Editing Winchester Cathedral (section)

== History ==

=== Earlier buildings ===
Though churches were recorded in Winchester as early as 164, the first Christian church can be traced back to c. 648, when [[Cenwalh of Wessex|King Cenwalh of Wessex]] built a small, cross-shaped building just north of the present building.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=2015|title=Winchester Cathedral timeline|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Winchester-Cathedral-Timeline.pdf|url-status=dead|access-date=15 September 2021|website=Winchester Cathedral|archive-date=16 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916041714/https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Winchester-Cathedral-Timeline.pdf}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Goodall|first=John|date=22 December 2019|title=Winchester Cathedral: The tale of a remarkable church and its astonishing contents|url=https://www.countrylife.co.uk/architecture/winchester-cathedral-tale-remarkable-church-astonishing-contents-209595|access-date=15 September 2021|website=Country Life|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title=Winchester: The cathedral {{!}} British History Online|url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/hants/vol5/pp50-59#fnn1|access-date=15 September 2021|website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref> This building, known as the [[Old Minster, Winchester|Old Minster]], became the cathedral for the new Diocese of Winchester in 662,<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=Parker|first=Dr. John|date=2016|title=Winchester Stone|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Winchester-Stone.pdf|url-status=dead|access-date=15 September 2021|website=Winchester Cathedral|pages=11–24|archive-date=16 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916041722/https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Winchester-Stone.pdf}}</ref> a vast area stretching from the [[English Channel]] to the [[River Thames]], the bishopric having been transferred from [[Dorchester on Thames]], [[Oxfordshire]] by [[Wine (bishop)|Bishop Wine]]. The design of this early church cannot be confirmed, for no trace other than ground plan exists today, but Wolstan mentions a gateway tower situated some distance from the west end.<ref name=":4" /> Wine died in c. 672, but one of his later successors, Swithun, would become one of the most famous Bishops of Winchester.

Whether Swithun himself oversaw any expansion of the Old Minster is unknown, but it is recorded in ''[[Acta Sanctorum]]'' that from 963 to 984, Bishop [[Æthelwold of Winchester|Æthelwold]] greatly expanded the church, the works being finished by the following Bishop, Alphege.<ref name=":5" /> The church was rededicated in 993, and consisted of a central tower, north and south aisles, transepts, crypt and an apse, and was briefly the largest church in Europe. Also on the site was the [[New Minster, Winchester|New Minster]], in direct competition with the neighbouring Old Minster. The New Minster was begun by [[Alfred the Great]] but completed in 901 by his son [[Edward the Elder]]. These two monasteries existed side by side, the monks becoming virtually intertwined with one another. Swithun's body, which according to his wishes had been buried in the graveyard outside the church, was brought inside and housed in a magnificent shrine.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />

=== Norman cathedral ===
When [[William the Conqueror]] invaded England in 1066, he began to install his own bishops in place of the Anglo-Saxon bishops.<ref name=":3" /> William installed his friend and relative [[Walkelin]] as the first Norman Bishop of Winchester in 1070, and nine years later, in 1079,<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal|last=McAleer|first=J. Philip|date=1993|title=The Romanesque Facade of Winchester Cathedral|url=https://www.hantsfieldclub.org.uk/publications/hampshirestudies/digital/1990s/vol49/McAleer.pdf|journal=Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club & Archaeological Society|volume=49|pages=129–147}}</ref> Walkelin began the construction of a huge new Norman cathedral, on a site just to the south of the Old and New Minsters, the site of the present building.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> The new cathedral was consecrated with the completion of the east end in 1093, and the many tombs of Saxon kings moved from the Old Minster into the new cathedral. The following day, demolition of the New and Old Minsters began, and quickly progressed, leaving virtually no remains. The outline of the Old Minster can still be seen today to the north of the present nave.<ref name=":3" /> 
[[File:Winchester Cathedral Transept November 2020.jpg|left|thumb|Norman south transept]]
Work quickly progressed to the transepts and central tower, and these were certainly complete by 1100<ref name=":7" /> when [[William II of England|William Rufus]] was buried underneath the crossing tower. Work to the nave was probably interrupted in 1107 when the central tower fell,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /> but was restarted following reconstruction of the tower, and completed before the death of [[William Giffard]], who was Bishop of Winchester from 1100 to his death in 1129. The standard of much of this building work was high, and thus much of it survives in the present building, most notably in the transepts which have an appearance almost as Walkelin left them. This building was monumental in size, more than {{convert|500|ft|m}} in length, and it still makes up the core of the present building.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />

