A few months ago I reviewed the Medieval Exeter tour for the Rama: Travel App. With over 90 tours available there are plenty of tours for the medievalist. Today we will look at the Medieval Winchester Tour by Kaye Jones (Twitter: @KayeJones). Medieval Winchester is available for $1.99 USD, covers 1.5 miles (2.4km) and takes approximately 45 minutes. The only requirment to use the app is an internet connection, either Wi-Fi or 3G to utilize the GPS map feature.
Winchester stood as the capital of England for centuries and is home to one of the largest Cathedrals in Europe. After conquering the city and becoming King of England, William the Conqueror built a castle at Winchester in 1067. William compiled the Domesday Book in Winchester and kept it securely in the Castle. The castle was held by Empress Matilda during the tumultuous period of English history known as “The Anarchy” period. Richard I held his second coronation in Winchester, Henry III was born in the Winchester Castle and in 1216 Prince Louis of France captured the castle while invading England.
The Winchester Cathedral is one of the largest in Europe and Winchester College is one of the oldest in England. Winchester is not short on medieval history; in fact it is a key city in the medieval era.
The Tour has a total of 11 waypoints, starting at Wolvesey Castle and includes the Winchester Cathedral, Statue of Alfred the Great, and St. John the Baptist Hospital. One thing that stands out in this tour is the directions to the next attraction. Instead of relying on the map Ms. Jones, includes simply directions to find your way, “Continue 100m along the Broadway and the next waypoint, Nunnaminster, is the building on your left. It provides the user a bit of reference so they know where to go and look for attractions.
The app has the same interface for all the tours. On the map screen a green pin indicated a visited waypoint, while a red pin indicates points not yet visited. Along with a description of each waypoint pictures are also available. links are included in the descriptions but are not ‘click-able’ and you cannot copy them either. As teh app is designed for a smartphone an in app browser, or some way to access the link would be handy.
Winchester was a significant city in the middle ages and Kaye Jones does an excellent job revealing the history. The writing is superb and the history is well researched and the little niceties like written descriptions to the next waypoint added to this tour. I highly recommend you buy this tour and then spend about an hour in Winchester to experience the city from a medieval point of view.
Get the Rama: Travel App for History Lovers from the iTunes Store.
Visit the Crimson Bamboo website for a complete list of all the Rama tours available.
Medieval Archives gives the Rama: Travel App for History Lovers and Medieval Winchester Tour 4 out of 5 stars.
Disclaimer: Medieval Archives received a complimentary copy of the Medieval Winchester tour for review purposes
Comments 1
This app is really very good. The reviews are very true to a customer’s expectations. I like the app and more than the app I like reading the reviews. Thanks for the share. 🙂