10 reasons Winchester Cathedral outshines its rivals

Thanks to an impressive spire, a famous Constable painting, a copy of the Magna Carta and convenient positioning near Stonehenge, tourists flock to Salisbury Cathedral. The same can't be said for its near neighbour Winchester, which lies 25 miles east. (And is also the cathedral town for my part of the world). It's a real shame, as Winchester Cathedral is one of the great treasures of England in art, architecture, famous associations and great stories. Yet I know many locals who've never set foot inside the place, much less foreign tourists.

Like most of the great English cathedrals, you'll find stunning gothic architecture, an impressive choir, fascinating monuments and enthusiastic tour guides happy to show it all to you. (I've done the tour three times now with different guides, and I learn new things from each of them.) Here are 10 things that make Winchester Cathedral unique. Reasons why you, whether local or tourist, should invest the  time and money (£7.50, less for concessions) to take a proper wander around this treasure house.

Jane Austen
Cross the border into North Hampshire and the signs proudly tell you you're entering Jane Austen country. The great author lies buried inside the cathedral, an exceptional honour at the time even if she was already a well-known author. It's thought that family members with church connections pulled strings to get her here, and to place a prominent grave stone in the north aisle. Ironically, it makes no mention of her literary contributions. The glowing description of a genteel lady could apply to any of her characters, but gives no credit to their creator. A large and lavish brass plaque on the wall nearby, installed by her Victorian-era fans, addresses the oversight. You'll often see flowers here left by today's followers. There's a small exhibit here, too, that explains her connection to this part of the county.

William Walker
Like many Christian churches, Winchester took over what had been a pagan sacred space. Fine idea on the PR front, but a poor choice for construction when the sacred ground is a spring in a marsh. You can see the results best at the very back of the building, where parts of the floor undulate like the damp meadow that would have originally been here. At the turn of the 20th century, the foundations were so compromised that large sections of the cathedral were at risk. Enter William Walker, who spent six years in a primitive diving suit, working under water, in the dark, to haul bags of cement under the building to underpin the foundations. You owe your ability to visit this place to him; give thanks at his small but poignant memorial.

The crypt
Walker might have firmed up the foundations, but the sacred spring is still there and the cathedral crypt floods regularly. Modern custodians have made a feature of this. When it's covered in water (which is usually, in the winter and spring) you can stand at the gate and peer into the quiet, dignified Romanesque space where a single figure by modern sculptor Anthony Gormley is contemplating water held in his hands. It's ghostly, solemn and magnificent. When it's dry down here, there's other modern sculpture to check out. It works well against the ancient, austere backdrop.

The font
The cathedral's baptismal font is a rare survival from the 11th century. According to their web site, only 10 others of this time period exist in the whole country, and this is probably the best. In comparison with the typical gothic style of most cathedrals, the Romanesque carving here seems otherworldly and brutal. It conjures pictures of invading Vikings or Middle Earth. It's also very beautiful, its highly-polished black marble showing the story of St. Nicholas giving bags of gold to three sisters to keep them from descending to prostitution. Look at the round-arched building in the background to get a glimpse of what the cathedral probably looked like when the font was first installed.

Pre-Raphaelite stained glass
Equally rare is pre-Raphaelite stained glass. You know this artistic style, even if you don't think you do. Late Victorian beauties with pouty lips and billowing hair, generally in historical settings. Lush patterns of flora and fauna. Knights in shining armour. As the industrial age approached, William Morris and his set created a decorative style that denied modernity. Love it or hate it, it's still all around England, from the high culture of museums to the common mugs in kitchen cabinets. But I've never seen it in windows. Which is a shame, because the lush, fairy-tale quality suits them well. And is far more memorable than the usual heavy-handed Victorian re-creations of medieval originals. Go to the Epiphany Chapel to see these four windows by Edward Burne-Jones. They're bible stories, but they look more like scenes lifted from an Arthurian romance.

Chantry chapels
Most of the great cathedrals have these ornate churches-within-churches, but I think Winchester's are
some of the best and ... thanks to careful restoration ... in the best shape. Sometimes built between columns, sometimes free-standing, these towering enclosures are masterpieces of gothic architecture and stone carving. The tomb of the person who commissioned the chapel is usually in the middle; he bought this space and endowed the monks to say mass here daily to speed his soul to heaven. William of Wykeham's has been recently restored: the exterior stone glows golden, inside an astonishingly lifelike statue contemplates an exquisite blue and white gothic vault. Behind the main altar, there's the delicious irony of Cardinal Henry Beaufort ... you're not likely to forget his rank, since he managed the tricky task of lying down for eternity without taking off his wide-brimmed cardinal's hat ... entombed within sight of the monument to the woman he condemned to death. We know her as Joan of Arc. Around the corner, modern craftsmen showed off their skill by re-creating the statues on Bishop Fox's chapel so perfectly you'd never know they weren't the Tudor originals. Look out for St. George. His face is that of a local boy who died in World War I, making this a touching double memorial.

Burial place of kings
Winchester was the capital of Anglo-Saxon England, and most of the kings of that era are buried here. For years, their bones lay in ornate mortuary boxes perched atop the choir. They've currently been removed to the Lady Chapel, which is closed off and has been turned into a laboratory for DNA testing. There's not much to see now. But the results of the scientific work will undoubtedly make a great story, and the re-internment will be something to see.

The Winchester Bible
The largest surviving English bible of the 12th century, Winchester's version is so big that each cow vellum page required the skin of an entire animal. You can probably see better medieval illuminations in museums, but there's something special about getting up close to one in the setting for which it was created. The book is on display in its own pavilion in the north transept, and there are rarely many people here. So you can put your nose to the glass and really study the beautiful calligraphy and the lush illustrations, with vivid colours gained from precious materials like ground lapis lazuli and gold leaf. Only one spread is available for display at any one time, but they turn the pages occasionally to reward repeat visitors.

Pay once, get in all year
Save your ticket and your £7.50 investment allows you to explore for another 12 months. Taking the free tours as often as you wish, or simply popping in to look at one thing more closely.

Winchester itself
The town was just named the best place to live in Britain (story here), something that will come as no surprise as you walk around. It's a stately, dignified market town with plenty of views that haven't changed much since Jane Austen was here. There are other tourist sights (most notably the great hall of the old castle, the Westgate of the old city walls and a working water mill) and good shopping that includes a decent number of independent boutiques. It's become a bit of a foodie haven, with a collection of good restaurants and a sprawling farmer's market on the second and final Sunday of every month.