The Pilgrims School

The Pilgrims' School can be traced back through the schools associating with the Cathedral Choir to the Alta Schola which was established around 676 AD. This association continues today. A number of schools set up to educate the choir boys of Winchester Cathedral are known to have existed since Saxon times. Some scholars link them with the Alta Schola (Latin; High School), established in Winchester around AD 676. The main building, redesigned by Sir Christopher Wren in the 17th century, is on the site of a former Roman villa, and includes a medieval hall and barn. A pre-preparatory department was opened in 2007 to meet the growing demand for an early years programme.

The school hall contains England's oldest surviving wood double hammer-beamed roof, which used to accommodate the pilgrims travelling to the cathedral. The ancient city wall runs around the boundary of the schools games pitches, situated next to the school. A tributary of the River Itchen flows through the grounds of the school, with the boys able to fish further downstream. Nature reserves in the water meadows have an abundance of wild flowers and birds, and an Iron Age fort comprising a maze at the top of St Catherine's Hill is within walking distance of the school grounds.