In 1901 Alfred's thousandth anniversary was celebrated at Winchester,
and on September 20 of that year Lord Rosebery unveiled Hamo
Thorneycroft's magnificent bronze statue, standing in the Broadway, and
bearing on its granite pedestal the single word, eloquent in its
simplicity:--
AELFRED.
Interesting and important as are the associations of Alfred and St.
Swithun with this ancient capital of Wessex, the _genius loci_ is
William of Wykeham, one of the most remarkable men the world has ever
produced. The more we study his life and character the more we are
amazed at the versatile nature of his splendid gifts. Born, like Wolsey,
the only other clerical architect with whom he can be compared, of
humble parents, in the sleepy little village of Wickham, in the autumn
of 1324, he early attracted the attention of Sir John Scures, the lord
of the manor of Wickham, and Constable of Winchester Castle. By Sir
John's influence he became a scholar at the Priory School, the "Great
Grammar School of Winchester", then situated just outside the west wall
of the priory enclosure.
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