Today the hall houses one of the greatest items of medieval legend, King Arthur's Round Table. Despite the fact this magnificent artifact does not originate from this time, it is extremely old in its own right. After investigations in 1976 whereby the table was removed from the wall, tree ringed and carbon dated, scientists place its creation in the 13th or early 14th century. The table is made from English oak and weighs 1200kg. It depicts King Arthur at the head of the table surrounded by his 24 knights.
Henry VII was keen to associate his lineage with that of King Arthur and asked his personal genealogists to trace this link back and proclaim it to be true. In anticipation of his eagerly awaited son and heir, he insisted that the boy would be named Arthur after his relation. And so in September 1486 the Prince of Wales was born in Winchester (luckily it was a boy) and promptly named Arthur. The early Tudors hoped to bring about a new 'golden age' in England.
During the 16th century, never one to shy away from modifying other peoples property or making it his own, King Henry VIII added a Tudor Rose symbol at the centre of the table, and some people believe it portrays Henry on his throne as King Arthur although I cannot see any resemblance!
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| Sunlight streaming through onto the flagstones |
The Castle and great hall have born witness to many other important historical events including, the wedding celebrations of Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary) to Felipe of Spain, Sir Walter Raleigh's trial and the notorious Judge Jeffreys passed sentences here as part of the bloody assizes in 1685.
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| Mary I and Felipe |
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