King Alfred Origins Tours
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This one or two day tour investigates the origin story of England's greatest King. The tours include visits to the Ashmoleum Museum in Oxford to see the famous 'Alfred Jewel' and Winchester, the ancient capital of Wessex, and seat of its greatest kings. You will also visit the sites of Alfred's greatest battles against the Danes, such as Uffington and Westbury, which are both marked with White Horses. You will also stop at ancient sites connected Alfred's life such as Old Sarum and Shaftesbury Abbey.
TOUR DETAILS BELOW BOOKING LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE Contact: birthofenglandtours@gmail.com |
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The first stop on this tour is the Uffington White Horse, one of the most mysterious monuments in England. It is by far the most ancient of all the white horses and is thought by some to commemorate St George's slaying of a dragon on 'dragon hill', which is just beneath the horse. This legend, and the horse itself, probably inspired King Alfred to win his first victory here against the Vikings. The battle of Ashdown, which is thought to have been fought here, was the first of many military victories for Alfred, and was fought while his brother Ethelred was still King of Wessex. It is likely that this is the source of the association between Alfred and white horses.
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Next we will travel to the small historic market town of Wantage, which celebrates its status as the birthplace of Alfred the great. The town boasts a King Alfred school, a King Alfred Street, a King Alfred Pub, and most importantly a King Alfred Statue right in the middle of the market place. The statue was unveiled by the Prince and princess of Wales in 1877 and was sculpted by Count Gleichen, a relative of Queen Victoria. Alfred was the fifth son of Aethelwulf, King of Wessex, making it unlikely that he would ever rule. However after all four of his elder brothers died Alfred ascended to the throne in 871 AD.
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From Wantage we will travel to Oxford to visit the world famous Ashmoleum Museum and see its most famous and valuable exhibit: The Alfred Jewel. This amazingly intricate piece of gold work is the handle of Alfred's Aestel, the pointer he used to read texts aloud in his royal court. The Jewel reads 'Alfred had me made' and was discovered in a field near Athelney, where Alfred built a fortress and a monastery. It was found in a freshly ploughed field in North Petherton in 1693.
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From Oxford we will travel to Winchester, the ancient capital of Wessex and burial place of its greatest Kings, including Alfred himself. Winchester was the central venue for the national celebration of Alfred in 1901, known as the Alfred centenary, which marked 1000 years since his death. The huge 2.5 x life sized Bronze statue of Alfred, was created by Hamo Thornycroft and dominates the skyline of the town. The ancient streets of Winchester's town center are full of intricate and ornate Medieval architecture and time will be given to explore the shops and historical sights. You will also have the option of visiting the spectacular Winchester Cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of Winchester and mother Church for the ancient Diocese of Winchester. This Gothic Cathedral began construction in 1079 and is the longest Medieval cathedral in the world. |
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Heading west from Winchester we will visit Old Sarum, a site laden with relics from many different eras of English History, from the first Hill Fort, built around 400BC, to its abandonment in the nineteenth century. Alfred's ancestor Cynric captured the hill in 522AD, making it part of Wessex. King Alfred then restored its defences in 871AD as part of his defensive network of burhs, built to defend Wessex against the Danes. The Normans later built a Cathedral and a Motte & Bailey castle here, along with a royal palace for King Henry 1st.
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In AD 888, King Alfred founded the first Abbey exclusively for women in Shaftesbury. His second daughter Aethelgifu was installed as the first Abbess. For six and a half centuries this community flourished, until it was eventually destroyed by Henry VIII in 1539. Only the foundations survive and items recovered in archaeological excavations are now displayed in the museum, alongside a digital representation of how the Abbey may have looked in Alfred's day. The Abbey House and gardens also boast an impressive statue of Alfred.
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From Shaftesbury we will travel north to the site of the Battle of Edington, the most important of Alfred's victories, and the first step in the reconquest of Britain. Here Alfred and the Viking warlord Guthrum fought a bloodly hours-long battle before at last the Danes retreated and began the long walk back to Chippenham, pursued by the Saxons. The white horse, cut in 1778, is thought to have been built to commemorate Alfred's great victory there. The white horse may symbolise Alfred's alleigance to Christ, who is pictured in the book of Revelation as returning riding a white horse into battle. Afterwards many similar horses were cut into local hillsides.
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After this we will follow Alfred's journey back to Chippenham in pursuit of Guthrum and the Danes. Back at Chippenham we will see where the old Saxon settlement stood, this is where Guthrum held out for two weeks before agreeing to Alfred's terms of surrender. The agreement was that Guthrum and his men would be spared and allowed safe passage to East Anglia on condition that Guthrum accept Christian baptism. Here we will have a final meal together within the town's ancient boundaries before bringing the tour to a close. Ethelfled, who travelled with her father on this journey was also likely born in Chippenham. Her story is explored in the Athelstan tour.
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Pricing and availabilty
These tours are currently running on Wednesdays and weekends and during school holidays. As a weekend tour the Alfred Origins Tour begins on Saturday morning and finishes on Sunday early evening.
Prices exclude meals and accommodation, which will be arranged by your guide based on individual requirements. You will need to purchase your own lunches at Wantage and Shaftesbury (lots of options available), and dinners at reasonably priced restaurants in Winchester and back at Chippenham (optional).
Prices exclude meals and accommodation, which will be arranged by your guide based on individual requirements. You will need to purchase your own lunches at Wantage and Shaftesbury (lots of options available), and dinners at reasonably priced restaurants in Winchester and back at Chippenham (optional).
Photo Credits: Alfred Statue Wantage: Phillip Jelley. Alfred Jewel: Giles Watson. Alfred statue Winchester: Brian Deegan. Old Sarum: Mark Edwards. St Martin on the walls: Hugh Llewelyn. Swanage monument: Gary Rogers. Alfred Statue at Shaftesbury: Seth Whales. Glastonbury Tor: David Levy. Burrow Mump: Stephen Richards. Alfred monument at Athelney: Simon Birchell. Cannington Camp: Ken Granger. Ecgbert's Stone: John Potts. Alfred Tower: Eugene Birchell. Westbury White Horse: Roger Gitlins.St Oswold's Priory: Phillip Halling. Tamworth: Phillip Halling. Caedmon's Grave: Ksenia Bramley. Cuthbert's Grave: Tilman. Ruthwell Cross: Derek. Brougham Castle: Asgerd Warrior. Athelstan Grave: Arpingstone. Chester walls: Eirim Evans. Mayberg Henge: N. Chadwick. Giant's Grave Penrith: WF Millar. Ye Ole Trip to Jerusalem: Mat Fascione. Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en