Winchester is a cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, at the western end of the South Downs National Park, on the River Itchen. It is 60 mi south-west of London and 14 mi from Southampton, its nearest city. At the 2021 census, Winchester had a population of 127,439. The wider City of Winchester district includes towns such as Alresford and Bishop's Waltham. Winchester is the county town of Hampshire and contains the head offices of Hampshire County Council.