Winchester: Heroes & Villains

Can you name twenty people who helped make Winchester what it is today? Most would mention King Alfred and quite a few would mention William Walker, however, there exists a millennium between these two figures, so many others merit inclusion between these two bookends.

This book is a personal selection of twenty people down the centuries who made an impact on Winchester. Do you agree, who in your opinion has been omitted and why? The distinction between hero and villain depends on perspective and is not always clear cut.

Garry Honey is a local author who has published two earlier books on Winchester. The first was an outline of four Saxon Queens who deserve more credit in history largely written by men. The second was a look at how the religious powerhouse created by Alfred and Edgar was destroyed by Henry VIII and the Reformation when creating the Church of England. Do we miss our saints, shrines and pilgrimages in the modern age?