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Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
How to spend 48 hours following the trial of Jane Austen in Winchester - plus where to stay and what to eat
I've been a Jane Austen obsessive since university, when I spent a whole happy term immersed in her novels (much more enjoyable than the term spent trying to decipher Middle English). So, in recognition of the 250th year since her birth, I leapt at the chance to visit the city she often visited (and where she is now buried in the cathedral): Winchester. SATURDAY 10am My first stop is City Museum, where I learn the story of England's ancient capital, once seat of Alfred the Great. I also gaze at a silk coat once worn by Winchester's other famous resident, Jane Austen. The city is all over her 250th birthday (£8, 11.45am I walk to local favourite Open House Deli. Pancakes with banana and hazelnut chocolate (above, £9.75) are tempting, but I opt for the virtuous yet delicious hummus, poached eggs and feta bowl with chickpeas, chilli and kale (£11.95, 1pm Winchester's Regency women were super-stylish, and the city is still full of excellent shops. I visit The Well Worn, which does a great line in ethical ruffly blouses; Sass & Edge (above), for brands such as Ba&sh and The Consortium, where I unleash my inner trinket magpie. 3pm Winchester College opened in 1382 as a feeder school for New College, Oxford, and I feel an Oxbridge vibe as I cross cobbles and quads to its museum. I'm here for the Austen highlights, which include first editions (above, free, 2-4pm daily, 4pm For this summer only, Winchester College has opened No 8 College Street, where Austen died aged 41. Tickets are sold out, but sign up for returns at I'm moved to see the simple window view she contemplated as she passed her final days. 5pm Time to check in to the centrally located Winchester Royal Hotel (from £125 for a garden-view double, The staff are attentive and it has a lovely large garden. My no-frills room has everything I need: a kettle for tea and a comfy bed. 7pm The Old Vine is an 18th-century inn near Winchester Cathedral. Its menu focuses on pub classics such as sausage and mash, done to perfection. I'm charmed both by my waiter and the mac-and-cheese dinner I scoff (£15.50, 10.30am After the hotel buffet breakfast, it's time for a Sunday walk. I stroll the 2.6-mile Viaduct Way, a who's who of the city's historic sights. The Victorian Guildhall, King Alfred's statue, the Winchester City Mill and the 1891 Hockley Viaduct (above) are all en route. 12.30pm To Winchester Cathedral, where an exhibition explores the friendship between Austen and Anne Lefroy (until 19 Oct, free with a £13 annual pass, Finally, I say farewell to the author at her grave within the cathedral walls (above).
BBC News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
County flag travels across the world for Somerset Day
The Somerset flag has been flown in all corners of the world to celebrate Somerset BBC Radio Somerset presenters were challenged to fly the flag for Somerset in as many breath-taking locations, or as far away from the county, as possible. Presenter Andy Bennett managed to get the flag on to the windows of Dave's Coaches from TV show Gavin and Stacey, while Mel Everett flew in a hot air balloon with the Day is celebrated on 11 May and marks Alfred the Great's call to the people of Somerset to march against the invading Viking army. It is now a celebration of all that is "great" about Somerset. Dave's Coaches, a fictitious company from the TV show Gavin and Stacey, drove the Somerset flag around Barry Island in South Wales. Mel Everett flew the flag on top of Dunkery Beacon in Exmoor. The Somerset Patriots Baseball Team in Somerset County, New Jersey, USA, wished a happy Somerset Day. The flag was flown high into the sky on the Navy Wings aircraft. Cider company Thatchers agreed to fly the Somerset flag on their lorries for the next year. The flag was also displayed on the caves at Wookey Hole. Mel Everett held the flag up while going down the Hangloose Eden Project zip wire. Simon Parkin managed to get the flag to Hollywood and displayed it next to jazz musician Benny Goodman's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Mel Everett flew the flag up into the air on a hot air balloon.
