King Arthur of Camelot was  believed to lived during the 6th century, but his story was mostly known from folklore and literary writings. The search for the origin of Arthurian legend had been the subject of several historians, and was depicted on film adaptations since 1900 to present. Modern adaptation was the “King Arthur” movie (2004) with Clive Owen and Keira Nightley

Winchester is located at Hampshire, South East England. It hosts the Winchester Cathedral which is one of the largest Cathedral in Europe (some scenes from the movie Da Vinci Code was filmed here). The Winchester Castle where the Round Table is hanged at the Great Hall.

The Great Hall at  Winchester Castle

The Great Hall is a symbol of medieval mythology of King Arthur’s Table. The hall was built around 13th century at the heart of the Winchester Castle with the finest architectural designs. On this castle, Henry III was born here in 1207 and used to dine  on the Great Hall.

Eleanor’s Garden was opened in 1986 situated just outside the South Door of The Great Hall is a re-creation of a medieval herbarium named after Queen Eleanor of Provence, wife of Henry III and her daughter-in-law Queen Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I.

The statue of Queen Victoria was the work of Sir Alfred Gilbert, sculptor of Eros in Picadilly Circus, and was made to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 1887 and presented in the country by the High Sheriff.

image source

The Round Table at Winchester Castle

The legendary Round Table at Winchester’s Great Hall was constructed in the late 12th century during the reign of Edward I. The creation was said to be initiated by King Edward because of his interest in Arthurian legend, and for his 1299  hosting of a Round Tables festival .  This festival was a popular event during the middle ages around Europe to imitate King Arthur’s court.

The table was made of English oak and weighs 1.25 tons with 18feet height and 3 inches thick.

According to telegraph.co.uk recent report, researchers  now believed that the origin of the legendary Round Table was inspired by the circular amphitheater built by the Romans in 75AD located at Chester,South West Wales. According to Camelot historian Chris Gidlow, “The first accounts of the Round Table show that it was nothing like a dining table but was a venue for upwards of 1,000 people at a time.”

The knights are known for their strength, courage and heroism. They swore to protect the king and his kingdom. The famous and noblest among the knights was Sir Lancelot, who according to the Grail Legend was a descendant of King David of Israel. His romantic affair with King Arthur’s wife, Queen Guinevere, also played a major part in the legend. Here is a list of the knights of the Round Table , but there are said to be other list since several historian writings came out about the Arthurian legend.

1. Sir Galahad

2. Sir Lancelot

3. Sir Gawaine

4. Sir Percival

5. Sir Lionel

6. Sir Tristan

7. Sir Gareth

8. Sir Bedivere

9. Sir Blioberis

10. Sir La cotemal tail

11. Sir Lucan

12. Sir Palamedes

13. Sir Lamorak

14. Sir Bors

15. Sir Saphar

15. Sir Pellinore

16. Sir Kay

17. Sir Ector

18. Sir Dagonet

19. Sir Degore

20. Sir Brunar

22. Sir Guinglain

23. Sir Alymore

24. Sir Modred

The debate continues about the origin of the Arthurian legend since until now there is no historic proof that the legend ever existed.

Images taken by the author at Winchester Castle except for Queen Victoria