pavements of Winchester Cathedral enable us to track the stories behind the Cathedrals history and the tales of the people who influenced its development.

We’ll walk where pilgrims and the famous have been before us, explore what they were trying to tell us through these designs and how the tiles reflected the life and times.

It’s an intriguing tale from 1093 through to today

The Winchester Diver (William Walker)

One of the most fascinating stories around Winchester Cathedral is that of William Walker “the diver who saved the Cathedral with his own hands”.  In the early years of the 20th century, alarming defects appeared in the east end of the Cathedral and desperate measures were needed to safeguard it for the future.  In the end the hero of the day was William Walker, who worked in atrocious and dangerous conditions for over 5 years.  The tour will describe in detail this unique project, one of the greatest engineering preservation feats of its time. Evidence still visible will be highlighted both within and outside the Cathedral, as will the commemorative statues to William Walker, a truly remarkable man.

Wood

This tour explores the exceptional riches of the Cathedral’s woodwork, ancient and modern.  It considers the indispensable role of wood in the construction and preservation of the building and we discover wood furnishings and decoration as far back as the 12th century.  The highlight of the tour is a look in some detail at one of the Cathedral’s greatest treasures, the 14th century quire stalls, described as “the most beautiful in Northern Europe”.

Explore one of the oldest parts of the Cathedral and the least altered part of the Norman building. The crypt provides a stunning setting for Antony Gormley’s sculpture Sound II.

Tours are available Monday – Saturday at 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm. Included in admission, no tickets required.

Please note: During the wet winter months the crypt can flood. If this is the case we are unable to run tours, but you can still see the crypt from a viewing platform.