Salisbury Cathedral from the Town Path
Although Swindon is larger, it’s classed as a town.
The beautiful cathedral has the tallest spire in the UK at 404ft/123m. Notably, it contains the best preserved of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta and the oldest surviving mechanical clock in Britain, installed 1386.
John Constable famously painted Salisbury Cathedral and the surrounding water meadows. A walk down the city’s Town Path takes you past one of the spots where he painted.
The city was originally known as New Sarum to differentiate it from Old Sarum – the site of the first cathedral. Old Sarum is now owned by English Heritage.
There are markets in Salisbury held in the Market Square on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Regular markets have been held here since 1227. There’s also a Farmers’ Market on a Wednesday where you can buy local produce.
In 2012, Salisbury was awarded Purple Flag status. Purple Flag is the accreditation scheme that recognises excellence in the management of town and city centres at night. Entertainment areas that achieve the standard offer a better night out to visitors
Historic Salisbury still contains many beautiful old timbered buildings. The Close is home to a large number with Arundells, the former home of ex Prime Minister Sir Edward Heath being just one. The award-winning Salisbury & South Wiltshire Museum and the Wessex Gallery of Archaeology which was opened in 2014 can also be found here.
Just off the Market Square is the 14th century Poultry Cross – the only surviving of four original market crosses. There was also a cheese and milk cross, a wool and yarn cross and a cattle and livestock cross.
Five rivers meet in Salisbury – the Nadder, Ebble, Wylye, Bourne and Avon. The Harnham Water Meadows Trust manages a section of meadows to continue the tradition of moving water from the Nadder to the Avon, known as the drowning of the water meadows.
Nearby is Salisbury Plain where great bustards have been reintroduced and the World Heritage Site of Stonehenge.
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