Photograph of the Itchen Navigation at Tun Bridge near Winchester
Taken about 1875
In this image Victorians enjoy the recreational facilities provided by the Itchen Navigation once its role as a cargo transportation route had ended. Several boys have congregated at Tun Bridge, about a mile from Winchester, to watch the rowers and swimmers. Winchester College also made use of the stretch of water just south of the city - a Boat Club was established around 1870 with a boathouse opposite the Navigation's Domum Wharf.
In the background is St Giles' Hill, which was the site of an important annual fair in mediaeval times. In 1875 the hill was largely downland, but over the next decades the City Corporation laid out a pleasure ground and private housing gradually spread over the remainder of the area.
The photograph was taken by Winchester photographer William Savage (1817-87) and is found in an album entitled 'Winchester Views of Modern Buildings'.
