The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty is a
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
almshouse in
Winchester,
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It has been described as "England's oldest and most perfect almshouse". Most of the buildings and grounds are open to the public at certain times. It is a Grade I
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
History
It was founded by
Henry of Blois,
Bishop of Winchester, grandson of
William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
and younger brother to
King Stephen in 1136.
[
]
Architecture
The building is constructed of stone and surrounds two quadrangles. The smaller Outer Quadrangle to the north consists of: the outer gate (16th century); the brewhouse (14th century); from the 15th century, the guest wing, kitchen (which had to produce food for thirteen poor men and 100 men at the gates); the porter's lodge and the three-storey Beaufort Tower of c. 1450. This has three niches above the arch, one of which still contains the weathered statue of Cardinal Beaufort
Cardinal Henry Beaufort (c. 1375 – 11 April 1447), Bishop of Winchester, was an English prelate and statesman who held the offices of Bishop of Lincoln (1398) then Bishop of Winchester (1404) and was from 1426 a Cardinal of the Church of Ro ...
, who was Bishop of Winchester, and the tower and spaces above the porter's lodge used to be the Master's lodging.
Passing beneath the tower, the Inner Quadrangle is reached. The north range includes the 14th-century Brethren's Hall (which had to be large enough for the Brethren and 100 poor men), entered via a flight of steps in a stone porch. There is a timber screen with gallery above, within which is also a splendid timber roof, arch braced; a central hearth and a dais
A dais or daïs ( or , American English also but sometimes considered nonstandard)[dais]
in the Random House Dictionary< ...
where the Master dined with the Brethren in the main part of the hall; and a wooden staircase leading to the Master's rooms in the south-east corner. The main set of two-storeyed lodgings are on the north-west and west sides of the quadrangle; these house the 25 inmates and are notable for the tall, regularly spaced chimneys and doorways, each leading to four sets of apartments. There used to be a corresponding range on the south side joined to the church, but this was demolished in 1789.[ The eastern or infirmary range is occupied by an ambulatory.][
The 12th-century and 13th-century church in the south-east corner is more like a miniature ]cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...
than a typical almshouse chapel. The building is stone-vaulted throughout, with transepts
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...
and a central tower. The walls are over a metre thick, made from stone from Caen, Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...
, and the Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
as well as local flint. The roof is lead
Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
. The building is in Transitional Norman/ Gothic style. Started in 1135, the chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ov ...
was the first part, built two bays deep with aisles. This is typically Norman, with round-headed windows and much chevron ornament. But the main arches in the arcade and beneath the central tower are slightly pointed in the Gothic manner. The three-bay aisled nave and transepts continue the style. Between 1383 and 1385, a large tracery
Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support the ...
window was inserted in the west front, and the clerestory windows in the nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
were enlarged and a north porch added. Several medieval encaustic tiles survive on the floor. There are also traces of medieval wall painting
A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage.
Word mural in art
The word ''mural'' is a Spanish ...
s. The stained glass is mainly 19th century. The font came from the nearby St Faith's Church, which was demolished in 1507.[Hopewell, Peter (1995). ''Saint Cross: England's Oldest Almshouse'' ]
Charitable work
The Hospital still provides accommodation for a total of 25 elderly men, known as "The Brothers", under the care of "The Master". They belong to either of two charitable foundations: those belonging to the Order of the Hospital of St Cross (founded around 1132) wear black trencher hats and black robes with a silver badge in the shape of a Jerusalem cross
The Jerusalem cross (also known as "five-fold Cross", or "cross-and-crosslets") is a heraldic cross and Christian cross variant consisting of a large cross potent surrounded by four smaller Greek crosses, one in each quadrant. It was used as t ...
, while those belonging to the Order of Noble Poverty (founded in 1445) wear claret
Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...
trencher hats and claret robes with a silver cardinal's badge in memory of Cardinal Beaufort
Cardinal Henry Beaufort (c. 1375 – 11 April 1447), Bishop of Winchester, was an English prelate and statesman who held the offices of Bishop of Lincoln (1398) then Bishop of Winchester (1404) and was from 1426 a Cardinal of the Church of Ro ...
. They are often referred to as the "Black Brothers" and the "Red Brothers". Brothers must be single, widowed or divorced, and over 60 years of age. Preference is given to those in most need. They are expected to wear their robes and attend daily morning prayers in the Church.
The Hospital continues an ancient tradition in the "Wayfarer's Dole", which consists of a small horn cup of ale and a piece of bread. The dole
Dole may refer to:
Places
* Dole, Ceredigion, Wales
* Dole, Idrija, Slovenia
* Dole, Jura, France
** Arrondissement of Dole
* Dole (Kladanj), a village at the entity line of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina-Republika Srpska
* Dole, Ljubušk ...
was started by a Cluniac monk and can be obtained by anyone who asks at the Porter's Lodge.
Media
The Hospital was used in the filming of ''The Day of the Triffids'', and in the BBC adaptation of ''Wolf Hall''. It was also featured on '' Songs of Praise''.
Masters of the Hospital
*John Campden (fl. 1399)
* John Lockman (until 1807)
*The Venerable Canon Michael Harley, subsequently Archdeacon of Winchester
The Archdeacon of Winchester is a senior ecclesiastical officer within the Diocese of Winchester.
History
Originally created as the archdeaconry of Basingstoke on 26 July 1927 within the Diocese of Winchester and from the old Archdeaconry of Wi ...
from 2009 to 2015
*The Reverend Reg Sweet
*The Reverend Terry Hemming (current as of September 2022)
Francis North, Earl of Guilford, son of a previous Bishop of Winchester, was Rector of St. Cross from 1829, and the long lasting enquiries into the large revenue that he received as such formed the inspiration for the novel The Warden by Anthony Trollope.[Robert Bernard, Enter Rumour, Four Early Victorian Scandals, 1962, reprinted in Faber Finds 2012]
References
External links
Official website
*
St Cross Village website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hospital Of Saint Cross
Buildings and structures completed in 1450
Towers completed in the 15th century
English medieval hospitals and almshouses
Buildings and structures in Winchester
Hospitals in Hampshire
Hospitals established in the 12th century
Charities based in Hampshire
1130s establishments in England
Grade I listed buildings in Hampshire
Grade I listed almshouses