The tallest cathedral spire in Britain, the best-preserved Magna Carta and Stonehenge a few miles away: Salisbury is a city of superlatives.
Salisbury is a small, beautiful cathedral city where the rivers of Wiltshire meet. It was founded in the thirteenth century, when the bishop moved the cathedral down from the windswept hilltop of Old Sarum to the fertile meadows below. The new city was laid out in a grid of streets around a market.
Its cathedral, with the tallest spire in Britain, is one of the most perfect Gothic buildings in the world. Salisbury is also the gateway to Stonehenge, the most famous prehistoric monument in Europe, and to the chalk downland of Salisbury Plain. This guide covers six things to see and do.
1. Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral was built between 1220 and 1258, remarkably quickly for a medieval cathedral. Because it was built in one go, it has a unity of style that few other cathedrals share. It is one of the finest examples of Early English Gothic architecture in the world.
Its spire, added in the fourteenth century, is the tallest in Britain, at about a hundred and twenty three metres. It is so heavy that its supporting columns have bent slightly under the weight. Tower tours take you up more than three hundred steps, through the medieval timber framework inside the tower, to a door at the base of the spire with views for miles.
In the Chapter House is the best preserved of the four surviving copies of the original Magna Carta of 1215. Seeing it is a highlight of any visit. The cathedral also has what is thought to be the oldest working mechanical clock in the world, dating from around 1386.
The modern font, a still pool of water in which the arches of the nave are reflected, is beautiful. Peregrine falcons often nest on the tower in spring. The cathedral asks for a donation for entry, and it is worth staying for Evensong.
2. The Cathedral Close
The Cathedral Close, around Salisbury Cathedral, is the largest cathedral close in Britain. It is a huge green lawn surrounded by beautiful old houses, some dating from the Middle Ages. It is one of the most peaceful and beautiful places in England.
Several of the houses are open to visitors. Mompesson House, a Queen Anne town house looked after by the National Trust, appeared in a film of Sense and Sensibility. Arundells was the home of the former prime minister Sir Edward Heath.
The Salisbury Museum, in the King’s House in the Close, has one of the best collections of archaeology in Britain, including finds from Stonehenge. Its star is the Amesbury Archer, a man buried near Stonehenge more than four thousand years ago with a remarkable collection of objects. It is a fascinating place to learn about the ancient landscape.
The Close is entered through old stone gates, which are still locked at night. It is a lovely place for a stroll. The painter John Constable painted the cathedral from the water meadows nearby.
3. Stonehenge
Stonehenge, about ten miles north of Salisbury, is the most famous prehistoric monument in the world. It was built in stages from around five thousand years ago, by people who dragged huge stones across great distances. Some of the smaller bluestones were brought from the Preseli Hills in Wales, more than a hundred and fifty miles away.
Nobody knows exactly why it was built, but it was clearly aligned with the movements of the sun. At the summer solstice, the sun rises over the Heel Stone, and at the winter solstice it sets between the great stones. Thousands of people gather at the stones at the solstices.
A visitor centre, about a mile from the stones, tells the story of the monument and the people who built it, with objects found nearby and reconstructed Neolithic houses. A shuttle bus takes visitors to the stones, or you can walk across the fields. Normally, visitors walk around the stones on a path, but special access visits inside the circle can be booked at certain times.
Stonehenge is looked after by English Heritage, and it is very popular, so booking a timed ticket in advance is essential. The landscape around it is full of other ancient monuments. A car is the easiest way to get there from Salisbury.
4. Old Sarum
Old Sarum, on a hill about two miles north of Salisbury, is where the city began. It was first an Iron Age hill fort, and later the Romans, Saxons and Normans all used it. The Normans built a castle and a cathedral inside its ramparts.
Life on the windswept hilltop was difficult, with little water and arguments between the soldiers of the castle and the clergy of the cathedral. In the thirteenth century, the bishop moved the cathedral down to the meadows, and the new city of Salisbury grew up around it. Old Sarum was gradually abandoned.
Today you can walk around the huge earth ramparts and see the foundations of the old cathedral and the ruins of the castle. The views from the ramparts across the countryside and down to Salisbury Cathedral are wonderful. It is looked after by English Heritage.
Old Sarum was once a famous rotten borough, sending two members to Parliament even though almost nobody lived there. It is a peaceful and atmospheric place. It makes a lovely short visit.
5. The markets and the city centre
Salisbury has been a market city since the thirteenth century, and its charter market is still held in the Market Place every Tuesday and Saturday. It sells fruit, vegetables, cheese, flowers, clothes and much more. It is one of the oldest markets in the country.
The city centre is laid out in a grid of streets called chequers, with many old buildings. The Poultry Cross, a medieval market cross, stands near the Market Place. The Guildhall overlooks the square.
Salisbury has many old pubs and timber framed buildings. The Haunch of Venison is said to be one of the oldest pubs in the city. The city has a good mix of independent shops and restaurants.
The water meadows, just west of the city centre, have wonderful views of the cathedral across the river. The Harnham Water Meadows are a lovely walk. Salisbury holds an arts festival in late spring.
6. Wilton House, the New Forest and Longleat
Wilton House, about three miles west of Salisbury, is the home of the Earls of Pembroke. It is one of the grandest houses in England, famous for its Double Cube Room, one of the most beautiful rooms in the country, filled with paintings by Van Dyck. It has appeared in many films.
The New Forest, about twenty minutes south of Salisbury, is a national park of ancient woodland and open heath, where ponies, donkeys and cattle roam freely. It has pretty villages, walks and cycle trails. Beaulieu, with its motor museum, is within easy reach.
Longleat, about half an hour west, is a grand Elizabethan house with a famous safari park, where you can drive past lions, tigers and rhinos. Stourhead, a landscape garden looked after by the National Trust, is nearby, with a lake and classical temples. Avebury, a huge stone circle larger than Stonehenge, is under an hour north.
These places are spread out, and public transport is limited. A driver for the day makes it easy to see several of them. The countryside of Wiltshire and Hampshire is lovely.
Getting there and getting around
Salisbury station is a short walk from the city centre, with direct trains to London Waterloo in around an hour and a half, and to Southampton, Bath, Bristol and Exeter.
Southampton Airport is about twenty five miles south east, and Bournemouth Airport a similar distance. Heathrow is around an hour and a half away by road. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to travel between Salisbury and the airports, and to reach Stonehenge, the New Forest and Longleat.
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