A peek into the past of The Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury , England

K.Sruthi C.Dhedeepya Shirley Deborah kavya shri

Ms. Shefali Nayak History of architecture - medieval VSPARC, VIT

Salisbury Cathedral is the cathedral of the Virgin Mary, in salisbury, England built in early English Gothic style. The first foundation stone was laid by Bishop Poore in 1220, and the construction continued for 38 years until it was completed in 1258. This cathedral owns the tallest spire in Britain, which is 404ft tall. Salisbury Cathedral, built during the transition period of architectural style from Romanesque to Gothic was constructed with slender columns and pointed arches that had better load transferring mechanism, which allowed for the construction of higher vaults. Walls were thinner as loads were not imposed on them, which gave way for large opening with stained glass that allowed a large amount of light inside. However, in this Cathedral, a string separates the lower arcade and the

triforium above creating layers, unlike the typical gothic cathedrals where the piers flow all way down to the nave from the ribbed vault. It also has a variety of medieval tombs, most of which are placed between the

nave and aisle, separating the two. The Salisbury cathedral houses one of the greatest treasures, the Magna Carta.Restoration works were done several times by conservation Architects like James Wyatt and Sir George Gilbert Scott. In this

process, some original decorations were lost including stained glasses and some

small chapels. 1

HISTORY

The original location of this masterpiece was two miles away from the actual location at old Sarum. Although the site was impressive , its exposure to climatic elements and lack of water lead to a relocation of the clergy to its present one. The cathedral at the old Sarum, an ancient fortified plateau , was a Norman cathedral built by bishop St Osmund . After it's relocation to the site at the confluence of two

Evans, Sydney. Salisbury Cathedral: A reflective Guide, Michael Russell Publishing, Salisbury. 1 1985.

rivers, the construction of the new cathedral began around 1220 in an early English gothic style . Then the chapel of the holy trinity , the moving of the bishops tomb, then the choir, transepts and the nave and the consecration of the cathe

dral and then came the cloisters and the chapel house before the majestic addition of the spire adding to the beauty and loads of the walls of cathedral . The fact that the cathedrals construction was finished within a generation made the final

structure a symbol of unity in vision which was the first of its kind during the early English period . Its high stature as the oldest and the most composed cathedral in England , was achieved by not only the structure but also its creators leading to its emergence as the centre of the famous paintings of John Constable , gesture

of appreciation for John Fisher , the bishop salisbury who commissioned the painting . The cathedral is also the inspiration for William golding’s novel ‘ the spire, an important plot point in the novel ‘sarum, and was used as one of the two

models used to create the fictional kingsbridge cathedral in ‘ the pillars of the

earth ‘ by ken follett . 2

Ross , David . Salisbury Cathedral : history , tourist information and accommodation . https:// 2 www.britainexpress.com/counties/wiltshire/churches/Salisbury-Cathedral.htm. accessed on 10th April , 2019.

FEATURES

The cathedral is renowned as the first major cathedral to be built unobstructed and according to the architect and the clerics wishes. Considering the location of the cathedral as a major feature of the masterpiece, the site’s relocation from old Sarum was nothing more than petty clashed amongst the old Sarum monks and the castle garrison . This unrest pushed Bishop Poore to build a new cathedral at a place far from the influences of the Sarum . Legend says he stood on a high ground and decided two choose the place wherever the arrow shot by him lands . The chosen site was two miles from Sarum , a beautiful site along the river Avon. Despite its beauty , the soil along the river was sure to be unstable and loose . It is said that the cathedral’s tower was built on just 4 feet of gravel foundation . As the construction neared ending , the remodelling of the bell tower by James Wyatt ruined its beauty . Besides its location its also known for the tallest spire in Britain . The spire almost double the height of the actually planned height , was definitely some feat .but it came with its own consequences such as the slender pillars pillars which started to buckle under natural strains .the spire scaffolding towered high spreading on all

sides slowing down its construction inch wise . Scaling the tower , the size of the capstone is huge enough to leave the onlookers bewildered , wondering if it was built as a single piece or by parts. The capstone is said to be housing a container with the virgin’s shroud in it to as a protection charm for the cathedral. The most striking feature that differentiates this from the other typical gothic style

cathedrals is the way it is built in gothic style but also not built in gothic style . One feature that brings out this difference is the nave of the cathedral . The nave

of the nave here is that unlike the usual ones that are continuous from the base to th top , this one is cut off by a string course of corbels and other ornamentations. This feature makes the interior of the cathedral looks like a slyer cake in which

the top layer is separately place as a pier rather than beginning from the bottom. ,

3

The salisbury cathedral houses the oldest working mechanical clocking the world , which was made out of hand wrought iron the 1380’s. As it is usual of the period, this clock has no face or sides, and was designed only to strike hours.

This clock was placed in the now forgotten bell tower. The bell tower was demolished in the 1790’s during the civil war and the clock was replaced with a newer model, a gift from the men of Wiltshire regiment in 1880s. However, the original

clock was later found in the attic of the cathedral in the 1900’s and is now

restored back to its original location. 4

"Salisbury Cathedral giant hands artwork 'bumped into by texters'". BBC News. 19 February 4 2016.