Site write-ups and building histories, told as heritage reports
A collection of short write-ups on historic places I’ve visited, treated in the style of a heritage site report: location and dating, historical context, sources consulted, and what makes the place worth recording. This is an ongoing body of work as I build toward a career in the historic environment and heritage sector.
St Cross church, Winchester, Hampshire
12th century, with 13th and 15th century additions · Visited March 2026
One of England’s oldest and largest parish churches, built around 1135 as part of the Hospital of St Cross. The Norman nave and chancel are among the best-preserved examples of transitional Romanesque-to-Gothic architecture in the country.
The church was founded by Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester, as part of an almshouse foundation that still operates today, making it one of the oldest continuously functioning charitable institutions in England. Later additions in the 13th and 15th centuries reflect the shifting liturgical needs of the community it served.
What stood out on this visit was the survival of the “Wayfarer’s Dole,” a tradition of giving bread and ale to travellers that continues to this day, and which links the building’s original charitable purpose directly to present-day practice — a rare case of intangible heritage surviving alongside the physical fabric.
Sources: Historic England List Entry 1096825; Victoria County History of Hampshire, Vol. 5; Hospital of St Cross visitor guide.
Nunney Castle, Somerset
Constructed c. 1370 · Visited 2026
A compact, moated fortress in Somerset, built around 1370 by Sir John Delamare, a local knight. Unlike many medieval castles, Nunney was conceived primarily as a status symbol rather than a serious military stronghold — a display of wealth dressed in the language of fortification.
The design is unusually symmetrical for the period: a rectangular four-storey tower flanked by rounded corner turrets, the whole structure ringed by a moat and originally reached by a drawbridge. The moat and towers gesture toward defence, but the scale and layout owe more to French-influenced domestic architecture than to genuine military necessity.
The castle passed through several noble families before falling into disrepair in the 17th century. Its ruins, now in the care of English Heritage, remain remarkably legible — the tower shell, window tracery, and a carved ceiling boss all still visible, offering an unusually clear read of a 14th-century gentry residence.
Sources: Historic England List Entry; English Heritage site guide. (Further primary sources to be added.)
For each new entry, reuse this format: place name and location as the heading, period and visit date in italic beneath it, then Overview / Historical context / What I found notable, and always close with Sources.