From the Chairman - TrustNews July 17
This is a celebration issue of the Trust News for the City of Winchester Trust which was founded in 1957 as you will see from reading Michael Carden’s article. We are therefore sixty years old and still going strong, although as always we could do with some more active, willing members to help the cause of protecting Winchester’s heritage. This we regard as a major asset, for our historic city is a commercial attraction to be added to, but not in a destructive way. See John Hearn’s article.
We were founded as a reaction to what was seen by Wintonians in 1957 as wanton destruction of much of Winchester‘s historic fabric. At that time the imperative was to improve traffic flow, as well as forming open areas for car parking, in particular the site now occupied by the Brook Street shopping centre which became a car park for many years, before the indifferent development that now occupies this site.
There are a number of articles to which we would like to hear your reaction! For example, looking at Richard Baker’s time-line: what other significant dates do you think should be marked in? And see the proposal that Winchester should be able to offer a venue for quality music making, thereby helping to change the direction that the City is currently being pushed, that is down a more commercial route. Do you agree?
If you have not seen Roger Brown’s restored model of Winchester, in the Winchester Museum, then you are missing a treat. It is brilliant and the new museum service deserve congratulations on rescuing this tour de force (constructed by Roger with considerable help from Michael Morris over many years in his garage, which had to be extended as the model grew) from a slow death.
The back cover closes this issue with illustrations of Winchester's four great institutions: Winchester Cathedral with its roots going back deep into the Saxon period, St Johns, founded in 931 AD, St Cross hospital, founded around 1182AD, and Winchester College founded in the 14"‘ century. All these institutions founded so long ago still exist, and what is remarkable still undertake what they were intended for.