What is Winchester Cathedral?
{{coord|51|3|38|N|1|18|47|W|type:landmark|region:GB|display=title}} [[Image:IMGP0227 - Winchester Cathedral - Kirche - 20050322-retouch.jpg|thumb|right|280px|Winchester Cathedral is the longest mediaeval church in the world, 169 metres (554 ft).|alt=This exterior view at Winchester, taken from near the north west corner of the cathedral, and with a war memorial statue in the foreground, looks acutely along the north side of the building, showing it receding into the distance.]] [[Image:IMGP0204 - Winchester Cathedral - 20050322.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The nave of Winchester, gives an impression of height as well as length, but at 23.7 metres (78 ft) it is half the height of Beauvais.|alt=This interior view at Winchester shows the whole length of the nave, which has huge stone piers which appear to comprise clusters of upward-sweeping stone shafts. The stone vault has ribs which sweep up to a point and have been likened to the branches of trees in a forest. The overall effect is visually spectacular.]] '''Winchester Cathedral''' is a [[mediaeval]] [[Anglican]] [[church]] in [[Winchester, Hampshire|Winchester]], [[Hampshire]]. It is the seat of the [[Bishop]] of Winchester. The cathedral has the longest [[nave]] and overall length of any [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] cathedral in Europe. By contrast, the interior height of the nave vault at 78 feet is about half that of [[Beauvais Cathedral]] in [[France]].<ref name=clif>Alec Clifton-Taylor 1967. ''The Cathedrals of England'' Thames & Hudson, London.</ref> == Architecture == Built between 1079 and 1532, Winchester Cathedral has had an unusual architectural history. The exterior, apart from the modified windows, gives the impression of a massive [[Norman architecture|Norman]] building and indeed, when first completed, the Norman Cathedral was second only in size to [[Saint Peter's Basilica]] in Rome. However, the west front is now [[English Gothic architecture#Perpendicular|Perpendicular]], with its huge window filled with fragments of medieval glass. Sadly this g