Salisbury is a beautiful medieval town in Wiltshire just eight miles from Stone Henge. It is chiefly famous for its magnificent early English gothic cathedral which has the highest spire in England and the best preserved copy of Magna Carta.

Last Saturday some members of our walking group met at Temple Meads railway station in Bristol to catch the train to Salisbury. For the last few months, we have been enjoying a monthly outing by train to explore a local city. As I am over 60, I get a third off rail fares with a senior rail card. We have just had the hottest May weather on record and we were glad to spend time in a local hostelry.

Our last visit was in 2019 just before lockdown then we began by walking along one of Salisbury’s five small rivers to find the water meadow where Constable painted his famous view of Salisbury cathedral. Unfortunately, the trees have grown since and I could not find a hay cart or rainbow. On that visit I spent time visiting the lovely cathedral. Last Saturday many of the gardens in the Cathedral close were open to the public so I spent time enjoying the flowers instead.

Salisbury cathedral is known as the cathedral that moved……

Old sarum

The original settlement began as an iron age hill fort on a hill about two miles from the modern town. The site was important for protecting trade routes and was occupied by the Romans and Saxons. During the middle ages a castle and a cathedral were built on the hill. William the Conqueror even sent some of the Domesday book returns to be collated there. However the site must have been difficult for its inhabitants to live in without water and having very poor soil. As the modern town developed Old Sarum declined and was eventually abandoned. It lived on as a rotten borough still electing two members to parliament until the seat was abolished by the 1832 reform act. The site is now owned by English heritage and well worth visiting if you are interested in archeology.

It is not known exactly why the townsfolk decided to move the cathedral but it is clear that relations were difficult between the soldiers and the priests. Canon Peter described the site as barren, dry, and solitary, exposed to the rage of the wind.

Modern Salisbury

Under a charter of 1227 New Sarum was allowed to hold a weekly market and an annual fair. The new town was laid out in a grid pattern which still survives. Work on Salisbury cathedral began in 1228 and continued until 1254. The famous spire was added a century later. This quick build means that like Wells Cathedral it has a uniformity of style missing from most other cathedrals. The architects and builders were allowed to take materials from the old cathedral to build the new cathedral and houses for the priests and other officials.

The cathedral and its surrounding buildings are cut off from the main town by the river Avon and high walls. There are three entrance gates to the cathedral close.

Salisbury Cathedral

The spire of Salisbury cathedral appears to float above the town. Visitors can take a tower tour and climb 332 spiral steps to look into the old roof space. You can even see the wooden ladders that are still used today when they need to change the bulbs in the aircraft warning lights at the top of the spire. (I chose not to take the tour).

There is a charge to visit the cathedral but there is a lot to see including the oldest working mechanical clock which does not have a face, the original oak choir stalls and the modern 10 foot cruciform font which reflects the roof. There are some beautiful stained glass windows. When we visited the organ was being repaired. You can see the scaffolding in my photo but it gave us a chance to see some of the pipes and other parts up close.

Salisbury cathedral is also famous for its beautiful cloisters.

Magna Carta

We strolled through the cloisters to the octagonal chapter house where the best preserved copy of Magna Carta is on display.  In 1215 the barons who were unhappy at paying high taxes to finance King John’s wars with France met him at Runnymede just outside London and forced him to sign Magna Carta. This set out the  limits of his power. It is said to be the foundation of the British constitution  and one of the forerunners of the American declaration of independence. You can read more about it and visiting Salisbury cathedral here.

Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take any photographs in the chapter house. We also enjoyed coffee and cake in the cathedral refectory.

The Cathedral Close

Many of the buildings in the cathedral close have been converted into private houses.

Edward Heath a former conservative prime minister was a famous resident of the cathedral close and often played the organ in the cathedral.

Arundells is open to visitors and houses Heath’s sailing memorabilia and a collection of political cartoons.

Mompesson house is an 18th Century town house owned by the National Trust.

My favourite garden belonged to the North Canonry with sweeping lawns down to the river Avon.

Salisbury town

You can walk through one of the gates into the main town. Salisbury still has some half timbered houses. The Odeon Cinema is housed in a grade I restored medieval hall. The stained glass makes it very different from the usual cinema foyer. The Haunch of Venison with its ship timbers has been described as one of the 25 pubs you must drink in in the U.K.

We visited the Bishop’s Mill public house built on the site of the mill owned by the bishop of Old Sarum.

Salisbury still holds a weekly market and annual fayre in October.

Although we did not visit this time it is easy to combine a visit to Salisbury with a visit to Stonehenge. You can even catch a hop on hop off bus from the railway station. To find out more about visiting Salisbury click here

If all goes well we will be visiting Gloucester next month.