WINCHESTER students have been learning about the Anglo-Saxon world of King Alfred.

Judith Pope, part of the education team at Winchester Cathedral, visited Peter Symonds College recently to talk to a group of A Level English students about her research into 10th Century Winchester.

Ms Pope examined the city’s Benedictine community, exploring the life of a monk called Aelfric.

According to her research, Aelfric shared King Alfred’s belief in the value of education and the need to spread it, and the monk was considered a visionary of his time, using role-play to make lessons more interesting.

The lecture marked the beginning of a series of weekly presentations to Peter Symonds English students to help broaden their knowledge.

Head of english literature, Dr Paul Davies said: “We are very grateful to Judith for sharing her research, many students and staff will now be visiting the Cathedral to find out more.”