Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an
Anglican
Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
cathedral in the city of
Salisbury
Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of
Early English Gothic design. Built over a relatively short period, some 38 years between 1220 and 1258, it has a unity and coherence that is unusual in
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
English cathedrals. The tower and
spire
A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...
were completed by 1330. The cathedral's spire, at , is the tallest in England.
The
original cathedral in the district was located at
Old Sarum
Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest recor ...
, about north of the present city. In 1197 bishop
Herbert Poore
Herbert Poore or Poor (died 1217) was a medieval English clergyman who held the post of Bishop of Salisbury during the reigns of Richard I and John.Kingsford, Charles Lethbridge. " Herbert Poor or Pauper" in the ''Dictionary of National Biog ...
determined on a relocation but this was not taken forward until the episcopate of his brother,
Richard Poore in the early 13th century. Foundation stones for the new building were laid on 28 April 1220 by the
Earl
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the Peerages in the United Kingdom, peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ...
and
Countess of Salisbury. By 1258 the
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
,
transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
s and
choir
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
were complete. The only major additions were the
cloisters
A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a warm southe ...
, added 1240, the
chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...
in 1263, and the
tower
A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
and
spire
A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...
, which was constructed by 1330. At its completion it was the third highest in England, but the collapse of those at
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
and
Old St Paul's Cathedral
Old St Paul's Cathedral was the cathedral of the City of London that, until the Great Fire of London, Great Fire of 1666, stood on the site of the present St Paul's Cathedral. Built from 1087 to 1314 and dedicated to Paul of Tarsus, Saint Paul ...
in the 16th century saw Salisbury become England's tallest.
The
cathedral close is Britain's largest, and has many buildings of architectural and/or historical significance.
Pevsner describes it as "the most beautiful of England's closes".
The cathedral contains a
clock
A clock or chronometer is a device that measures and displays time. The clock is one of the oldest Invention, human inventions, meeting the need to measure intervals of time shorter than the natural units such as the day, the lunar month, a ...
which is among the oldest working examples in the world. It also holds one of the four surviving original copies of
Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...
. In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration. In 2023, the completion of a programme of external restoration begun in 1985 saw the removal of scaffolding that had stood around the building for some 37 years.
History

Salisbury became the seat of a bishop in 1075. At the time, the city was at the now-abandoned site of
Old Sarum
Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest recor ...
, on a hill about north of the present-day cathedral.
Old Sarum Cathedral
Old Sarum Cathedral was a Catholic and Norman cathedral at old Salisbury, now known as Old Sarum, between 1092 and 1220. Only its foundations remain, in the north-west quadrant of the circular outer bailey of the site, about north of the centre ...
was built in the years after and was consecrated in 1092.
In 1197, bishop
Herbert Poore
Herbert Poore or Poor (died 1217) was a medieval English clergyman who held the post of Bishop of Salisbury during the reigns of Richard I and John.Kingsford, Charles Lethbridge. " Herbert Poor or Pauper" in the ''Dictionary of National Biog ...
sought permission to re-site the cathedral, possibly due to deteriorating relations between the clergy and the military at Old Sarum.
[Frost (2009)]
p. 34.
/ref>[Robinson, J. Armitage. "Peter of Blois" in ''Somerset Historical Essays'', pp. 128 f. Oxford University Press (London), 1921.] Permission was granted but the move was delayed repeatedly until the tenure of his successor and brother Richard Poore. A legend tells that Bishop Poore shot an arrow in the direction he would build the cathedral; the arrow hit a deer, which died in the place where Salisbury Cathedral is now.
Construction was paid for by donations, principally from the canons and vicars of southeast England, who were asked to contribute a fixed annual sum until the building was completed. The foundation stone
A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...
s were laid on 28 April 1220 by William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury
William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (In or before 11677 March 1226) ("Long Sword", Latinised to ''de Longa Spatha'') was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, primarily remembered for his command of the English forces at the Battle of Damme and for ...
