Sat high above the Broadway, watching over his city, King Alfred is a pretty good simile for Winchester.

He’s quite happily stood around holding that heavy sword, wearing the same fixed expression, making everyone move around him for quite sometime and is going nowhere fast.

When Wintonians complain that Winchester doesn’t move with the times and it will fall behind unless this development happens or that event takes place, I like to think of the King.

He’s been stood there since 1899, and much of the view he purveys was there long before his eyes were carefully carved by Hamo Thornycroft.

Winchester has been a city for a long time, and an incredibly successful one at that. Developing from the Roman town of Venta Belgarum, it’s renowned globally for architecture and history and viewed as one the most desirable places in the UK.

If we analyse too many details and get involved with little squabbles, we forget to look at the bigger picture.

The view from St Catherine’s Hill will change with the seasons and the water trickling under the City Mill will always be fresh from the Hampshire hills, but we’re still the same old, great Winchester.

It’s time we learnt to just celebrate it.

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