CITY GUIDE: SALISBURY

SALISBURY

Home to the tallest cathedral spire in Britain and the world’s best-preserved Magna Carta, Salisbury is a historic treasure trove

WORDS DAVID ADAMS

Most English cathedral cities are much older than the cathedrals themselves, with histories reaching back into the Roman era or earlier. Salisbury is the exception that proves the rule: a medieval ‘new town’ laid out on a grid of streets alongside the cathedral in the 13th century. But one of the best views of city and cathedral is from the ramparts of Old Sarum, on a hillside not quite two miles to the north. Once an Iron Age hillfort, it was later the site of a medieval castle and the original cathedral, until the 13th century, when Bishop Richard Poore led the clergy down into the valley to build the present cathedral. This windy hilltop, now home only to some picturesque ruins, is where the centre of this cathedral city really ought to be. Old Sarum was abandoned for several reasons, including a lack of space, the difficulty of obtaining fresh water and a dispute with the garrison of the castle. According to legend, the location of the new cathedral was determined by the fall of an arrow fired from Old

Sarum, although it would have been difficult to fire an arrow two miles, even with the north wind blowing a gale. The subsequent course of events led to the creation of one of the most magnificent sights in the British Isles: the dizzying spire of Salisbury Cathedral. Built in 1320, 404 feet high, it is the largest spire in Britain and taller than any other spire built before 1400 that is still standing anywhere. Drive or walk over the hills that According to legend, the location of surround Salisbury and it is this majestic stone structure that you see the new cathedral was determined before anything else. But there is much more to Salisbury by the fall of an arrow fired than its cathedral. At the heart of the from the hilltop of Old Sarum city, the market square has been the city’s focal point since a market was first held here in 1227 and the streets around it are full of good places to eat, drink and shop. There are as many historical buildings and sights as you’d expect to find in a cathedral city, including the gates through the remaining stretches of the old city wall into the Cathedral Close; while in the historic Close itself, you’ll find an array of architectural styles ranging from the 13th to the 20th centuries.

1SALISBURY CATHEDRAL

The Cathedral has Britain’s tallest spire, largest cloisters and the world’s oldest clock. Join one of the Tower Tours for the chance to sample the best views available of the city centre as you look out over the green lawns of the Cathedral Close, fringed by many of the city’s most beautiful buildings, the medieval streets and market square to the north and the water meadows to the west. www.salisburycathedral.org.uk

2CHAPTER HOUSE

One of the four original copies of Magna Carta, dating back to 1215, is housed in the cathedral’s beautiful 14th-century Chapter House. Look out too for the detailed stone frieze depicting scenes from Genesis and Exodus, including Noah’s Ark and the Tower of Babel. www.salisburycathedral.org.uk

3ARUNDELLS

Arundells, a gorgeous 18th-century house in the Close, was the home of former Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath until his death in 2005. Built on the site of a medieval canonry, the house is still filled with Sir Edward’s belongings. Two acres of beautifully kept gardens slope away gently behind the house, down to the river. arundells.org

4MOMPESSON HOUSE

On Chorister Green, a picturesque rectangle of lawn in a corner of the Cathedral Close, Mompesson House is an elegant 18th-century affair, now furnished in the style of Queen Anne’s reign (1702-14). You might recognize it as one of the locations used in the film Sense and Sensibility. Don’t miss

The Cathedral has Britain’ s tallest spire, largest cloisters and the world’ s oldest clock

the little tea room in the garden, where you can sip tea in the sunshine beside the lawn, like a lady or gentleman of leisure of the 18th century. www.nationaltrust.org.uk

ST THOMAS’S CHURCH 5

This church was built to serve the spiritual needs of the people who built the cathedral, and it’s still thriving. Marvel at the vast 15th-century Doom Painting, thought to be the largest in England. Painted in 1475, it shows Christ at the Day of Judgement, casting sinners into Hell and sending the righteous to Heaven. It was whitewashed over during the Reformation and only rediscovered by chance in the 19th century. www.stthomassalisbury.co.uk

SALISBURY MUSEUM6

In the Cathedral Close, this museum is a good place to find out more about the Neolithic heritage of this part of Wiltshire: Salisbury lies within one of the richest areas of prehistoric human sites anywhere in the country. The wide-ranging collections range from archaeology to fine art and fashion. A prize exhibit is the Amesbury Archer, whose grave contained the richest array of items ever found from this period. salisburymuseum.org.uk

TOWN PATH7

The scenic Town Path runs beside streams across the water meadows between Salisbury and the neighbouring suburb of Harnham. It offers the best views of the cathedral from the valley floor; it was from a spot near the path at the Salisbury end that John Constable painted one of his most celebrated works, Salisbury Cathedral From The Meadows, in 1831. www.salisburywatermeadows. org.uk

8STONEHENGE

Salisbury makes an excellent base for visiting the mystical stone circle of Stonehenge. No matter how many times you have seen pictures of it, nothing compares to getting up close to this awe-inspiring ancient monument, thought to date back 4,500 years. www.english-heritage.org.uk

9WILTON HOUSE

The little town of Wilton, just a few miles west of Salisbury, is dominated by this magnificent stately home, seat of the Earl of Pembroke, where you can admire some of the finest 17th-century Palladian exteriors and interiors in England. www.wiltonhouse.co.uk

10 OLD SARUM

There is not much left of the Iron Age fortification of Old Sarum, beyond the crumbling flint of the old castle walls, the deep ditches outside the ramparts and the outline of the old cathedral, picked out in stone on the ground. But it’s an evocative place, and the views back over pretty Salisbury are spectacular. www.english-heritage.org.uk

THE PLANNER

GETTING THERE South Western Railway trains run from London Waterloo to Salisbury (1hr 30min). www.thetrainline.com

WHERE TO STAY Stay in the Pembroke Arms, a former coaching inn in the market town of Wilton. Convenient for Salisbury and Stonehenge, it has pretty rooms filled with antiques and plenty of old-fashioned charm. It serves excellent food too. www.pembrokearms.co.uk

WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK For afternoon tea with a view of the famous spire, head for the Bell Tower Tea Rooms overlooking the cathedral's north lawn, which serves up excellent cream teas and afternoon teas. The Cathedral's Refectory Restaurant also boasts views of the spire, thanks to its glasss roof. For lunch or dinner try Allium, an intimate, family-run restaurant overlooking the bustling market square. A short but tempting menu might include the likes of roast guinea fowl with sweet and sour aubergine and apricot chutney, or chalk stream trout with roast cauliflower, caviar sauce, gooseberry and chervil. Salisbury has many historic pubs; try the wood-beamed Haunch of Venison, whose history dates back 700 years and which is said to be haunted. www.salisburycathedral.org.uk; alliumsalisbury.restaurant; haunchpub.co.uk

iFURTHER INFORMATION www.visitwiltshire.co.uk