, and by Ela of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury Ela or ELA may refer to:
Companies and organizations
* Basque Workers' Solidarity (Basque: ), a trade union
* Revolutionary People's Struggle (Greek: Επαναστατικός Λαϊκός Αγώνας, ΕΛΑ), a Terrorism in Greece, Greek Lef ...
. Much of the freestone for the cathedral came from the Teffont Evias Quarry.[ Sylvanus Urban, wd., '' The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle'' (1830)]
p. 105
online at books.google.com As a result of the high water table
The water table is the upper surface of the phreatic zone or zone of saturation. The zone of saturation is where the pores and fractures of the ground are saturated with groundwater, which may be fresh, saline, or brackish, depending on the loc ...
on the new site, the cathedral was built on foundations only deep. By 1258, the nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
, transept
A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
s, and choir
A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...
were complete. As a result of being mostly built in only 38 years, Salisbury has by far the most consistent architectural style of any medieval English cathedral. The style used is known as Early English Gothic
English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...
or Lancet Gothic, the latter referring to the use of lancet window
A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a sharp pointed arch at its top. This arch may or may not be a steep lancet arch (in which the compass centres for drawing the arch fall outside the opening). It acquired the "lancet" name from its rese ...
s which are not divided by tracery
Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support th ...
.
The only major sections begun later were the cloisters
A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a warm southe ...
, added in 1240, the chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...
in 1263, the tower
A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
and spire
A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...
, which at dominated the skyline from 1330. In total, 70,000 tons of stone, 3,000 tons of timber and 450 tons of lead were used in the construction of the cathedral. Upon completion, it had the highest masonry spire in England and the third highest overall, after Lincoln and St Paul's. The collapse of the latter two spires in the mid-16th century left Salisbury's as the highest overall.
In the 17th century, Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...
designed restoration measures to strengthen the central pillars, which by then had visibly deformed under the weight of the tower and spire. Significant changes to the cathedral were made by the architect James Wyatt
James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the Neoclassicism, neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy of Arts in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to ...
in 1790, including the replacement of the original rood screen
The rood screen (also choir screen, chancel screen, or jubé) is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, o ...
and demolition of a bell tower
A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
which stood about northwest of the main building.
21st century
In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration. In 2023, the completion of a programme of external restoration begun in 1985 saw the removal of scaffolding that had stood around the building for some 37 years.
The cathedral previously employed five cathedral constables (known as "Close Constables"), whose duties mainly concerned the maintenance of law and order in the cathedral close. They were made redundant in 2010 as part of cost-cutting measures. The constables were first appointed when the cathedral became a liberty
Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
in 1611 and survived until the introduction of municipal police forces in 1835 with the Municipal Corporations Act. In 1800 they were given the power, along with the city constables, to execute any justices' or court orders requiring the conveyance of prisoners to or from the county jail (at Fisherton Anger, then outside the city of Salisbury) as if it were the city jail (and, in so doing, they were made immune from any legal action for acting outside their respective jurisdictions). The right of the cathedral, as a liberty, to maintain a separate police force was conclusively terminated by the Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41) was an Act of Parliament (United Kingdom), act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales. It came into effect ...
.
Between 1864 and 1953 there were records of peregrine falcon
The peregrine falcon (''Falco peregrinus''), also known simply as the peregrine, is a Cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family (biology), family Falconidae renowned for its speed. A large, Corvus (genus), cro ...
s being present at the cathedral. More arrived in 2013 and have been hatching every year since with their nests on the cathedral's tower.
In 2016, the cathedral chapter placed Sophie Ryder's sculpture ''The Kiss'' (of a pair of hands) straddling a path in the grounds. It was moved shortly thereafter, due to pedestrians colliding with it while texting. In 2018 there was an attempted theft of the cathedral's copy of Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...