=== Gothic expansions ===
The first alteration to Walkelin's cathedral was in 1202 when Bishop [[Godfrey de Luci]] started construction of a new Early English [[retrochoir]]. Luci died in 1204, but the work continued under successive bishops, eventually resulting in the demolition of the Norman [[apse]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6" />
[[File:Winchester Cathedral Nave (49862562142).jpg|thumb|[[William of Wykeham]]’s remodelled Gothic nave, the longest in Europe]]
The next expansions and rebuilding took place the mid 14th century, when in 1346, Bishop [[William Edington|Edington]] demolished the Norman west front and began building a new Perpendicular Gothic facade, featuring a huge west window, which still stands today. Edington also began renovation of the nave, but this was mostly carried out by his successors, most notably [[William of Wykeham]] and his master mason, [[William Wynford]], who remodelled the massive Norman nave into a soaring Perpendicular Gothic masterpiece. This they achieved by encasing the Norman stone in new [[ashlar]], recutting the piers with Gothic mouldings and pointed arches, and reorganising the three-tier nave into two tiers, by extending the arcade upwards into what was the [[triforium]] and extending the [[clerestory]] downwards to meet it. The wooden ceiling was replaced with a decorative stone vault. Following Wykeham's death in 1404, this remodelling work continued under successive bishops, and was completed c. 1420.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />

Wykeham's successor, [[Henry Beaufort]] (1405–1447) carried out fewer alterations, adding a [[chantry]] on the south side of the retrochoir, although work on the nave continued. From 1450 to 1528, under the leadership of Bishops [[William Waynflete]], [[Peter Courtenay (bishop)|Peter Courtenay]], [[Thomas Langton]] and [[Richard Foxe]], major rebuilding and expansion was carried out on the Norman choir and Early English retrochoir. This work included the building of further chantry chapels in the retrochoir, the replacement of the Norman east end with a Perpendicular Gothic presbytery, and the extension of Luci's retrochoir into a [[Lady chapel|Lady Chapel]]. Unlike the rebuilding of the nave some 100 years earlier, the Gothic presbytery was vaulted in wood and painted to look like stone, as at [[York Minster]]. After its progressive extensions, the east end is now about {{convert|110|ft|m}} beyond that of Walkelin's building.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" />

=== Dissolution of the Monasteries ===
King [[Henry VIII]] seized control of the Catholic Church in England and declared himself head of the new [[Church of England]]. The [[Benedictine]] foundation, the [[Priory of Saint Swithun]], was [[Dissolution of the Monasteries|dissolved]]. The priory surrendered to the king in 1539. [[Richard Pollard (MP)|Richard Pollard]] and [[Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton|Thomas Wriothesley]] came to dismantle the shrines and altar; the shrine of St Swithun was destroyed.<ref>''State Papers Henry VIII'', vol. 1 (London, 1830), pp. 621–622.</ref> The next year a new chapter was formed, and the last prior, [[William Kingsmill (priest)|William Basyng]], was appointed dean.<ref>[[John Stevens (translator)|Stevens, John]] (1722). ''The History of the Antient Abbeys Monasteries, Cathedrals and Collegiate Churches''. London. p. 222.</ref> [[Mary I]] married [[Philip II of Spain]] here in 1554. The monastic buildings, including the cloister and chapter house, were later demolished, mostly during the 1560–1580 tenure of the reformist bishop [[Robert Horne (bishop)|Robert Horne]].

=== 17th – 19th centuries ===
The 17th century saw important changes to the interior, including the erection of a [[Rood screen|choir screen]] by [[Inigo Jones]] in 1638–39, the insertion of a wooden [[fan vault]] underneath the crossing tower (previously the tower was open to the church) and the destruction of much medieval glass and imagery by Parliamentarian soldiers in December 1642, including the near-complete destruction of the massive Great West Window by [[Oliver Cromwell|Cromwell]] and his forces. The window was put back together by the townspeople as a mosaic following the [[Stuart Restoration|Restoration of the Monarchy]], but it has never regained its original appearance as the damage was too great.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" />

In the 18th century, many visitors commented on the neglect of the cathedral and the town; [[Daniel Defoe]] described the latter in about 1724 as "a place of no trade… no manufacture, no navigation".<ref name=":4" />

