The Crown and Anchor is at the bottom of the High Street, opposite the Town Hall and is a nice, old-fashioned sort of place. The staff are friendly and there is a really pleasant patio to the rear. The menu is what you would expect; 'pub grub' at a decent price. The pub is located opposite Abbey House (the mayor's official residence).
Monday 12 April 2010
Sunday 11 April 2010
The William Walker, Winchester, Hampshire
Named after William Walker who's entry on wikipedia is below, a fascinating chap:-
William Walker MVO (1869–1918) was an English diver famous for shoring up the southern and eastern sides of Winchester Cathedral.
He was born William Robert Bellenie, in Newington, Surrey, England, in 1869. Around 1900, he adopted the name William Bellenie-Walker, eventually dropping the Bellenie part to be known as Walker.
In 1887, he began diver training at Portsmouth Dockyard. He worked through the roles of diver's attendant and diver's signal man, passing his medical exam and deep-water test to qualify as a deep-water diver in 1892.[1]
In his time, William Walker was the most experienced diver of Siebe Gorman Ltd. In 1906–1911, working in water up to a depth of six metres (20 feet), he shored up Winchester Cathedral, using more than 25,000 bags of concrete, 115,000 concrete blocks, and 900,000 bricks.
William Walker statuette at Winchester Cathedral
Before his work, the cathedral had been in imminent danger of collapse as it sank slowly into the ground, which consisted of peat. To enable bricklayers to build supporting walls, the groundwater level had to be lowered. Normally, the removal of the groundwater would have caused the collapse of the building. So, to give temporary support to the foundation walls, some 235 pits were dug along the southern and eastern sides of the building, each about six metres deep. Walker went down and shored up the walls by putting concrete underneath them. He worked six hours a day—in complete darkness, because the sediment suspended in the water was impenetrable to light.
After Walker finished his work, the groundwater was pumped out and the concrete he had placed bore the foundation walls. Conventional bricklayers then were able to do their work in the usual way and restore the damaged walls.
During his time working at Winchester, Walker cycled home, 150 miles to Croydon and back, each weekend to see his family.[2] He married twice. His first wife died before he began work at Winchester. He married his second wife, sister of his first, in 1907, and had several children during his years working at Winchester.
To celebrate the completion of the work, a thanksgiving service, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury, was held on July 15, 1912. At this, Walker was presented with a silver rose bowl by King George V. Newspaper reports at the time remarked that this was the second time Walker had met George V, the first being when the king was a naval cadet and Walker was his diving instructor.[3]
Later, Walker was honoured by being appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO).
An interview that Walker gave to the Hampshire Observer in 1911[1] gives insight into his work. In it, Walker reveals that, unlike some other divers, he had never worked on any treasure dives. Other aspects of his work:
* Rescue work, December 1896, at the River Level Colliery near Aberent, Wales, when the pit was flooded and six men and boys drowned.
* Work on the building of the Blackwall Tunnel, 1891–1897.
* Being foreman in charge of works on the construction of the new naval docks in Gibraltar.
* Work on the construction of the jetty for the Royal Victoria Dock Granary, 1905.
* Emergency work, which called him away from Winchester, on the wreck of the SS Dordone in Newport.
* Work with Sir Leonard Hill developing linear decompression tables.
Part of the interview article: "In cold water diving he [William] explained what a man has to contend with is the pressure. At Gibraltar he says ‘two of my men died through pressure of water." (Hampshire Observer, 2 September 1911)
In response to questions about his work on Winchester, William says "'It was not difficult. It was straightforward work, but had to be carefully done'. He went on to say that Mr Jackson had told him that he was very pleased with the work and that he had done what no other man had done—that was he had laid the foundations of a whole cathedral, Walker said 'I am proud of the honour'". (Hampshire Observer, 2 September 1911)
Walker died during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 and is buried in Beckenham Cemetery, London.
Friday 9 April 2010
Friday 2 April 2010
The Bucks Head, Meonstoke, Hampshire
Surrounded by fields and woodlands, nestled in the Meon Valley, The Bucks Head is a beautiful 16th Century Village Inn on the banks of the river Meon.
Thursday 1 April 2010
The Bishop on the Bridge, Winchester, Hampshire
The Bishop on the Bridge can be found at 1 High Street beside the City Bridge. It is a large establishment and there is a terrace out the back where you can drink and eat whilst watching the ducks on the river Itchen. The food is good. It is also a very popular place in the evening for the youth of the city.
Friday 12 March 2010
Friday 5 February 2010
The Phoenix, Hartley Wintney
The pub dates back to the 1670’s as a traditional coaching inn and has been surpassed by the age of the motorcar.
During the 1930’s the then Landlord was Tim Carson, a Vauxhall 30-98 enthusiast, with a group of friends founded the Vintage Sports Car Club.
The Phoenix Inn and adjoining Phoenix Garage is steeped in motoring heritage and will surprise and delight your senses.
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