; the alarms were triggered and a 45-year-old man was later detained on suspicion of attempted theft, criminal damage and possession of an offensive weapon. The outer layer of a double-layered glass case containing the document was broken, but the document suffered no damage. In January 2020 Mark Royden, from Kent, was found guilty of the attempted theft, which caused £14,466 of damage, and of criminal damage.
From 16 January 2021, while closed to services during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the cathedral was used to accommodate the vaccination programme in the United Kingdom, a day after Lichfield Cathedral became the first place of worship to become part of the immunisation plan against the pandemic in England. A selection of music was played on the organ as people received their vaccinations. In February 2024, the full exterior of the cathedral could be seen for the first time in 38 years after the removal of scaffolding that had been erected for extensive renovation works.
Building and architecture
The cathedral is described in Pevsner as the ''beau idéal'' of Early English Gothic design with a unity and coherence unique among English cathedrals.
West front
The west front is of the screen-type, clearly deriving from that at Wells. It is composed of a stair turret at each extremity, with two niched buttresses nearer the centre line supporting the large central triple window. The stair turrets are topped with spirelets, and the central section is topped by a gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
which contains four lancet windows topped by two round quatrefoil
A quatrefoil (anciently caterfoil) is a decorative element consisting of a symmetrical shape which forms the overall outline of four partially overlapping circles of the same diameter. It is found in art, architecture, heraldry and traditional ...
windows surmounted by a mandorla containing Christ in Majesty. At ground level there is a principal door flanked by two smaller doors. The whole is highly decorated with quatrefoil motifs, columns, trefoil motifs and bands of diapering.
The west front was almost certainly constructed at the same time as the cathedral. This is apparent from the way in which the windows coincide with the interior spaces. The entire facade is about high and wide. It lacks full-scale towers and/or spires as can be seen, for example at Wells, Lincoln, Lichfield
Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...
, etc. The façade was disparaged by Alec Clifton-Taylor, who considered it the least successful of the English screen facades and a travesty of its prototype (Wells). He found the composition to be uncoordinated, and the Victorian statuary "poor and insipid".
The front accommodates over 130 shallow niches of varying sizes, 73 of which contain a statue. The line of niches extends round the turrets to the north, south and east faces. There are five levels of niches (not including the mandorla) which show, from the top, angels and archangels, Old Testament
The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...
patriarchs, apostles and evangelists, martyrs, doctors and philosophers and, on the lower level, royalty, priests and worthy people connected with the cathedral. The majority of the statues were placed during the middle of the 19th century, however seven are from the 14th century and several have been installed within the last decade.
Nave
Salisbury Cathedral is unusual for its tall and narrow nave, which has visual accentuation from the use of light grey Chilmark stone for the walls and dark polished Purbeck marble for the columns. It has three levels: a tall pointed arcade, an open gallery and a small clerestory
A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, a ''clerestory' ...
. Lined up between the pillars are notable tombs such as that of William Longespée, half brother of King John and the illegitimate son of Henry II
Henry II may refer to:
Kings
* Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014
*Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154
*Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...
, who was the first person to be buried in the cathedral.
Another unusual feature of the nave is an unconventional modern font, installed in September 2008. Designed by the water sculptor William Pye, it is the largest working font in any British cathedral, and replaced an earlier portable neo-Gothic Victorian font. The font is cruciform in shape, and has a 10-foot-wide vessel filled to its brim with water, designed so that the water overflows in filaments through each corner into bronze gratings embedded in the cathedral's stone floor. The project cost £180,000 and was funded entirely by donations. Some parishioners reportedly objected to the new font, considering it 'change for change's sake', although Pye argued that the majority opinion was in favour: "I would say 90 per cent are in happy anticipation, five per cent are nervously expectant and five per cent are probably apoplectic".
