Salisbury and Its Cathedral Close: A Day in the Wiltshire City

One building, one century

Salisbury Cathedral is unusual among English cathedrals in having been built largely in a single campaign in the thirteenth century, which gives it a consistency the piecemeal ones lack. The spire, added a little later, is the tallest in Britain and visibly strains the structure, which is why the crossing piers are bent and the internal bracing arches exist at all.

The Chapter House holds one of the surviving 1215 copies of Magna Carta, displayed in low light. The clock in the north aisle is among the oldest working mechanical clocks anywhere. Tower tours run on published schedules and involve a long climb; they need booking and are not suitable for everyone.

The close is the real surprise

Salisbury has the largest cathedral close in Britain, walled and gated, and the gates are still shut at night. Within it are houses spanning five centuries, lawns that give the cathedral room to be seen properly, and several buildings open to visitors. Mompesson House is a Queen Anne townhouse with a plaster staircase and a walled garden. Arundells was the home of a former prime minister and keeps its collection intact. The Rifles museum occupies the old Bishop's Guest House. Together they make the close a half day in itself.

• Mompesson House for Queen Anne interiors and a quiet garden
• Arundells, with its garden running down to the river
• The Salisbury Museum, opposite the west front
• Walk the full circuit of the close wall for the best views

Market days and the medieval grid

The city outside the close is a planned medieval grid with a large market square at its heart. Markets are held there on set days through the week and bring the square to life in a way that photographs of the spire never suggest. The Poultry Cross, the medieval church of St Thomas with its doom painting above the chancel arch, and the chequers of small streets between the square and the close are all within a few minutes of each other.

Old Sarum and the country around

Old Sarum, on a hill just north of the city, is where Salisbury began. The original cathedral and castle stood inside vast Iron Age ramparts before the whole settlement moved down to the water meadows in the thirteenth century. The earthworks are impressive and the view across to the new spire explains the move better than any caption. Wilton House lies a short distance west, Stonehenge and the plain are north, and the Woodford valley makes a pretty alternative route between them.

Practicalities for a car-based visit

Vehicle access into the close is restricted and controlled at the gates, so the working arrangement is a set-down on the edge of the centre and a short walk in. The city is flat and compact, which makes it kinder on foot than Bath or Oxford. Salisbury pairs naturally with Stonehenge, and doing the monument early then the city for lunch tends to work better than the reverse, since the cathedral stays open later than the stones do in winter.

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