A WINCHESTER professor will give a talk on the presence of a god at the Water Garden.

Dr John Pearce, resident Wintonian, has taught Roman Archaeology at King's College London since 2004.

On May 10, he will present 'From the Nile to the Itchen: Serapis in a Winchester water garden' for the Hampshire Gardens Trust.

As well as funerary practices, frontiers and inscriptions, his research interests include the images of gods, humans and animals created in Rome's provinces.

A description of the event reads: "The Water Close Garden in central Winchester was created in the 1950s by Sir Peter Smithers to give pleasure to everyone walking to and from the Cathedral Close.

"It houses the stone bust of a Romanized Egyptian god, Serapis. Presiding over the pooled waters of the Itchen, the god is an enigmatic presence, half hidden by the magnolias now dominating the garden.

"This talk traces the story of Serapis, and representations of him, from Alexandria via Rome to Winchester, and considers the resonances of the statue in its garden setting."

Last year, Alan Stone who owns the Water Garden near the cathedral submitted plans to build a house on the land.

He was met with more than 1,000 objections, including one from Sr Peter Smithers' daughter who lives in Switzerland.

It is thought to be one of the most controversial and heavily-objected applications Winchester City Council has ever seen.

Dr Pearce's talk starts 6pm on May 10 via Zoom – tickets £5 each.

To book, click here.