Tower and spire
Although the spire is the cathedral's most impressive feature, it has proved troublesome. Together with the tower, it added to the weight of the building. Without the addition of buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...
es, bracing arches and anchor irons over the succeeding centuries, it would have suffered the fate of spires on other great ecclesiastical buildings (such as Malmesbury Abbey
Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, is a former Benedictine abbey dedicated to Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul. It was one of the few English religious houses with a continuous history from the 7th century throug ...
, 1180 to 1500; Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
, 1311 to 1548; Old St Paul's Cathedral
Old St Paul's Cathedral was the cathedral of the City of London that, until the Great Fire of London, Great Fire of 1666, stood on the site of the present St Paul's Cathedral. Built from 1087 to 1314 and dedicated to Paul of Tarsus, Saint Paul ...
, London, 1314 to 1561; and Chichester Cathedral
Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of th ...
, 1402 to 1861) and fallen down; instead, Salisbury became the tallest church spire in the country on the collapse at St Paul's (as the result of a fire) in 1561. 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
Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was ac ...
in 1668, halted further deformation. The beams were hidden by a false ceiling installed below the lantern stage of the tower.
The bell chamber is in the middle level of the tower. The bells strike the hour and quarters and are now operated by a Victorian clock, which is not to be confused with the better-known medieval clock that is on display downstairs. Salisbury is one of only three English cathedrals to lack a ring of bells
A "ring of bells" is the name bell ringers give to a set of bells hung for English full circle ringing. The term "peal of bells" is often used, though peal also refers to a change ringing performance of more than about 5,000 changes.
By r ...
, the others being Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Norwich and the mother church of the dioc ...
and Ely Cathedral
Ely Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Ely, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.
The cathedral can trace its origin to the abbey founded in Ely in 67 ...
.
Visitors can access the tower by taking the "Tower Tour", allowing them to climb as high as the base of the spire. From this level, there is a view of the interior of the hollow spire and the ancient wooden scaffolding inside it. There are 332 steps from ground level to the base of the spire, ascending a height of .
Maintenance workers have sometimes climbed the spire, including to service the aircraft warning light and weather station at the summit. The first of the spire can be climbed by internal ladders. The remaining requires climbing out of a small door and up the exterior. In 2010, '' Blue Peter'' presenter Helen Skelton climbed the spire to assist in the changing of the lights.
Chapter house and Magna Carta
The chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...
is notable for its octagonal shape, slender central pillar and decorative medieval frieze
In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
. It was redecorated in 1855–1859 by William Burges
William Burges (; 2 December 1827 – 20 April 1881) was an English architect and designer. Among the greatest of the Victorian era, Victorian art-architects, he sought in his work to escape from both nineteenth-century Industrial Revolution, ...
. The frieze, which circles the interior above the stalls, depicts scenes and stories from the books of Genesis and Exodus, including Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve, according to the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions, were the first man and woman. They are central to the belief that humanity is in essence a single family, with everyone descended from a single pair of original ancestors. ...
, Noah
Noah (; , also Noach) appears as the last of the Antediluvian Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baháʼí literature, ...
, the Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel is an origin myth and parable in the Book of Genesis (chapter 11) meant to explain the existence of different languages and cultures.
According to the story, a united human race speaking a single language migrates to Shin ...
, and Abraham
Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...
, Isaac
Isaac ( ; ; ; ; ; ) is one of the three patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the Baháʼí Faith. Isaac first appears in the Torah, in wh ...
and Jacob
Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...
.
The chapter house displays the best-preserved of the four surviving original copies of Magna Carta
(Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...
. This copy came to Salisbury because Elias of Dereham
Elias of Dereham (died 1245) was an English master stonemason designer, closely associated with Bishop Jocelin of Wells.
Elias became a Canon of Salisbury, and oversaw the construction of Salisbury Cathedral. He was also responsible for building ...
