THIS year's official guided tours of Winchester are being launched today.

As usual there are themed walks, such as the new Wellington's Winchester, created to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.

Other firsts include the Christian almshouses of St John's Winchester charity, originally founded over 1,000 years ago.

Tourists will also once again have a chance to visit the ever-popular Chesil Tunnel and Abbey House, the Mayor's Official Residence.

A fillip in tour numbers is expected following the success of historical television drama “Wolf Hall”, scenes of which were shot at the Hospital of St Cross, the cathedral and the Great Hall.

As a result, there will be regular Tudor-themed tours.

To celebrate English Tourism Week, guides are offering two free tours for local residents on Saturday 14 and 21 March.

For more details call the Tourist Information Centre in the Broadway on 01962 840500.

Daily city walking tours will resume from April.