Winchester Cathedral | |
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Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, St Peter, St Paul and St Swithun | |
![]() View of the long nave, central tower and west end. | |
51°3′38″N 1°18′47″W / 51.06056°N 1.31306°W | |
Location | Winchester, Hampshire |
Country | England |
Denomination | Church of England |
Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
Website | www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk |
History | |
Dedication | |
Architecture | |
Heritage designation | Grade I |
Designated | 24 March 1950[1] |
Style | Norman, Gothic |
Years built | 1079–1532 |
Groundbreaking | 1079 |
Specifications | |
Length | 558 ft 1 in (170.1 m) |
Nave width | 82 feet (25 m) (including aisles) |
Nave height | 78 feet (24 m) |
Floor area | 53,480 square feet (4,968 m2) |
Tower height | 150 feet (46 m) |
Bells | 14 + sharp 4th and flat 8th |
Tenor bell weight | 35 long cwt 2 qr 6 lb (3,982 lb / 1,806 kg) |
Administration | |
Province | Canterbury |
Diocese | Winchester (since c. 650) |
Clergy | |
Bishop(s) | Philip Mounstephen |
Dean | Catherine Ogle |
Precentor | Andy Trenier (& Sacrist) |
Chancellor | Roland Riem (Vice-Dean & Pastor) |
Canon(s) | Gary Philbrick |
Canon Missioner | Dr Tess Kuin Lawton |
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity,[2] Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Swithun,[3] commonly known as Winchester Cathedral, is the cathedral of the city of Winchester, England, and is among the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Winchester and is the mother church for the ancient Diocese of Winchester. It is run by a dean and chapter, under the Dean of Winchester.
The cathedral as it stands today was built from 1079 to 1532 and is dedicated to numerous saints, most notably Swithun of Winchester. It has a very long and very wide nave in the Perpendicular Gothic style, an Early English retrochoir, and Norman transepts and tower. With an overall length of 558 feet (170 m), it is the longest medieval cathedral in the world.[4] With an area of 53,480 square feet (4,968 m2),[5] it is also the sixth-largest cathedral by area in the UK, surpassed only by Liverpool, St Paul's, York, Westminster (RC) and Lincoln.
A major tourist attraction, the cathedral attracted 365,000 visitors in 2019, an increase of 12,000 from 2018.[6]