St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Swithun upon Kingsgate |
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St Swithun upon Kingsgate
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 St Swithun upon Kingsgate
Location in Central Winchester
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| 51°3′33″N 1°18′52″W / 51.05917°N 1.31444°W | |
| Location | Kingsgate, Winchester |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Early English |
| Years built | Thirteenth Century |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Lawrence with St Swithun |
St Swithun upon Kingsgate is a special Church of England church in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was built a long time ago in the Middle Ages using the Early English style of architecture. What makes it unique is that it sits right above the old medieval Kingsgate, which was one of the main entrances to the city. This means the church is actually part of the old city walls!
Records show that St Swithun's church existed in the 13th century. It even appears in a famous book by Anthony Trollope called The Warden, though he gave it a different name, St Cuthbert's.
Contents
History of St Swithun's Church
How Old is St Swithun's?
We don't have exact records of when the church was first built. However, we know it was there by 1264. In that year, there was a big event where parts of Winchester were burned, including "Kingsgate with the church of St Swithun above." This tells us the church was already standing on top of the gate.
The church was likely a chapel for people who worked for the nearby Abbey. Over the years, it had some repairs. For example, in 1337, some woodwork was done, and in 1484, the windows were fixed.
Who Was St Swithun?
The church is named after St Swithun, an Anglo-Saxon saint. He was born in Winchester and became the city's 19th bishop in 852. He passed away in 862, when King Alfred the Great was still young. Some people believe St Swithun might have been a teacher to the young king.
St Swithun is famous for a legend about the weather. This story started in July 971. That's when his bones were moved from outside the old Saxon cathedral to inside. Legend says this caused a huge thunderstorm!
This led to the well-known rhyme:
- On St Swithun's Day, if then dost rain,
- For forty days it will remain:
- St Swithun's Day, if then be fair,
- For forty days 'twill rain nae mair.
St Swithun's Day is celebrated every year on July 15th.
Changes During the Reformation
In 1538, during the time of the Reformation, many religious sites in England changed. The Shrine of St Swithun in Winchester Cathedral was destroyed. Then, in 1539, the monastery was closed down. Because of these changes, St Swithun upon Kingsgate became a regular parish church for the local community.
The empty space on the East wall of the church probably once held a statue of St Swithun. This statue was likely removed or destroyed around this time.
By the 1600s, the church was in poor condition. It was even used as a home by the gatekeeper of Kings Gate and his wife! But around 1660, the church was fixed up and its bells were re-hung in 1677. It has been a place of worship ever since.
St Swithun's in Literature
St Swithun's church is featured in Anthony Trollope's novel The Warden. In the book, the main character, Warden Harding, becomes the Rector of "St Cuthbert's." This fictional church is actually St Swithun's.
Trollope wrote about the church in the 1850s. He described it as a "singular little Gothic building, perched over a gateway." He said it was "no bigger than an ordinary room." While his description is mostly true, the church is over Kings Gate itself, not the nearby gateway to the Close. Also, the stairway to the church is made of wood, not stone as he wrote.
St Swithun's Today
Today, Kings Gate is a scheduled monument, which means it's an important historical site protected by the City of Winchester. The church itself is a grade I listed building, meaning it's very important historically and architecturally. The local church parish is responsible for its care.
The east window of the church has some beautiful pieces of old medieval stained glass. These fragments, which might show the Annunciation, were brought to St Swithun's in 1961 from another church nearby.
You can enter the church by climbing a wooden staircase that dates back to the 1500s. The entrance is on St Swithun Street, next to one of the arches of Kings Gate.
A very important person, the late Lord Coggan, who used to be the Archbishop of Canterbury, often visited this church after he retired. He would sometimes even play the piano during services! His funeral was held at St Swithun's on May 26, 2000. You can see his initials carved on a bench inside the church, remembering him.
Images for kids
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The beautiful East window inside the church.
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An outside view of St Swithun-upon-Kingsgate Church. You can see the entrance staircase on the right.
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A memorial inside the church for William Henry Laverty, who was a church member and died in World War I.
