Winchester

How would you like a job working six hours a day for six years, wearing diving equipment that weighed more than 198 pounds? PLUS, the water you work in will be murky and thick and ever so dark!

That is exactly what this guy, William Walker, tackled. In the early 1900's, it was found that the cathedral was sinking. Yep. Sinking. So, this dude "dug out the peat deep under the walls, removed the beech rafts from under the foundations section by section, and laid bags of concrete to create a new, solid base underneath the cathedral." Incredible. I know, right!! He was quite a hero.

I think this would fit perfectly under the umbrella of unfavorable jobs.
Water and darkness. Not a great combination.
I was fascinated by this story while visiting the cathedral.

My first  glimpse of Winchester. I know it sounds a bit morbid, but I was very excited to get inside. The grave of a very famous author lies within the cathedral. One of my favorites. Jane Austen. The writer of Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility,
Did you know only four mourners attended her funeral? Four. Just four. Three of her brothers and a nephew. Her beloved sister, Cassandra did not attend. "As women were not expected to attend funerals, Cassandra's last glimpse of the coffin was from 8 College Street. She 'watched the little mournful procession the length of the Street' and it 'turned from her sight.'

Jane Austen died about 4 a.m. on Friday 18 July 1817. "Her pillowed head resting on her sister's knee." Grief. There is no greater emotion. Cassandra writes "...I have lost a treasure, such a Sister, such a friend as never can be surprassed-..."

Jane Austen grave.

It felt a bit surreal to be standing over her grave. Under all that stone lies a very talented and beloved author. Nowhere on this epitaph does it mention Jane as a writer. It is said "Jane Austen would have been surprised and amused to discover that, today, her grave is the most frequently visited in Winchester Cathedral."  I believe she had no idea just how much her work would have an affect on millions of readers around the world long after her death.  She died in 1817 and is known today as one of the greatest writers of all time. Now there is a definition of legacy.  

Close to her grave is this plaque. Written  are these words:

"JANE AUSTEN, known to many by her writings, endeared to her family by the varied charms of her Character and ennobled by Christian faith and piety, was born at Steventon in the County of Hants Dec. xiv, MDCCLXXV, and buried in this Cathedral July XXIV, MDCCCXVII. 'She openeth her mouth with wisdom and in her tongue is the law of kindness.'
(Prov. xxxi, v. xxvi).

I would have liked her. We would have been friends!

Next to the gold plaque hangs this sign.
What a pleasure it was to be able to spend hours in this cathedral. I dreamed of one day visiting. Dreams really do come true.

 My neck was strained from looking up! WOW is all I can say.

Incredible. I didn't want to leave.

The crypt in the cathedral. You can't go in because obviously, it's flooded! It floods regularly. The crypt is the oldest part of the cathedral. 1079. Old. "The crypt was not designed to house the dead but to raise the east end of the cathedral, to make it like the 'holy hill' on which Jerusalem and its Temple were built."
This  sculpture was a gift from artist,  Antony Gormley.  "The sculpture is an encouragement to be still for a moment and to 'sound' the hidden depths of our own spirit."

Be still. Good advice while visiting.  A great place to ponder your place in this big wide world.

I hope you enjoyed this very mini tour of the cathedral. Visit Winchester if you plan to visit the UK. There are other graves, chapels, the Winchester Bible, The Great Screen, and so much more.
You will learn lots and lots of history!

(Information and quotes come  from the guidebook I bought at the cathedral. I tried to write in my journal, but buying the book was so much easier! I have been leafing through it since returning home. If you go, buy the book!)