St Andrews Scotland

 

St Andrews is the world famous home of golf on the coast of Fife, Scotland.

Here's a view of the St Andrews Club House.

Nearby is the beach--the one used in the movie, Chariots of Fire.

No surprise, there's a castle here too.

And a Cathedral

Close to St Andrews Castle is the highly ranked University of St Andrews, which dates to 1413 and is Scotland's oldest university.

The university is where Prince William earned a Master of Arts degree. He switched from Art History to Geography. He also met Kate Middleton who studied art history. The couple married in 2011 and are known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Notes

The city of St Andrews is named after St Andrew the Apostle.

St Andrew, is the patron St of Scotland.

St Andrew's Day is celebrated 30 November. It is also known as the Feast of Saint Andrew and Andermas. It is also a national holiday.

Golf has been played at St Andrews Links for some 600 years. The links are known as the Old Lady, Grand Old Lady, and the Old Course. The 150th Open Championship was played at St Andrews in July 2022.

St Andrews Castle and Cathedral

Bishop Arnold began building the Cathedral in the 1100s. The Cathedral and the castle are ruins. The Catholic Cathedral was the centre of church power as the seat of the Bishops and Archbishops of St Andrews. The ruins indicate how impressive the building must have been before it was destroyed. The castle was the residence of the lead bishop of Scotland in the Middle Ages.

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Winchester Cathedral

I attended services during Easter week and toured the Cathedral to get a sense of this sacred place that reveals so much of English history.

I was there in 2017 and viewed two special events. Near the entrance are storyboards illustrating highlights of the life of Jane Austen whose floor grave marker is near a brass wall plaque. The year marks the 200th anniversary of her death in 1817 at a cottage near the Cathedral. Jane had come to Winchester for treatment of a particular physician but her health declined and she died at age 41. She was buried in the cathedral. The marker did not celebrate her works but a wall plaque added later corrects this oversight. As her fame grew, a memorial window was added above the plaque.






The second event was a display of the 12th century Winchester Bible, which is the magnificent work of one scribe. One of the four volumes was available and opened to an example of the Latin script and colourful artwork. The Bible is thought to have been commissioned by the Bishop of Winchester, grandson of William the Conqueror, in 1160. Staff and storyboards provide more information. There's more available from touchscreen presentations. Photography was not permitted.

Near the Bible exhibit is the oldest section of the Cathedral. You can see examples of art on the walls. And not far away is the oldest area of floor tiles dating from the 13th century.

13th Century tiles, Winchester Cathedral

Also nearby is the crypt, which is open to the public.

Crypt, Winchester Cathedral

The Cathedral is rich in the history of English Kings and church leaders. The remains of many are identified throughout the tour. Perhpas the most famous is King Alfred (849 to 899) who was buried in the Old Minster. In one of the mortunary chests are the reported bones of King Canute (aka Cnut) and Queen Emma.

There is much beauty to be appreciated and photography is permitted with a few exceptions.

A few more photos and a short video clip.

There is a fee for the tour but not for attending services.

There is a gift shop and toilets.

Learn more at the website Winchester Cathedral.

Address: 9 The Close Winchester  Hampshire  SO23 9LS, United Kingdom