Winchester College Chapel was built between 1387 and 1395 and consecrated on 17 July 1395. Its prime importance in William of Wykeham’s scheme for the College is shown by its size, the quality of its construction, and the prominence afforded to it in his Foundation Statutes.
Chapel was built to designs by William Wynford, with Hugh Herland responsible for the wooden roof and Thomas of Oxford for the glazing. A side chantry was built by Warden Thurburn between 1474-1480.
Chapel’s original stained glass windows were replaced in the early 19th century, but some of the original glass was later recovered and installed in Thurburn’s Chantry in the 20th century.
College Hall is the original medieval dining hall, built between 1387 and 1394.
Wooden benches running down either side of the hall date from c. the 16th-17th century and are still in daily use by pupils and staff.
The wall panelling dates also from c. 1540. The stained glass dates from 1926 and was designed by R.M.Y Gleadowe, Art Master at the College between the wars.
The College Kitchen, though somewhat modified in terms of size, and very different in terms of equipment and function, must be one of the oldest in the country with a continuous history of use.
The Cloisters were consecrated together with the Chapel in the summer of 1395. They were intended to have a religious purpose from the start and memorial brasses appeared in the Cloisters early in the College’s history.
Later generations have added their own memorials, including the stone marquetry picture of George Mallory on the North Col of Everest.
The Cloisters were also intended for secular purposes. The stone bench running round the inside wall was clearly designed to make it possible to have lessons there in the warmer months. The term ‘Cloister time’ is still used today for the summer term.
Personal marks have been left by scores of pupils who have carved their initials into the stonework. Many, including ‘TK’ for Thomas Ken, are from the 17th century.
In the centre of the garth of Cloisters is a Chantry Chapel, which was erected between 1420 and 1446 for masses to be said for the soul of John Fromond, Steward of the College Manors, who died in 1420.
After the suppression of the chantries in the mid-16th century, this chapel instead housed the books which are now in the Fellows’ Library. In 1875 the books were moved and Chantry was fitted out for use as a Junior Chapel, as numbers in the school had reached a point where they could not all fit into the main Chapel at once.
It seems likely that the upper room was always intended as a library, and in 1951 the room was again fitted out as a library in order to house the school’s Wiccamical collections. It is still used for this purpose today, along with storage of some of the College’s broader archives.
The red brick Schoolroom, called ‘School’, built between 1683 and 1687, was one of a number of improvements to the College which can be attributed to John Nicholas, Warden of the College between 1679-1711.
The interior layout of School was designed to have a class in each corner of the room: the boys sitting on narrow tiered benches at the east and west ends, and a master’s throne for each class.
One of the benches has been preserved, along with the Headmaster’s Throne and smaller seat of the Second Master.
Winchester College’s War Cloister was the vision of Headmaster Montague Rendall and was originally designed as a memorial to the 500 Wykehamists killed during the First World War. Their names are engraved on the outer walls, whilst the Wykehamists who died in World War II were later listed on the inner columns. Outside War Cloister, additional memorials have been added to those killed in conflicts since 1945.
The great roofed quadrangle was designed by the architect Sir Herbert Baker with contributions from the Art Master R.M.Y. Gleadowe, who designed the gates and the Lombardic script that runs all the way around the cloister. Work began in 1922 and the memorial was dedicated by the Duke of Connaught on 31st May 1924. It is the largest private war memorial in Europe.
