I read in a guidebook about the Hospital of Saint Cross before we went to Winchester. It lies on the Pilgrims' Trail but not on the Pilgrims' Way - it was about two miles round trip along the side of the River Itchen and was a nice walk.
The Hospital is one of England's oldest continuing Almshouses and the oldest charitable institution in the United Kingdom. It houses private, individual apartments for 25 elderly men who are known as 'Brothers'. These men wear red or black gowns (black robed Brothers are members of the charitable institution of the Order of the Hospital of Saint Cross; they also wear a silver badge that is the Cross of Jerusalem whilst those in red are members of the Order of Noble Poverty and they were a silver Cardinal's badge) and a trencher hat for the daily Church services and formal occasions.
The Church at its centre is Norman and it has a Tudor cloister and a mediaeval hall and kitchen.
The Hospital was said to have originated in a walk that the grandson of William the Conqueror, Henry Blois, took in the meadows as he was stopped by a young peasant girl who begged Henry to help as her people were starving because of the Civil War. Henry was moved and, when he came across the ruins of a religious house further along, he resolved to establish a new community to help the poor. Whether the story is true is unclear but Henry was wealthy and powerful: a knight, monk and politician. he became the Bishop of Winchester in 1129 when he was 29 and founded the Hospital around 1132-36 to support 13 poor men (these became the Brothers of Saint Cross) who were too frail to work and to feed 100 men at the gates each day (the Hospital was endowed with mills, farms and land but the water was unsuitable for drinking and so a lot of ale and beer were required).
In the 15th Century Cardinal Beaufort created the Order of Noble Poverty and added the Almshouse to the existing Hospital buildings.
The whole place is very beautiful but there are two things of particular interedt to the Pilgrim: 1. It has a stamp which can be used on your Pilgrim passport. 2. It still gives out the Wayfarer's Dole (and is the only place in Britain to do so) - a cup of ale and a small piece of bread.
The ale tasted vile to me but I'm not a drinker having never found any alcohol that I could stomach - I was told that it was quite mile in flavour compared to some ale but can't comment on this! To receive this we went into the small shop/reception (where we also got the stamp) and asked for the Wayfarer's Dole and then were allowed into the grounds to eat and drink before going into the Church (I think entry is normally £3 but am not sure).
This place is definitely worth a visit.
The Hospital is one of England's oldest continuing Almshouses and the oldest charitable institution in the United Kingdom. It houses private, individual apartments for 25 elderly men who are known as 'Brothers'. These men wear red or black gowns (black robed Brothers are members of the charitable institution of the Order of the Hospital of Saint Cross; they also wear a silver badge that is the Cross of Jerusalem whilst those in red are members of the Order of Noble Poverty and they were a silver Cardinal's badge) and a trencher hat for the daily Church services and formal occasions.
The Church at its centre is Norman and it has a Tudor cloister and a mediaeval hall and kitchen.
The Hospital was said to have originated in a walk that the grandson of William the Conqueror, Henry Blois, took in the meadows as he was stopped by a young peasant girl who begged Henry to help as her people were starving because of the Civil War. Henry was moved and, when he came across the ruins of a religious house further along, he resolved to establish a new community to help the poor. Whether the story is true is unclear but Henry was wealthy and powerful: a knight, monk and politician. he became the Bishop of Winchester in 1129 when he was 29 and founded the Hospital around 1132-36 to support 13 poor men (these became the Brothers of Saint Cross) who were too frail to work and to feed 100 men at the gates each day (the Hospital was endowed with mills, farms and land but the water was unsuitable for drinking and so a lot of ale and beer were required).
In the 15th Century Cardinal Beaufort created the Order of Noble Poverty and added the Almshouse to the existing Hospital buildings.
The whole place is very beautiful but there are two things of particular interedt to the Pilgrim: 1. It has a stamp which can be used on your Pilgrim passport. 2. It still gives out the Wayfarer's Dole (and is the only place in Britain to do so) - a cup of ale and a small piece of bread.
The ale tasted vile to me but I'm not a drinker having never found any alcohol that I could stomach - I was told that it was quite mile in flavour compared to some ale but can't comment on this! To receive this we went into the small shop/reception (where we also got the stamp) and asked for the Wayfarer's Dole and then were allowed into the grounds to eat and drink before going into the Church (I think entry is normally £3 but am not sure).
This place is definitely worth a visit.
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