An encyclopaedia of architecture

Winchester College, Hampshire, part I The Warden and Fellows of Winchester College In the second of two articles, Jeremy Musson offers an overview of the wealth of boneyes created by Winchester College from the Reformation to the present

- Jeremy Musson

IN architectural terms, Winchester College is perhaps chiefly celebrated for its outstanding core of late-14th century buildings created by founder William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. These are all buildings of rare significance— as discussed last week—and remarkable for remaining in continuous use for education for more than six centuries. Their powerful presence, with courts and gates of stone and flint, have remained the core and anchor of the college as it has evolved. The story of the college’s later development, however, is no less fascinating or remarkable. This article looks at the buildings spread across its wider campus, which extends from the shadow of the Cathedral Close to the north, towards water meadows to the south and into the town to the west.

Sometimes, the new architecture creates bold contrasts with the original buildings

As with so many historic institutions, Winchester College has undergone more radical transformation over time than is at first apparent. That change is illustrated both by alterations to the medieval structure, as well as the sequence of 19th- and early-20th-century academic buildings created to serve its changing needs. These include the work of some national figures, including William Butterfield, architect of Keble College, Oxford (COUNTRY LIFE, September 12, 2012) and All Saints’ Margaret Street, London W1; William White, prolific and inventive church architect; Basil Champneys, architect of Newnham College, Cambridge (COUNTRY LIFE,