We had the great pleasure of playing at Winchester Great Hall for the Wedding Ceremony and Drinks Reception of Mr & Mrs Jeanes at the beginning of June.
None of us had played at The Winchester Great Hall before, so here is a bit of information about this historic venue from the Hampshire County Council Website
The History
The Great Hall, “one of the finest surviving aisled halls of the 13th century”, contains the greatest symbol of medieval mythology, King Arthur’s Round Table, and is all that now remains of Winchester Castle.
The Castle was originally constructed for William the Conqueror in 1067 to help secure his hold on the city after the Norman Conquest. It housed important aspects of government such as the Treasury and the Exchequer.
By the end of King John’s reign in 1216 the Castle and its royal palace needed extensive repair so between 1222 and 1235 the Castle’s hall was replaced by the building which you see today, at a cost of £500. In 1302, Edward I and his second wife narrowly escaped death when the royal apartments of the castle were destroyed by fire.
During the English Civil War the Castle was held by the Royalists until its capture by the Parliamentary Forces in 1646. Oliver Cromwell eventually ordered its demolition, but the Great Hall was kept as a venue for assemblies and the County Assizes.
Throughout its history the Great Hall has witnessed important events and been a legal and administrative centre. Sir Walter Raleigh stood trial here in 1603 and the notorious Judge Jeffreys condemned supporters of the Duke of Monmouth to death here as part of the Bloody Assizes in 1685.
The Venue
So we were playing surrounded by history! It was great as the acoustics in there were absolutely lovely! The ushers working there informed us that The Great Hall is only open for weddings a limited number of times per year as it otherwise stays open for the public. So if you fancy getting married in this historic venue I imagine you have to book very early!
The Wedding
At this wedding Debs on violin brought along her camera and did a couple of impromptu vids of us playing before the guests arrive. We couldn’t resist the opportunity to capture on camera a little slice of TBQ playing in such a historic, ambient venue. Here we are playing Greensleves
Remember, to enquire about our availability, simply use the contact form on this site. We are available to play at any event, in locations such as Winchester, Southampton, Portsmouth, Chichester, Farnham, Alton, Wickham, Eastleigh, Havant, Gosport, Basingstoke, and almost anywhere in between!