Salisbury known as 'The city in
the countryside', the magnificent medieval city of Salisbury has it all:
historic streets and alleyways, charming half-timbered buildings, traditional
English eating houses and colourful shopping streets, not to mention a superb
range of attractions like beautiful gardens , farms , Salisbury Cathedral and The Stonehenge.
Salisbury Cathedral -
Salisbury is unique amongst
medieval English cathedrals having been built in just 38 years (1220 - 1258) in
a single architectural style, early English Gothic. The tower and spire
(Britain’s tallest) were added about 50 years later. The building itself is
remarkable, a testimony to the faith and practical skills of those who erected
it.
But it is much more than a
historical monument. It is a living church and a place of prayer. As the
Cathedral Church of the Salisbury diocese it is Mother Church of several
hundred parishes in Wiltshire and Dorset. It is also a centre of pilgrimage for
hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
Salisbury Cathedral, formally
known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican
cathedral in Salisbury, England, and is considered one of the leading examples
of Early English architecture.
The cathedral has the tallest church spire in
the United Kingdom (123m/404 ft). Visitors can take the "Tower Tour"
where the interior of the hollow spire, with its ancient wood scaffolding, can
be viewed. The cathedral also has the largest cloister and the largest
cathedral close in Britain (80 acres (320,000 m2)). The Cathedral contains the
world's oldest working clock (from AD 1386) and has the best surviving of the
four original copies of Magna Carta (all four original copies are in England).
Although commonly known as Salisbury Cathedral, the official name is the Cathedral
of Saint Mary. In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its
consecration in 1258.
The foundation stone was laid on
28 April 1220.Much of the freestone for the cathedral came from Teffont Evias
quarries. Due to the high water table in the new location, the cathedral was
built on only four feet of foundations, and by 1258 the nave, transepts and
choir were complete. The west front was ready by 1265. The cloisters and
chapter house were completed around 1280. Because the cathedral was built in
only 38 years, Salisbury Cathedral has a single consistent architectural style,
Early English Gothic.
The only major sections of the
cathedral built later were the Cloisters, Chapter house, tower and spire, which
at 404 feet (123 m) dominated the skyline from 1320. Whilst the spire is the
cathedral's most impressive feature, it has also proved to be troublesome.
Together with the tower, it added 6,397 tons (6,500 tonnes) to the weight of
the building. Without the addition of buttresses, bracing arches and anchor
irons over the succeeding centuries, it would have suffered the fate of spires
on later great ecclesiastical buildings (such as Malmesbury Abbey) and fallen
down; instead, Salisbury remains the tallest church spire in the UK. To this
day the large supporting pillars at the corners of the spire are seen to bend
inwards under the stress. The addition of reinforcing tie beams above the
crossing, designed by Christopher Wren in 1668, arrested further deformation.
The beams were hidden by a false ceiling, installed below the lantern stage of
the tower.
Significant changes to the
cathedral were made by the architect James Wyatt in 1790, including replacement
of the original rood screen and demolition of the bell tower which stood about
320 feet (100 m) north west of the main building.
Main Attractions:-
(A). Original Magna Carta
(B). Salisbury cathedral clock -
The dating from about AD 1386 is supposedly the oldest working modern clock in
the world.
(C) Organs
(D) Glass Arts on the windows
(E).The Baptismal
Font - Perhaps the most significant addition to the fabric of an
English Cathedral in recent years, it has been designed by William Pye,
Britain’s most distinguished water sculptor, and is the Cathedral’s first
permanent font for over 150 years. Cruciform in shape and with a three metre
span to allow total immersion baptism, it is a beautiful green patinated bronze
vessel with a Purbeck Freestone plinth and brown patinised bronze grating. The
Salisbury Font has been specifically designed to combine both movement and
stillness, with living streams of water flowing from its four corners whilst a
perfectly smooth, still surface of water reflects the surrounding architecture
of the cathedral.
(F) The Chapter House -
(G) The Cathedra -
How to Reach Here
Salisbury Cathedral is
situated in the centre of the historic city of Salisbury, just 1½ hours journey
from London .
The postcode is SP1
2EJ.
Train
There are frequent
train services from London, Bath and the West Country. For train timetables
visit the National Rail website: http://www.nationalrail.co.uk
Regular services
(usually every 30 minutes) from London Waterloo take only 90 minutes and the
Cathedral is less than a 10 minute walk from the station.
Direct trains run from
London, Basingstoke, Plymouth, Exeter and Yeovil by South West Trains
www.southwesttrains.co.uk
Direct trains run from
Cardiff, Bristol, Bath, Westbury, Portsmouth and Southampton by First Great
Western
Wilts and Dorset bus
company - telephone 01722 336855
National Express Coaches
National Express
coaches have regular links to Salisbury Bus Station. For timetable details
visit their website at: http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx
or telephone 0990
808080
Car
From London, take the
M3 then the A303 and the A345, approximately a 1½ - 2 hour drive.
From Swindon take the
X5
From
Dorchester/Weymouth/Blandford take the A354.
From Bournemouth take
the A338.
From Southampton take
the A36.
From Bath take the A36.
From Stonehenge take
the A303 and the A345 (approximately 25 minutes).
From Old Sarum A345
(approximately 10 minutes).
Car parking: Please use
city centre car parks. The closest to the Cathedral Close are Old George Mall
or Crane Street.
Some useful websites
http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/
Online Salisbury Cathedral Gallery
http://www.salisburycathedral.co.uk/gallery.php
Salisbury Cathedral Services and Events -
http://www.salisburycathedral.co.uk/services.php
http://www.cathedralsplus.org.uk
Salisbury Cathedral -
Video Documentary in 6 parts
Some useful websites
http://www.salisburycathedral.org.uk/
Online Salisbury Cathedral Gallery
http://www.salisburycathedral.co.uk/gallery.php
Salisbury Cathedral Services and Events -
http://www.salisburycathedral.co.uk/services.php
http://www.cathedralsplus.org.uk
