| Winchester Cathedral | - Winchester Cathedral has its origins in the 7th century, when a Christian Church was first built on this site.
- This Cathedral Church, so named because it houses the throne (or ‘cathedra’) of the Bishop of Winchester, has its origins in the seventh century, when a Christian Church was first built on the site.
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In its pomp, Winchester Cathedral stood at the heart of Alfred's Wessex - a magnificent monument to the wealth and influence of the ancient capital of England. Today, the cathedral seems as imposing as ever - still dominating the city centre landscape. But just over 100 years ago the cathedral was in danger of disappearing altogether. The original structure was built on swamp land over 1000 years ago, and the foundations were beginning to sink. The BBC Two series Cathedral looked into the role of the engineers and one man in particular, the diver William Robert Walker who played a key role in the reconstruction of the foundations.
 | | Winchester Cathedral |
The cathedral's west window - the grand stained glass window above the entrance - has also undergone a transformation since its creation. During the English Civil War the window suffered extensive damage - to the point where its original design was completely lost. Contemporary accounts tell of Cromwell's soldiers storming into the cathedral on horseback and wrecking the window - perhaps because it was the most visible symbol of the cathedral's wealth. The broken glass however was not discarded. During the Restoration - after the Civil War - the thousands of pieces of broken glass were recovered and the window painstakingly repaired. Only a few sections of the window survived the raid unscathed. The remaining fragments were arranged into an abstract collection of fragments - as it appears today. | 
