It was fantastic to welcome around 100 visitors to our Family Archaeology Event at the Friarsgate Park today (Thursday 29 August). Pre-Construct Archaeology offered a hands on learning experience as young people discovered, washed and analysed fragments of ancient pottery. Local businesses Bella Crafts and Design Junction ran stations to engage creative sparks with activities including pottery painting and tile design, inspired by some of the artefacts that have been found on site. The event marked the end of a six week long community dig which has been running over the summer months, with over 120 community volunteers participating in uncovering Winchester’s hidden history.
The event took place on Friarsgate Park, a new vibrant temporary outdoor space created on the site of the former Friarsgate Medical Centre. The new space includes seating areas, a platform for arts and cultural activities, soft landscaping with wildflowers, and improved views of the River Itchen. Alongside the improvement works at Kings Walk, Friarsgate Park is one of several temporary initiatives being introduced as part of the first phase of Central Winchester’s Regeneration, as designs for the entire site are developed. It serves as a new outside community space as well as enhancing connectivity and biodiversity. Central Winchester Regeneration aims to better connect key parts of the city, including Kings Walk, Friarsgate, and the bus station, to the wider city and district. The development will provide homes for people at all life stages, support local talent, and attract new innovators and entrepreneurs. In recent months, Jigsaw has actively engaged with residents across the district to discuss the evolving proposals, ensuring that the development meets the community’s needs and aspirations.
Here are some updates from some of the businesses that call Kings Walk home.
The Nutshell – Over 100 Winchester members of DNYT (Discarded Nut Youth Theatre aged 4-20) entertained sell-out audiences throughout June and July. There was a range of fantastic performances of Aladdin, James and the Giant Peach, Twelfth Night, Footloose and culminating in creating a show in a week of The Tempest.
Design Junction – Celebrated their pottery studio’s first birthday. Over the last year, Design Junction have been overwhelmed by the positive reactions from the community. The support has allowed them to expand their range of classes and they look forward to adding new weekly courses and drop in pottery painting.
Bella Crafts – The summer months are a busy time for Bella Crafts delivering a programme of creative workshops and events in Kings Walk and locally. They also recently enjoyed partnering with Jigsaw and local schools encouraging many children to create ideas for their city. They’re now welcoming a steady stream of families looking to fill their summer months with memories together and a place to relax for a few hours. This usually involves cake too!
South Downs Social – It’s been a brilliant summer so far at the South Downs Social with the terrace buzzing and the bike rack full! Their July weekend barbecues were a great success and inside was especially busy during the Tour de France. The barbecue returns to the terrace for a special carnival themed bank holiday weekend.
Winchester Pilates – Celebrated 18 months under the ownership of former professional horse rider Sam Parsons with a rebrand. This transformation reflects the studio’s evolution and commitment to sharing their extensive Pilates expertise with the broader Winchester community. Sam and her team have expanded the studio space, introduced a wider range of classes, and brought in new equipment and teachers. The studio provides one-on-one and small group sessions with bespoke programs, as well as group classes in reformer and mat work, helping individuals achieve their fitness and mobility goals.
Well Worn – Alice Daggett was honoured with the Gold Catwalk Award for “Best of Graduate Fashion Week 2024”. Alice was one of 10 students to participate in the Drapers’ x UKFT Internship Bursary scheme, providing an exceptional opportunity for students from partnering universities to access an internship with a UK fashion and textiles business. Alice spent a year at The Well Worn, based in Kings Walk for her internship. The Well Worn, founded by Emma Shaw, is an independent slow fashion British brand, born from a love of vintage clothing, romantic dresses, and UK factories.
Following the success of last year’s event, Winchester creative quarter are holding their second Kings Walk Festival on Saturday 28 September. Everyone is invited to this free event and it’s a chance to come and try something new.
The event will showcase the business who call Kings Walk home and other local creative talent. This year there is a big emphasis on sustainability and young creatives in the city. The day will include a pre-loved sale at the Nutshell, clothing and accessories designed using dead stock and reworked garments by the Well Worn and craft activities using recyclables with BellaCrafts. There will also be drop-in classes in acting and musical theatre at the Nutshell, a chance to try different pilates classes at Winchester Pilates, and you can even try your hand at pottery and tufting at Design Junction. Both Open House Deli and South Downs Social will be serving great food and drink including a street food BBQ with DJs.
A plaque commemorating the location of the first Methodist church in Winchester has been installed on the Silver Hill side of Kings Walk. The church opened in 1785 with a ceremony conducted by Rev. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. Though later sold and repurposed, it remained a place of worship until 1865 and was ultimately demolished in 1970. Mayor of Winchester Cllr Russell Gordon-Smith, Superintendent of the Methodist Circuit Rev. Peter Rayson, and Leader of Winchester City Council Cllr Martin Tod unveiled the newly restored plaque, celebrating Winchester’s rich history.
Join us for a Family Fun Day at Winchester’s Friarsgate Park on 29 August 10am – 2pm. This event offers a range of activities for all ages, inviting families to uncover Winchester’s hidden history and enjoy the newly created outdoor space. Get hands-on with washing archaeological finds, handle real artefacts, and test your skills with challenges based on previous digs.
Meet the archaeologists, take guided tours of the excavation, and participate in pottery workshops with Design Junction. Don’t miss the chance to create pottery drawings and take them home. The event is free to attend, so just turn up on the day at Friarsgate Park, on the site of the former medical centre behind the bus station (what3words: craft.districts.groom)
The ongoing archaeological work at Friarsgate has been gaining significant community interest, with nearly 60 people attending the Open Day on 3 August.
The Summer Community excavation, being conducted by Winchester-based Pre-Construct Archaeology, will continue throughout August and offers a unique opportunity for volunteers to get hands-on with uncovering Winchester’s rich history. This follows last year’s early-stage archaeological evaluations behind the bus station and next to Coitbury House, which unveiled fascinating insights into the city’s past.
It’s not too late to volunteer, please visit PCA’s website to sign up.
We’ve created a new outside space while we work up longer term plans for this part of the project site. Located where the former Friarsgate Medical Centre used to be, this temporary park features seating, large planters, wildflower beds, and improved views of the River Itchen. We believe this is a much nicer setting than a fenced-off demolition site while we work on longer plans and hope you enjoy spending time here. It’s great to see people already using the new space as a walking route through the heart of Winchester.
A big thank you goes to the Hat Fair organisers for allowing us to join this year’s fantastic event. We appreciate everyone who took the time to speak with us in Abbey Gardens and Busket Yard, ask questions about the project, and share their ideas for the City’s future. We look forward to many more opportunities to engage with the community in the coming months.
We’ve been out and about across the district, gathering ideas from people of all ages about what they’d like to see in the regenerated area. Recently, we’ve enjoyed interactive sessions with Winchester-based Brownies, Guides, and Rangers, who produced some wonderfully creative drawings. Additionally, a workshop at Bella Crafts saw Year Six students from St Swithun’s modelling their visions for the City out of plasticine. We also visited South Wonston primary school (pictured.)
The recent demolition of Friarsgate Medical Centre has been captured in a timelapse video. The video provides a fascinating insight into the early-stage transformation of the most prominent city centre development site in Winchester and can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/IIDUhQU90cs
Work to demolish the former Medical Centre began last autumn.
Work is now starting on a range of early improvement work – while longer-term plans are developed – to improve public access and enjoyment of the open space on the site and allow for important archaeological works too.