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, ) and All Saints’ Margaret Street, London) and W. D. Caröe, architect of No 1 Millbank in London SW1, now the House of Lords’s Offices. The latter played a significant, but discreet role in updating Chamber Court. Many of the architects who worked here were also involved in the school’s sister foundation, New College, Oxford.
