Winchester Castle

Winchester Castle was a royal residence in Winchester, Hampshire, England, founded in 1067 by William the Conqueror. It served as a seat of royal power in the medieval period. Much of the castle has since been lost, but two notable structures survive: the Great Hall, regarded as one of the finest surviving medieval halls in England and now housing a museum of Winchester's history, and the Westgate, which once served as the castle's principal defensive gateway. The Great Hall contains the so-called Round Table, a large wooden tabletop traditionally associated with the Arthurian legend in later popular tradition. The Westgate, preserved as a fortified gateway, provides evidence of the castle's defensive role and continued adaptation over the centuries.