This panorama was taken from the main quad of the Hospital of St Cross. The image shows some of the ancient buildings of the medieval hospital. In the picture you can see some of the buildings used by the people, the tower above the entrance gate and the church. This is a very quiet and relaxing place, well worth a visit if you are in Winchester.

Hospital of St Cross - Winchester visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Hospital of St Cross' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Hampshire.

The Hospital of St Cross (Hospital of St Cross & Almshouse of Noble Poverty) is the oldest almshouse in England. It stands in quiet settings on the banks of the River Itchen just 20 minutes walk from the center of Winchester in Hampshire. The Hospital of St Cross has stood on this site since 1132, when it was founded by Henry de Blois, a grandson of William the Conqueror.

Other panoramas from the Hospital of St Cross:

• Brethern's Hall
• Church of St Cross
• Masters Garden
• Walled Garden

The story is that Henry de Blois, who was a wealthy and powerful, was walking nearby when a young peasant girl approached him and pleaded with him to help her people, starving as the result of civil war. de Blois was further moved when he came across a ruined religious house nearby and so resolved to use the site to help the poor. Aged just 28, Henry de Blois was appointed Bishop of Winchester in 1129 and then founded the Hospital of St Cross, creating the oldest charitable institution in England (the word 'Hospital' in this case refers to the Biblical concept of 'Hospitality' and 'charity'). The hospital was designed to support 13 men too frail to work and feed a further 100 people daily at the gate. The people who ran the hospital were not monks, this was not a religious order, but the hospital was granted lands, mills and farms.

In the fifteenth century, Cardinal Beaufort added to the St Cross buildings giving St Cross the look it has today. Little has changed in the last 600 years. Today visitors can explore the old buildings and soak up the meaning behind it. These include a group of grade I listed medieval and Tudor buildings, medieval hall and tower, Tudor cloister, Norman church and gardens reflecting a seventeenth century connection with North America. If you visit the Hospital of St Cross, do not forget to ask for the Wayfarer's Dole (a small beaker of beer and a morsel of bread given to the poor in the past) from the gate-keeper inside the shop.

The Hospital of St Cross & Almshouse of Noble Poverty,
St Cross,
Winchester,
SO23 9SD

Winchester is about 70 miles from London close to the M3. St Cross Road (B3355) runs south from Winchester to the A3090. Visitors can reach the Hospital of St Cross by walking down Back Street and Kingsgate Street to Kingsgate and the city center.