Winchester: The Butter Cross

During the summer, I stopped off for a couple of hours in Winchester on my train journey down to Dorchester.

One of the things that most caught my eye there was the Butter Cross which dates back to the 14th century.

Have just read that the Butter Cross probably got its name from being the place where dairy products were traditionally sold in Winchester.

Have also just read that the figures on the Butter Cross include Our Lady and saints Peter; Bartholomew; Swithun (Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester); John; Lawrence; Maurice; and Thomas, and that at a later date, were added the figures of William of Wykeham; Lawrence de Anne; King Alfred; and either St. John the Evangelist or St. Amphibalus (a friend of St. Alban).

Thankfully, the Buttercross survived the destruction of both Henry VIII and Cromwell's Civil War.