City on the brink of battle

Hidden away in an unassuming shopping centre lies a doorway to the distant past. EMILY BRIFFETT steps back in time to discover the contested world of Anglo-Saxon Winchester

- EMILY BRIFFETT

When you step through a door in a modern mall, the last thing you expect is to be cordially greeted by an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman – or ominously warned of imminent Viking attack. But in the Brooks Shopping Centre in Winchester, that is exactly what you get.

Inhabited since the Iron Age, Winchester has a rich history spanning more than 2,000 years. However, its early medieval prominence as a major cultural, religious and administrative centre has dominated the public imagination – especially its association with King Alfred the Great. This connection has been enhanced further in recent years through its appearance as a location in Ubisoft’s 2020 video game Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and the Netflix series The Last Kingdom.