Winchester monarchs such as King Canute and William Rufus. It was once an important pilgrimage centre and housed the shrine of Saint Swithun. The ancient Pilgrims' Way travelling to Canterbury begins at Winchester. The plan of the earlier Old Minster is laid out in the grass adjoining the cathedral. The New Minster (the original burial place of Alfred the Great and Edward the Elder) once stood beside it. The cathedral has a girls choir and a boys choir, which sing on a regular basis at the cathedral. Winchester Cathedral Close contains a number of historic buildings from the time when the
Winchester Cathedral The blue reflects the vault portals of the chapel. The cathedral possesses the only diatonic ring of fourteen church bells in the world, with a tenor (heaviest bell) weighing . The back twelve were all cast by John Taylor & Co in 1937. They were augmented to fourteen when two new trebles and a 4♯ (sharp 4th) were added in 1992 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. Also there is a 8♭ (flat 8th) which was cast by Anthony Bond in 1621. Nowadays the cathedral draws many tourists as a result of its association with Jane Austen, who died in Winchester