Guide to Winchester Living

On this page you will find links to details of property for sale, rental accommodation, shared housing in Winchester. Winchester is situated in Hampshire, South England and was once the capital of Wessex, England in Saxon times. It is just one hour on the train from Waterloo London, and is just off the M3 if travelling by road. South of Fleet and north of the coastal towns of Southampton and Portsmouth. A catherdral city, Winchester Cathedral stands proudly in the city, which had its beginnings in 1079.

It is a very historical city, dating back to 150 BC when a hill fort was built on St Catherine's Hill. Over the years Winchester has had links with Royalty, the Church, learning and education and literature. The Domesday book of 1086 was written in Winchester. In 1666, the Black Death struck the city and over half the population of Winchester was wiped out. However, although having a turbulent past with its links with Royalty and the onslaught of Parliamentarinsm, Winchester did prosper and in 1840 the Railway brought new trade and wealth to the City. Winchester College is now regarded as one of the top education establishments of the country. It has also found fame on the big and small screen by being the backdrop in more than one period drama. Most recently, Elizabeth The Golden Age was filmed in part here, as was part of the DaVinci Code starring Tom Hanks.

Winchester's population is a mix of students, commuters and in the main wealthy families and professionals. People are drawn here by the market town atmosphere with upmarket shopping high street, park and cathedral. Its old stone architecture are a sign of its historic saxon past. Properties for rent by students however are hard to come by, since one bedroom studios near the city centre are on the market for rents in the region of £550 to £650 per calendar month. In the main therefore, students of the colleges will reside in halls of residence or shared housing for 5 or 6 people, on the edge of the city.

The centre of the town's residential areas are in the main Victorian, Edwardian and Georgian houses, however there do still remain some Tudor constructions that are now retail outlets and cafes. On the outskirts of Winchester such as Sutton Scotney, there are impressive properties in this quiet hamlet with just 4 bedrooms in the price region of around £1.7 million. Hence why the area of Winchester is such a popular part of the country to live in for those with the required disposable income.

In Stanmore, a 3 bedroom house will cost in the region of £200,000. These particular houses are in the main terraced or semi detached, with small gardens. Therefore as can be seen, around the city there is generally a shortage of affordable housing and hence there are various schemes in order to make housing available to people of all incomes under the Community Strategy. One such scheme is the shared ownership scheme through Atlantic Housing Limited. At the other end of the scale there are 3 bedroom houses for sale in Fulflood around an average of £500,000.

Winchester is more than a commuter town, and there is much to see and do that is not historically linked. Take for example the Intech science centre and new planetarium which opened on the Easter weekend 2008. This planetarium is the largest in the UK. Just outside of Winchester is the area of Alresford, reknowned for its watercress. In the winter the Christmas markets open up, and stallholders from France and Germany sell their wares, whilst tourists and locals enjoy ice skating on temporary outdoor rink in the shadow of the Cathedral.

Schools in and around Winchester are generally very highly regarded, such as Thorndean school and Peter Symonds college.