Photograph of 11 The Close, Winchester
Taken about 1870
Under the Puritan regime of the Commonwealth much damage was done to buildings in the Cathedral Close at Winchester, and following the restoration of Charles II in 1660 a good deal of rebuilding was required to provide houses for the clergy who served the Cathedral. The house seen here was built in the 1660s, although a wing was added on the north side and the east facade refaced in the eighteenth century.
In the mid-nineteenth century the appearance of The Close was enhanced by the Dean, Thomas Garnier, who was highly regarded as a gardener. Another resident of some repute was the Organist and Master of Choristers, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, who was a prolific composer of church music.
Beyond the house is seen the west end and part of the south side of the Cathedral with its low Norman tower.
The photograph was taken by Winchester photographer William Savage (1817-87) and is found in an album entitled 'Hampshire Views of Churches, Country Houses and Public Buildings'.