Salisbury
The modern town of Salisbury began around 1217 when the Bishop decided to move his seat to land owned by the church south of the hill. The bishop laid out streets in a grid pattern and leased plots of land for building houses and work began on Salisbury Cathedral in 1220. So a new settlement grew up but the town at Old Sarum continued for centuries.
The new town was very successful due partly to its location on the road from Wilton to Southampton as travellers stopped at Salisbury spending money here. Salisbury grew to be one of the largest towns in England by the 15th century.
Prominently located, Salisbury Cathedral is one of Britain’s finest medieval cathedrals and offers a warm welcome to all who visit. Set within eight acres of lawn and surrounded by historic buildings and museums within the spectacular Cathedral Close, the Cathedral is unique in being built almost entirely in one architectural style - Early English Gothic. Britain’s tallest spire (123m / 404ft) was added a generation later.
Inside the Cathedral discover nearly 800 years of history including the best preserved original Magna Carta (1215), Europe’s oldest working clock (1386) and the spectacular new ‘living water’ font (2008) designed by William Pye.
Volunteers provide guided floor and tower tours highlighting the Cathedral’s many hidden treasures. Explore the roof spaces on a tower tour, climbing 332 steps to the base of the spire to admire the magnificent views across Salisbury (Tower tour: 90 minutes – please book in advance).
The Cathedral has a Refectory Restaurant and shop onsite. For further details on the Cathedral please visit
www.salisburycathedral.org.uk or call 01722 555120.
Beyond the Close, Salisbury repays a day spent wandering. There are numerous beautiful half-timbered buildings, floors tilting like a ship in heavy seas. The church of St. Thomas a Becket, a former ‘chapel of ease’ for the cathedral, has a magnificent carved and panelled roof, and an organ donated by George III.
The Market Place here has seen regular markets since 1227 and it used to be sprinkled with crosses, which were centres for selling particular kinds of produce. The Market Square was the scene of the execution of the Duke of Buckingham in 1483. The Duke, in hiding from Richard III, was betrayed when a labourer noticed extra food being delivered to his hiding place.
Two miles north of Salisbury, off the Marlborough road, a huge earthwork dominates the western skyline. This is Old Sarum, originally a heavily fortified Iron Age camp. The Romans called it Sorviodunum and had a settlement here at the junction of five roads. When the Danes raided Old Sarum in 1003, it was occupied by Saxons.
A little further north and two miles west of Amesbury stands probably the most famous henge in the world. Stonehenge continues to amaze and inspire the many thousands of visitors who come to see it for themselves. The stones, as we see them today, were erected some 4000 years ago. People continue to wonder just why Stonehenge was built, with some suggesting it was used as a giant astronomical observatory. In truth, it’s fair to say that we’re as much in the dark as we’ve always been.
North Gate – Salisbury 26
Despite all its dilapidation and the encroachment of the modern world, Stonehenge, today, is still an awe-inspiring sight, and no travel itinerary around Britain should omit it.
The Tourist Handbook Wessex 2011
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