The longest medieval cathedral in the world

Winchester Cathedral is a structure of immense scale and historical layering. When Bishop Walkelin began construction of a huge new Norman cathedral in 1079, the project took place on a site just to the south of the Old and New Minsters. This new construction led to the demolition of both the Old and New Minsters, which quickly progressed until virtually no remains were left, though the outline of the Old Minster can still be seen today to the north of the present nave.

The cathedral is 558 feet long, making it the longest medieval cathedral in the world. In the 14th century, Bishop Edington and his successors, notably William of Wykeham and his master mason William Wynford, undertook a massive transformation of the building. They remodelled the massive Norman nave into a soaring Perpendicular Gothic masterpiece by encasing the old Norman stone in new ashlar, recutting the piers with Gothic mouldings and pointed arches, and reorganising the three-tier nave into two tiers.

The building remains the seat of the Bishop of Winchester and is the mother church for the ancient Diocese of Winchester. Visitors can still see the Norman transepts and the soaring Perpendicular Gothic nave that stand today as part of this massive religious site.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons