Winchester

Winchester, city, county town of Hampshire, southern England, formerly the capital of England under Alfred the Great. It lies on the River Itchen. The city's economy is based upon tourism, education, computing, and light industry. The boys' school Winchester College was founded in 1382 by William of Wykeham. The city's cathedral is said to be one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the world. It is one of England's largest cathedrals, and dates mostly from the 11th to 16th centuries. William II, killed while hunting in the New Forest in 1100, is buried in the cathedral, which was also the scene of the marriage of Mary Tudor to Philip II of Spain in 1554. The novelist Jane Austen died in Winchester in 1817 and is buried in the cathedral. The city was once surrounded by medieval walls, which were built on the site of a Roman wall, but today only the Westgate still stands. The Round Table, claimed to be that of King Arthur, hangs in the 13th-century Great Hall that is the only surviving part of Winchester Castle. Winchester has a Crown Court, and is the headquarters of the Hampshire police force. Population 107,213 (2001) .