Major restoration followed in the early 19th century under the direction of architect William Garbett and then [[John Nash (architect)|John Nash]]. [[Jane Austen]] was buried in the north nave aisle in 1817, and many visitors continue to come today to see her final resting place.<ref name=":2" />

=== 20th century restoration ===
At the turn of the 20th century, Winchester Cathedral was in grave danger of collapse, and by the summer of 1905, the Dean, [[William Furneaux]], was facing the imminent ruin of the building. Huge cracks had appeared in the walls, some of them large enough for a small child to crawl into, the walls were bulging and leaning, and stone fell from the walls. Furneaux brought in a leading architect of the age, [[Thomas Graham Jackson|Thomas G. Jackson]]. Jackson's prognosis was grim, and his survey showed the entire building was listing to the south-east, and sinking into the soft ground, most likely due to defects in the foundations. On his instructions, large sections of the building were shored up with timber. Initial estimates for the cost of the repair were £20,000 in 1905.<ref name=":8">{{Cite AV media|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/1767d4e06dd743d0be840b64761e057d|title=Flood at Winchester|type=Television production|publisher=[[BBC]]|year=2005|series=Cathedral}}</ref>

Jackson, acknowledging he was out of his depth, brought in engineer [[Francis Fox (civil engineer)|Francis Fox]], whose company had completed projects such as the [[Mersey Tunnels|Mersey Tunnel]]. Jackson and Fox sunk a trench to the foundations of the east end and discovered the Normans had constructed the entire cathedral on a 'floating raft', consisting of a 15-inch-thick layer of [[Beech|beech trees]], laid diagonally one on top of the other. Some of these beech trees were solid, but others had rotted and collapsed, and as they did so, the cathedral shifted and sank into the soft ground, which was not strong enough to support the enormous weight of the building, causing the cracks, bulges and leaning walls. Fox removed a layer of topsoil, and ten feet of [[clay]], at which point they arrived at the raft. Below this was a solid layer of [[peat]], about 8 feet thick, and below this at a depth of 16 to 24 feet below the cathedral floor, they encountered a more solid layer of gravel, which they intended to utilise as the new base for the foundations.<ref name=":8" />

Jackson and Fox proposed to sink a series of trenches around the eastern end, about 50 in number, down to the gravel bed, and to build up to the raft with concrete and brick. However, the upper walls were so weak that digging under the foundations without supporting the walls could bring the structure down. Therefore, Fox began grouting the walls using the '[[James Henry Greathead|Greathead Grouting Machine]]' to fill in the cracks. When grouting was completed, a new problem was encountered. When the peat was dug through to reach the gravel bed, water rushed up to a height of fourteen feet. The peat had acted as a seal, and when it was broken, water from the nearby [[River Itchen, Hampshire|River Itchen]] flooded the trenches. Jackson ordered a powerful [[steam pump]] to remove the water from the trenches. This caused a rift between Fox and Jackson, as Fox thought the pumping could further destabilise the foundations and cause the collapse of the building. Pumping nevertheless began.<ref name=":8" />

In the spring of 1906, there were signs Fox was right – the cathedral was still moving and sinking, and this time, more rapidly than before. It was realised for the first time that there was a serious risk to lives. Fox made a site visit in March 1906 and became concerned because the water being pumped out was no longer clear but was cloudy, containing [[chalk]]. He ordered pumping stopped. The pump had disturbed a layer of chalk silt between the peat and gravel bed, which further destabilised the building. Jackson was against stopping pumping, as he could not see an alternative. Fox, however, summoned diver [[William Walker (diver)|William Walker]] from London, who arrived in Winchester on 5 April 1906.<ref name=":8" />

Walker, who was arguably the most experienced diver in the country at the time, had an extremely challenging job. His task was to descend into the flooded trenches in a primitive and immensely heavy diving suit and level the trenches, by removing the peat topsoil and then laying bags of cement to plug the water coming up from below. Walker's suit weighed {{cvt|200|lb}} dry, and the trenches were cramped and pitch-black; Walker had to feel around with his hands. Additional challenges were that the water was full of bodies and graves, which made the water septic. Walker worked 6 to 7 hour shifts almost every day for six years to achieve this, diving under the majority of the cathedral building. When he had completed his work in 1911, the pump could be used safely to remove the water without disturbing the foundations. In 1911, [[flying buttress]]es were added along the length of the south nave to complete the work.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6" /><ref name=":8" />

