Visitors are invited to admire the wonderful architecture. The Brethren's Hall is
where the Brothers gathered and ate for several centuries and almost all of the original
features can be seen today: the central hearth where a charcoal fire used to burn,
the stairs leading from the Master's lodging, the raised platform where he took his
meals and the fine musician's gallery above the entrance. The Brethren's Hall is
still used today by the Master and Brothers of St Cross to celebrate special events
and feast days. The Victorian kitchen, meat room and cellar are also open for public
viewing.
Outside, take a walk along the Tudor ambulatory to visit the Compton gardens
and the Master's garden. Enjoy a leisurely stroll around the gardens or sit by the
pond and enjoy the peaceful ambiance that has been a feature of St Cross for so many
centuries.
The Hospital of St Cross is famous for its unique and ancient tradition
of providing the Wayfarer's Dole - a horn of beer and a morsel of bread to any visitors
who request it. This tradition was founded by a Cluniac monk whose holy order always
gave bread and wine to travellers and still continues today. Just ask at the Porter's
Lodge on your way out - and please stay long enough to buy a souvenir or two in the
Porter's Lodge shop.
Finally, before you leave why not enjoy a cup of tea and home-made
cake. The tearooms (open in summer months only) are situated in the Hundred Men's
Hall, where up to a hundred local men were given food each day in mediaeval times.
Legend has it that the Hospital's foundation originated in a walk that Henry de Blois,
a grandson of William the Conqueror, took in the Itchen Meadows. He was supposedly
stopped by a young peasant girl who begged de Blois to help her people, who were
starving because of the civil war. The parallel with the Virgin Mary was not lost
on de Blois, who was so moved by the girl's plight that when, a little further along
the river, he discovered the ruins of a religious house, he resolved to use the site
to establish a new community to help the poor. How much of this is fact is unclear,
but we do know that Henry de Blois was young, wealthy and powerful: a monk, knight
and politician in one. Appointed Bishop of Winchester in 1129 at the age of 28, he
founded the Hospital of St Cross between 1132 and 1136, creating what has become
England's oldest charitable institution.
The Hospital was founded to support thirteen
poor men, so frail that they were unable to work, and to feed one hundred men at
the gates each day. The thirteen men became the Brothers of St Cross. Then, as now,
they were not monks. St Cross is not a monastery but a secular foundation. Medieval
St Cross was endowed with land, mills and farms, providing food and drink for a large
number of people - do not forget the water was unfit for drinking so copious amounts
of ale and beer were needed!
In the fifteenth century, Cardinal Beaufort added to
the St Cross buildings and is widely regarded as giving St Cross the look it has
today.
Although the origins of St Cross Hospital are ancient, it is by no means a museum piece, but rather a thriving community of warmth and enthusiasm, acting as sheltered accommodation for 25 elderly men. Interpretations of a Brother’s duties and entitlements have varied over the years, but life at the Hospital today is carried on very much according to the terms of the original foundation. Traditionally, a Brother’s duties are to attend a morning service daily, if well enough to do so, and to wear the gown, whose design dates back to the Knights Hospitallers. There are up to 17 Brothers from the original Foundation, who wear a black gown with a silver cross, and up to eight Brothers of the Order of Noble Poverty, who wear a red gown with a cardinal’s badge. In the past, a variety of headgear has been permitted but since World War I only the original soft hat, or trencher, has been worn. In theory the gown should be worn all the time but over the last 30 years the rules have relaxed. Some Brothers act as guides and others have duties in connection with the church. Brothers contribute towards their keep according to their means. They are provided a one-bedroom flat, or quarter, with a separate shower room and kitchen. Centuries ago, the lodgings would have seemed luxurious in the extreme. To have a second room was a great rarity but to have heating of a coal fire…! The scale of provision was very different too. These days Brothers are provided with a lunch if they wish to take it. The cosy little dining room that they use now is a far cry from the cavernous Brethren’s Hall that was used for so many centuries. In wealthier times, there would have been over 40 Hospital servants. These days a resident Warden and Porter look after the Brothers welfare with support from other people coming in – cook and cleaner daily. One tradition which endures is the weekly payment to each Brother of a small sum of money, probably in lieu of a coal allowance. These days it is £1. When the newest Brother rings a hand bell all the Brothers gather in the old Master’s Lodgings. The Master throws the money in leather purses across the table to each Brother assembled there. To become a Brother, a man has to be 60 or over, of good character and able-bodied. There are no other formal qualifications and today’s Brothers come from all walks of life and all parts of the country. The ‘gowning’ ceremony is as it was centuries ago. Brothers are gowned by the Master at morning service, receiving a black or red gown according to the foundation of the Brother in whose steps they are following.
A visit to St Cross would not be complete without a walk around the gardens. There
is a unique and peaceful Master's Garden, which incorporates the Compton Garden,
commemorating Bishop Compton, Master of St Cross from 1667 - 1675.
The tulip tree
in the Compton Garden was planted by Her Majesty Elizabeth The Queen Mother to commemorate
her visit to St Cross Hospital on July 8th 1986. This part of the Master's Garden
was laid out in the same year, using plants originally imported from the New World
at the time of Henry Compton, Master of St Cross, who later became Bishop of London
and created the garden at Fulham Palace, when the diocese of London included America.
The Gardens
A Brother’s Life
The History
Visiting St Cross
