THESE are the long-lost buildings that stem from the time when Winchester was the most powerful place in the country.

The CGI images show Winchester Castle, the bishop’s Palace and William the Conqueror’s Palace.

They were shown in the Channel 4 programme Britain’s Most Historic Towns: Norman Winchester, presented by Prof Alice Roberts on Saturday evening.

Almost nothing remains above ground of William’s palace which was designed to dominate the city and intimidate the Anglo-Saxons. The programme did show a Norman arch in Montezuma’s chocolate shop on the High Street and stepped down into the basement of The Hambledon boutique on The Square.

The once-mighty castle was captured in the 17th century and razed on the order of Oliver Cromwell. Only the Great Hall and its Round Table survived.

The Bishop’s Palace also suffered from war and only one part survived to be rebuilt at the home of the Bishop of Winchester, which it remains to this day.