Having met the Mayor, Cllr Achwal, briefly when they attended the ringing in of the New Year at the Cathedral, Rotaractors Thomas Bwambale and Adil Saad were invited by him to visit his official residence, Abbey House.
The city of Winchester received its charter from King Henry II in 1155 and it is second only to London in this respect. Cllr. Achwal is the 826th mayor of the city and there are only five cities in England whose mayor has the benefit of their own official residence, Abbey House. However, the Mayor pointed out to Thomas and Adil that it doesn’t have any bedrooms so can only be used for civil occasions and other functions hosted by him during his year of office.
After taking them on a tour of the house, pointing out some of its historic features and recounting its history, as our photograph shows, Cllr. Achwal entertained them to tea in the Mayoress’ parlour.
