IT is one of the most magnificent medieval sights in Hampshire - yet it has been hidden from public view for three years.

Restorers at Winchester Cathedral have painstakingly cleaned the intricate ribs, fields and bosses of the 535ft long nave - the second longest in Europe, beaten only by St Peter's in Rome.

The roof has been cleaned of a century of grime including candlewax.

Coincidentally, when restorers went up to the roof in 1997, graffiti they found revealed that it was last cleaned exactly 100 years earlier.

The nave, which dates from 1350, tells the story of Hamp-shire with massive stone bosses bearing heraldic shields, oak leaves and Hampshire roses.

But one boss is unique because it depicts the architect of the vaulting, one William Wynford.

Now all are clean and back to their former glory to look down on the masses of tourists and worshippers. They flock to the 907-year-old cathedral every year to visit the graves of Jane Austen and Isaak Walton or pray in the many chapels.

But taking down the scaffolding which hid large sections of the wonderful structure for so long is going to be hard work. The team has had to build another scaffold to dismantle the one high up in the vaulting.

The scaffolding took two months to put up and will take a further two months to bring down with work hopefully completed by the end of this month.

Clerk of works Charlton Bath said: "It's an enormous task and I'm pleased with the outcome. I want to see the final effect when the scaffolding is removed - it should be quite stunning and it certainly has made the nave a lot lighter."

Money to restore the nave has come from grants from English heritage and the Friends of Winchester Cathedral Trust.

The completion marks the end of another phase of restoration and the end of major works inside the building.

But work is set to continue on the outside of the south clerestory over the aisle and the eastern end of the cathedral at the Lady Chapel to make sure the cathedral stays in good condition.

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