Winchester Round Table & Castle

Winchester, once the capital of England, is home to the Winchester Castle and its Great Hall in which the Winchester Round Table is displayed. No, this is not thee round table as in Arther's Knights of the Round Table. This table, rather, was made in likeness of Arther's table to embody the symbolism of equality that the round table implies.

Historically, King Arther was said to create the first round table to prevent quarrels among his barons; Being that there is no head, everyone seated is equal. King Arther's court was well-renowned for its traditions and code of chivalry, and tournaments featuring jousting, dancing, and feasting were held in imitation of Arther's court. These tournaments were known as "Round Tables" and it's believed that the Winchester Table was created for such a tournament.

The Great Hall, which houses this table, is immense with large intricately designed stained-glass windows, wooden beams along the ceiling, and rows of large medieval columns. Standing in the center of the hall, in the cold shadow of the great ancient stone walls, I felt minuscule, as a commoner certainly would have felt in the exact same spot decades ago in the presence of royalty.

The surrounding castle, also decorated with shiny, flint stone walls still looked the part of historical royalty on the outside, but after peering into the windows to spot some ancient world, I was disappointed to see a completely modern revamped interior with a man sitting at his office desk. Guess it makes more sense to use the buildings then just keep them old and empty.

There were, however, underground tunnels still intact from medieval times that visitors are able to explore. The passageways were dark, with water tripping down the walls (it was raining when I visited, surprise, surprise...). The tunnels formed a sort of labyrinth that was made to confuse intruders, and the tunnels were curved in an attempt to deflect the path of arrows from enemies.











♡ - Kristen