A special service was held on St Swithun's Day in 1912, attended by the King and Queen, to give thanks for the work of Jackson, Fox and Walker. Walker was later rewarded with the [[Royal Victorian Order|MVO]]<ref>Bussby, Frederick (1970). ''William Walker: The Diver who Saved Winchester Cathedral''. Friends of Winchester Cathedral. pp. 16–18. {{ISBN|0-903346-08-7}}.</ref> and is credited with saving the cathedral from collapse.<ref>"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/hampshire/content/articles/2008/06/05/cathedral_diver_feature.shtml Hampshire – History – Saving the Cathedral]". BBC. 22 September 2008. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100108125611/http://www.bbc.co.uk/hampshire/content/articles/2008/06/05/cathedral_diver_feature.shtml Archived] from the original on 8 January 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2012.</ref> The total cost of the work was £113,000, equivalent in 2017 to nearly £9 million.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Archives|first=The National|title=The National Archives – Currency converter: 1270–2017|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/|access-date=15 September 2021|website=Currency converter|language=en-GB}}</ref> Walker laid more than 25,000 bags of concrete, 115,000 concrete blocks, and 900,000 bricks.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=William Walker: The diver who saved the Cathedral|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/our-heritage/famous-people/william-walker-the-diver-who-saved-the-cathedral/|access-date=15 September 2021|website=Winchester Cathedral|language=en-US|archive-date=11 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811212533/https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/our-heritage/famous-people/william-walker-the-diver-who-saved-the-cathedral/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== 21st century ===
In February 2000, a three-year project was completed to clean and conserve the nave and west front, which were last cleaned in 1897. For those three years, the nave had been covered with scaffolding both internally and externally. Following the removal of the scaffolding in early 2000, it was the first time the cathedral interior had been free of scaffolding since 1990.<ref>{{Cite web|date=3 February 2000|title=Cathedral glory lovingly restored|url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5630920.cathedral-glory-lovingly-restored/|access-date=17 September 2021|website=Southern Daily Echo|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2 March 2000|title=Nave worth raving about|url=https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/5630476.nave-worth-raving-about/|access-date=17 September 2021|website=Southern Daily Echo|language=en}}</ref> 
[[File:WinchesterCathedral-west-wyrdlight.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The west front in 2012, after restoration]]
During August 2006, a near-catastrophic fire was narrowly averted, when a flying [[Sky lantern|Chinese lantern]] got caught on the roof and began setting fire to it. Fortunately, no lasting damage took place and the fire was quickly extinguished. A spokesman for [[Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service|Hampshire Fire & Rescue]] said that had it not been spotted, the fire could have been similar in scale to the [[1984 York Minster fire|1984 fire at York Minster]], which almost completely destroyed the south transept.<ref>{{Cite news|date=29 August 2006|title=Cathedral fire alert over lantern|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/5294240.stm|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

In March 2011, a new single-storey extension in the corner of the north presbytery aisle was completed. Called the Fleury building after it was officially opened by the [[Fleury Abbey|Abbot of Fleury]] from L'Abbaye de [[Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire|St-Benôit-sur-Loire]] in France, it was the first new extension on the cathedral building since the lady chapel was extended in the mid 16th century. The new building housed toilet facilities, storage and a new boiler, replacing a remote facility in the Wessex Hotel a short distance away. The new extension cost £820,000, which was raised by the Friends of Winchester Cathedral.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Portfolio – Winchester Cathedral Fleury building|url=http://www.caroe.co.uk/portfolio_places_of_worshipDetail.php?Winchester-Cathedral-Fleury-Building-11|url-status=dead|access-date=17 September 2021|website=Caroe and Partners Architects|archive-date=17 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917051430/http://www.caroe.co.uk/portfolio_places_of_worshipDetail.php?Winchester-Cathedral-Fleury-Building-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=6 March 2011|title=Winchester Cathedral celebrates new structure|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-12645621|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

==== 2012–2019 restoration ====
During September 2012, fundraising begins for a planned £19 million programme of repair and expansion. This project aimed to repair and conserve the ancient stained-glass windows of the presbytery clerestory, restore the wooden vault of the presbytery, replace the lead roof of the east end, rewire the building with a new sound system, and open a new exhibition on the Winchester Bible in the south transept triforium.<ref>{{Cite news|date=23 September 2012|title=Winchester Cathedral £19m appeal|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-hampshire-19693883|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

