We had originally planed to visit Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard on the way home from the Great South Run. But Monday morning's rain changed our plans and instead we headed to Winchester. Fortunately the rain had stopped when we arrived and we found our way to the Cathedral.
We were here a few years ago, but there is always something new to see.
I was interested in the Jane Austen exhibition. Where she is buried, there is a brass plaque...
.... and above is a window....
Also on display in a temporary exhibition is part of The Winchester Bible. This giant bible was commissioner around 1160. It has nearly 1,000 double sided pages. Apparently, there were six artists who created the illuminated title letters for each page, using gold leaf and an ultramarine blue pigment made from the mineral lapis lazuli that was mined in Afghanistan. Under preparation is a permanent exhibition space for all the rebound four volumes.
The Cathedral has an excellent large, modern cafe next door so we could rest with tea and cake. A wander around the town and it was time to head home. It had been a memorable weekend.
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