Salisbury and Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury
A beautiful and magical medieval city full of character and history overlooked by its magnificent Gothic Cathedral, the tallest and most splendid of churches in England.
The city was designed and built by the Bishops on a grid system of 21 squares called ‘chequers’ with water courses constructed throughout the street system fed by the River Avon.
The water courses disappeared in Victorian times but the original street system survives to this very day and would remain familiar to its planners.
Whilst many of the original timber framed buildings still exist their exteriors have been changed to reflect the architectural expectations of the 18c.
There
is much of interest to see in this ancient city
- The charter market held in the splendid market square every Tuesday and Saturday
- The rare Doom painting in St.Thomas’s Church
- The oldest cinema foyer in the world
- The remains of the city jail and the more recent clock tower erected thereon
- A famous pub with a gruesome story and another where the Duke of Buckingham lost his head but remains to haunt us
- The ornate Poultry Cross and the legend regarding its construction
- The Cathedral Close – one of the most exclusive addresses in England with its many fine and unique buildings.
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury’s world renowned 13 century Gothic Cathedral, the tallest medieval church in Europe, standing in the largest Cathedral Close in England.
Exhibited within is the oldest working clock in the world dating back to 1380 and in the Chapter House is one of only four remaining copies of the Magna Carta – ‘the Great Charter’ which King John was obliged to execute by his barons at Runnymede near Windsor in 1215.
A city walk to investigate this lovely city will take approximately 1 ½ hours – add
a further hour if you wish to include a guided tour of the Cathedral.