During the end of 2012, a high-level internal access scaffold was erected in the presbytery to enable close inspection of the vault and clerestory windows. The vault was subject to a detailed construction and paint analyses. The results of the inspection and analysis revealed severe corrosion in the windows, many of which had holes in and collapsed glass, and the failure of the lead roof above, which was causing degrading to the 16th-century wooden vault of the presbytery. A trial removal of the 1950s paint revealed the surviving 16th-century paint underneath on the nearly 200 roof bosses.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=|date=Jan 2013|title=Issue 1 – January 2013|url=http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Jan-2013.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015173927/http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Jan-2013.pdf|archive-date=15 October 2015|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> In July 2013, a £10.5 million grant from the [[National Lottery Heritage Fund|Heritage Lottery Fund]] allowed the restoration work to begin.<ref>{{Cite news|date=30 July 2013|title=£47m investment in six UK heritage sites|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-23495577|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

In 2014, a birdcage or suspended scaffold was installed below the vault in the presbytery, where it was expected to stay for four years. This scaffold allowed close contact with the vaults and clerestory windows to be repaired. The scaffold weighed 5 tonnes. Also in 2014, the south transept was removed of all of its items including 7,000 books from the library, to allow it to be restored and made ready for the new exhibition, Kings and Scribes, which was planned to open in the triforium at the end of the restoration project. The south transept was then filled with scaffolding and sealed off at the tower arch from the rest of the cathedral, which was expected to remain for nearly three years.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=December 2014|title=Appeal Update|url=http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Dec-2014.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015173635/http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Dec-2014.pdf|archive-date=15 October 2015|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>   
[[File:An awe inspiring ceiling above the high altar at Winchester Cathedral - geograph.org.uk - 1164095.jpg|thumb|The presbytery vault in February 2009, before restoration]]
In January 2015, a massive scaffolding frame began to be assembled in the Outer Close, which would be raised to cover the entire presbytery roof.<ref>{{Cite news|date=17 March 2015|title=Winchester Cathedral roof frame lift postponed|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-31928502|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> In March 2015, a 300 tonne crane lifted the 27 tonne scaffolding frame to a height of {{convert|80|ft|m}} above the cathedral floor onto the roof. This scaffolding frame, which was moulded to the shape of the roof, was then covered with a waterproof layer to allow the lead underneath to be removed.<ref>{{Cite news|date=19 March 2015|title=Winchester Cathedral roof frame work in place|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-31937294|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> Over the next few weeks, 54 tonnes of lead were removed from the roof, dating back as far as the early 19th century, and sent to [[Leicester]] to be recast.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=March 2015|title=Raising the Roof|url=http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Mar-2015.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015191113/http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Mar-2015.pdf|archive-date=15 October 2015|access-date=17 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|date=March 2016|title=Project in full swing|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-Mar-2016.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> This stage of work was completed in May 2016 with the removal of the external scaffolding and the completion of the lead replacement.<ref>{{Cite news|date=11 May 2016|title=Winchester Cathedral roof scaffolding removal begins|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-hampshire-36269283|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> 
[[File:Winchester Cathedral prebystery vault.jpg|thumb|The same vault in November 2020, after restoration]]
As part of the works to restore the south transept ahead of its use as an exhibition space, a statue was discovered on its gable end in 2017. The original statue, made of [[Caen stone]], was in a very poor state of repair. Caen stone was too soft as an external stone, especially on the exposed roof ridge on the south transept, where it is exposed to the prevailing wind. The head had sheared off at the neck and several cracks were found elsewhere in the statue. The plinth supporting the statue was also in very poor condition. Examination of the statue revealed it dated back to c. 1330 to 1352. Thanks to a grant from The Radcliffe Trust, the statue was replaced with a newly carved life-sized figure of a medieval ecclesiastic clad in an alb, made of [[Portland stone]].<ref name=":16">{{Cite magazine|date=February 2017|title=A house made of stone|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Winchester-Cathedral-Illumination-February-2017.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> By February 2017, the cathedral were only £200,000 short of their fundraising goal, which had increased to £20.5 million.<ref name=":16" /> Also in February, a pit was created in the south transept floor to allow future insertion of a lift, thus allowing the exhibition on the south transept triforium to be accessible to all. Eight piles were inserted to a depth of {{convert|16.4|m|ft}} below the floor to support the new lift.<ref name=":16" />

