City Guide 6 min read

Things to Do in Winchester

Published Nov 30th 2021

Winchester is the county town of Hampshire and is one of the country’s oldest cities. The city is one of the UK’s most popular cities for students to study in and is home to a great university!

In this guide, we will show you Winchester’s location, talk about the things to do in Winchester, the transport in Winchester, a brief history of the city and the sporting culture of Winchester, as well as the famous folks from Winchester.

Location

Sitting on the course of the River Itchen is the city of Winchester, which is based on sixty-one miles South West of London and nearly fourteen miles from Southampton. The city has a reported population of roughly 116,800.

Things to do in Winchester

There is a rich and vibrant nightlife in Winchester. Everything that you could need is here, whether it be a restaurant that you’re looking for a bar or a pub or a nightclub, everything is covered for you here. We’ve compiled a list of three places that we think will be perfect for you, regardless of what you’re looking after.

First up we have, VODKA Bar & Nightclub, which is one of the most popular places to go for a night out in Winchester. The club has a different number of themed nights and also runs a fresher’s week too. The club has some of the best live music you’ve heard and some DJ sets too, everything you need is right here. Next up, we have one of the best examples of your typical British pub in The Black Bottle; the pub is one of the best places in Winchester to enjoy a relaxed atmosphere and to enjoy some time away from the hustle and bustle of a nightclub. The staff are friendly, and the alcohol is always served just how you like it. And finally, we have The Winchester Club, Winchester’s premier social club, which features everything that you could need to have a real good time. Complete with a pool table, a bowling alley, a poker table and more. You’ll definitely love it here!

The city of Winchester has a strong and proud history, and the inhabitants have celebrated for a very long time. Winchester is so proud of its fascinating museums that the city has such as; Winchester’s Military Museum or the City Museum Winchester, all of which are affordable and accessible to the public.

There are plenty of cinemas in Winchester too, if you’re looking for a night out with friends watching films; one of the best places to go to to see these films is the Everyman Winchester, which is a mixture of a cafe and a cinema, and definitely worth checking out if you’re looking to see classic or modern films.

Winchester has many things in place to bring the community closer together including the Winchester Festival, which features some of the best in live music, topical discussions, special guests and a number of added extras too! We recommend you book your tickets as soon as possible!

Transport

The transport services in Winchester are small but exceptional.

The city runs a Park and RIde service which is provided by Stagecoach South and runs all over the city. For those looking to travel to other major cities, such as Southampton, there are further services provided by Bluestar. There are also national coach services provided by National Express and Megabus.

The main train station in Winchester is the Winchester Railway Station, which runs trains to London, Portsmouth, Southampton, Birmingham, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Manchester.

There is no airport in the city, the closest airport is located in Southampton, with the Southampton International Airport.

Universities in the City

There is only one university in the city, the University of Winchester, which was initially established in 1840 as the Winchester Diocesan Training School, before receiving university status in 2005 and re-branding as the University of Winchester. The university is part of the Cathedrals Group.

The students of the university are represented by the Winchester Student Union (WSU). In conjunction with the university’s Athletics Union, the student union represents a number of different sports teams, including the university’s various football teams, rugby teams, hockey teams, netball teams and basketball teams among others.

The union also represents the interests of various societies as well, such as the Winchester Comic Book Society, the Winchester University Debating Society (WUDS) and more.

The union also represents elements of the student media, such as Sound Radio, the student radio station. The station is an active member of the Student Radio Association, which they joined in 2017 and won a Student Radio Award in 2018 and also won the Most Improved Student Radio Station at the I Love Student Radio Awards 2019.

History and Culture

During the Roman conquest of Britain, Winchester was considered to be the provincial capital of the Belgae and was referred to as the Venta of the Belgae. When the Romans left Britain, the Belgae was dissolved and Winchester became its own settlement.

The city was also home to a fire in 1141, which was the Rout of Winchester, which destroyed hundreds of structures and buildings. The city was later restored by William of Wykeham, who also had a hand in the structuring of the city’s cathedral (as he was the Bishop of Winchester) and was also a key player in the creation of Winchester College.

Winchester has always been known as a city in some regards, but was mainly referred to as one in 1519, when the city became the capital of Wessex. During the Middle Ages, Winchester was a very important centre for the trading of wool.

Sport

Winchester has a small but passionate sporting culture as well.

Winchester FC is the main football club for the city, who plays in the Southern League, however, there is also Winchester Castle FC, who plays in the Hampshire League. The city did have a very prosperous Saturday/Sunday League side Winchester & District League, however, the league folded in 2010. The city also has Winchester City Flyers, which is a ladies team, which was established in 1996.

The city’s main cricket club is St. Cross Symondians Cricket Club, which was one of the first cricket clubs in the county of Hampshire and is one of the largest cricket clubs in the county.

The city’s main Rugby Union side is Winchester RFC, who play in the London 2 South West, the club has recently won the Hampshire Colts Division 1 in 2019.