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| Wiltshire, South West, England |
Salisbury lies on the edge of Salisbury Plain, just 13 kilometres from the world famous pre-historic stone circles of Stonehenge. Salisbury is one of the most beautiful cathedral cities in Britain.
Old Sarum, on its fortified hill, was abandoned in 1220, because of the poor water supply, and moved to meadowland about two miles south. The New Sarum, or Salisbury, was built at the meeting place of four river valleys and sheltered by downland. It was built on a grid system, using stone from the buildings of Old Sarum, and the streets of modern Salisbury are based on this still. Bishop Richard Poore began the Cathedral in 1220 and it was completed about 1280. The spire, which was not part of the original plan and is, at 404 feet (123 metres), the tallest in England, was added in 1334. It has a slight twist in it which is ‘just’ discernible. Inside the Cathedral are many impressive monuments, tombs and stained-glass windows, and a dial-less clock, from the 14th century, which is probably the oldest timepiece in working order, in Britain. The library contains one of the original copies of the Magna Carta. Four 14th century gates guard the entrances to the finest Cathedral Close in England, and it contains many interesting buildings which, while looking Georgian, have 13th century architectural features. One building of note is the Old Deanery, which still has its original timber roof, another is Walton Canonry. Mompesson House, in the guardianship of the National Trust, dates back to 1701, and has a fine oak staircase and magnificent plasterwork. It contains a collection of 18th century drinking glasses. It also, features in the film ‘Sense and Sensibility’.
Other sites in the city worthy of mention are:
The large tree-lined Market Square with many old and interesting buildings. The right to hold a market here twice weekly dates back to a charter of 1227.
St Thomas’s Church, dedicated to Thomas Becket and founded in 1220, was extended in the middle Ages and contains a striking painting of the ‘Doom’.
King’s house, so named following several visits by King James I, is now the South Wiltshire Museum. It contains objects on display of Stonehenge, Old Sarum and Salisbury.
The old ‘Red Lion Inn’, with an ivy-clad galleried courtyard, from where the Salisbury Flying Machine left, each night for London, in the great coaching era!!
Other places of interest within 30 kilometres:
Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain, the most important prehistoric monument in Britain and quite unique. Built between 5000 and 3000 years ago. It is held in trust by both the National Trust and English Heritage.
Old Sarum, an Iron Age fort, later a Saxon settlement and then a Norman fortress before it was moved to its present location.
Wilton House, the home of the Earls of Pembroke which was destroyed by fire in 1647 and reconstructed by Inigo Jones, contains a fine collection of paintings and furniture, a doll’s house and 7000 model soldiers!
Did you know that – Old Sarum was one of the so-called ‘Rotten Boroughs’ and returned two Members of Parliament until 1832, despite having a population of only 10 people?
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| Accommodation | Tours |  |
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| Howards House Country Hotel | Howard’s House is a small, genteel hotel located in an exceptionally beautiful and peaceful village. There is a sense of being in one of the last remaining enclaves of a now largely bygone England. Howard's House is a country hotel and has retained a lot of its period charm. The nine bedrooms are c... |
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