In June 2017, the lift shaft and outer frame was installed, comprising 4 tonnes of steel rising {{convert|12.6|m|ft}} from the floor. To enable this, the 12th-century [[groin vault]] of the south transept aisle was opened up in a world first. The lift shaft is entirely free standing, it does not exert any pressure on the vault or walls.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=June 2017|title=Raising things to a new level|url=http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-13-Master.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> By November, the final clerestory window had been reinserted. They had been removed beginning 2015 for restoration and were sent to [[Wells, Somerset]] for restoration. The Great East Window was also restored in this time but was so fragile, the conservation works were completed ''in-situ''. Just as these window repairs were completed, conservation on eight windows in the north transept began, including the oldest stained-glass window in the cathedral, dating from 1330. A new oak [[mezzanine]] floor was installed in the triforium to prevent visitors from walking on the uneven floor. The glass lift was installed in the frame during this time, comprising 18 panels, the largest weighing some 550 kilograms.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=November 2017|title=Reaching new heights in the South Transept|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-14-Master-Final2.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

Starting in January 2018, the birdcage installed in 2014 was slowly removed due to the completion of the vault and window repairs, allowing the vault and windows to be viewed for the first time in nearly four years. The stone [[reredos]], dating from 1450 to 1476, called the Great Screen, was cleaned for the first time since 1890.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=May 2018|title=A vision from above|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-15-Master-FINAL.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

The entire project came to a close on 21 May 2019, with the opening of the Kings and Scribes exhibition in the south transept, the removal of all internal and external scaffolding, and the reopening of the south transept, which had been closed off for five years, some two and a half years longer than originally expected.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=July 2019|title=The newly restored south transept is revealed|url=https://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Illumination-18-Master_FINAL.pdf|magazine=Illumination|publisher=Winchester Cathedral|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref>

====2024 independent review====

In June 2024, some cathedral staff and volunteers were reported by the ''[[Hampshire Chronicle]]'' to have concerns about music at the cathedral.<ref name="HC_CA_2024_1">{{cite news |last1=Atkinson |first1=Christopher |title=Concerns continue to be raised over music at Winchester Cathedral |url=https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24393255.concerns-continue-raised-music-winchester-cathedral |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Hampshire Chronicle |date=18 June 2024}}</ref> A senior member of the chapter, [[Mark Byford]], resigned, and the bishop, [[Philip Mounstephen]], commissioned an independent review of the events that had preceded this.<ref name="HC_CA_2024_2">{{cite news |last1=Atkinson |first1=Christopher |title=Winchester Cathedral investigation launched after resignation |url=https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24396823.winchester-cathedral-investigation-launched-resignation |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Hampshire Chronicle |date=19 June 2024}}</ref><ref name="HC_TO_2024_1">{{cite news |last1=Oliver|first1=Toby|title=Winchester Cathedral: Dean Catherine Ogle takes time off work |url=https://www.hampshirechronicle.co.uk/news/24414644.winchester-cathedral-dean-catherine-ogle-takes-time-off-work/ |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Hampshire Chronicle |date=27 June 2024}}</ref><ref name="CT_PA_2024">{{cite news |last1=Ashworth |first1=Pat |title=Winchester Cathedral row: Bishop steps in |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2024/21-june/news/uk/winchester-cathedral-row-bishop-steps-in |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Church Times |date=18 June 2024}}</ref><ref name="Times_BK_2024">{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Benedict |title=Bishop orders inquiry into bullying at Winchester's choir |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/education/article/bishop-orders-inquiry-into-bullying-at-winchesters-choir-2xjw3hxs8 |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Times |date=24 Jun 2024}}</ref> The ''Chronicle'' said that there was "a storm over the departure of the director of music [[Andrew Lumsden (choral director)|Andrew Lumsden]] and widespread concerns about the running of the music department".<ref name="HC_TO_2024_1"/> An article in ''[[The Critic (modern magazine)|The Critic]]'' said that "Sources in the Cathedral Close paint a picture of bullying, micro-management and control-freakery gone wild, with Lumsden the most recent victim".<ref name="TC_GMC_2024">{{cite news |last1=McCormick |first1=Gavin |title=What future for Winchester Cathedral Choir? |url=https://thecritic.co.uk/what-future-for-winchester-cathedral-choir |access-date=13 July 2024 |work=The Critic |date=28 May 2024}}</ref>