, who was present at Runnymede
Runnymede is a water-meadow alongside the River Thames in the English county of Surrey, bordering Berkshire and just over west of central London. It is notable for its association with the sealing of Magna Carta, and as a consequence is, with ...
in 1215, was given the task of distributing some of the original copies. Elias later became a canon
Canon or Canons may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author
* Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture
** Western canon, th ...
of Salisbury and supervised the construction of the cathedral.
Clock
The Salisbury Cathedral clock, which dates from about AD 1386, is supposedly the oldest working modern clock in the world. The clock has no face; all clocks of that date rang out the hours on a bell. It was originally in a bell tower that was demolished in 1792. Following this demolition, the clock was moved to the Cathedral Tower, where it was in operation until 1884. The clock was then placed in storage and forgotten until it was discovered in an attic of the cathedral in 1928. It was repaired and restored to working order in 1956, and is now displayed in the nave. In 2007, remedial work and repairs were carried out.
Cathedral Close
The cathedral close surrounds the cathedral, with the largest area to its western side. The close itself is bounded by Broad Walk and the West Walk, with the larger boundaries comprising North Walk, Bishops Walk, with Exeter Street to its east, and De Vaux Place to the south. The close contains a large number of listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
s. The size of the close, Britain's largest, and the range of historic buildings within it, make it "unrivalled in Britain in terms of scale and beauty". Pevsner describes it as "the most beautiful of England's closes". The close has a preservation society dedicated to its protection. Entry is from the High Street through the North Gate, listed at Grade I. The High Street ends at Choristers Square which has seven buildings listed at Grade I: Mompesson House, now owned by the National Trust
The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
and operated as a museum, and its fronting wall and gates; the College of Matrons; the walls, gates and piers to Nos. 39 to 46; Hemingsby House; Wren Hall; and Braybrooke House. Grade II* listed buildings on the High Street and in Choristers Square include: Nos. 48, 48A, 50 and 50A, which flank the North Gate; 51, 52 and 53A; Nos. 55 and 55A; a former stable block; and the Hungerford Chantry. Grade II listed buildings on the square include: the walls and gates to No. 54; No. 55; Nos. 56A, B, and C; Nos. 57, 57A and 57B; and No. 58; and a K6 telephone kiosk.
The close proper is bounded by the West Walk and the Broad Walk. It contains six Grade I listed buildings; The King's House, which is now home of Salisbury Museum
The Salisbury Museum (previously The Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum) is a museum in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. It houses one of the best collections relating to Stonehenge and local archaeology.
The museum is housed in The King's Hou ...
; Myles Place, No. 68, and its fronting walls; the Walton Canonry; the Leaden Hall and the South Gate. There are also six buildings listed Grade II*: The Wardrobe, which houses a military museum; Arundells, the former home of Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 ...
; the North Canonry and Gatehouse; the Old Deanery; Nos. 68A and 73; and De Vaux House. There are 19 Grade II listed buildings in the close. These include: the gates and stables to Arundells; the gates and garden house at The North Canonry, No. 60; the College of Sarum St Michael, and its gates; urns in the garden of No. 68; the gates and walling to No. 69; the lodges, gates and walls to No. 70; Nos. 71, 71A and 71B and their boundary walls; the South Canonry; No. 72 The Close; and Nos. 1-7 De Vaux Place.
Between De Vaux Place and the cathedral stands Salisbury Cathedral School, the main building of which, originally the Bishop's Palace, is listed at Grade I. The school lodge, and its adjoining wall, as well as a wall opposite surrounding the cathedral lawn, are all listed at Grade II. Continuing north along Bishop's Walk are five more listed structures; No. 5, The Close, listed II*, and its garden wall and bollards, both listed at Grade II; and the Diocesan Registry, and The Deanery, both listed at Grade II*. The eastern boundary of the close follows Exeter Street, and contains four listed structures, all at Grade I. These are: the boundary wall itself; Bishops Gate and St Anne's Gate; and Malmesbury House.
The northern end of the close terminates with the North Walk. This has one Grade I listed building, Sarum College, at No. 19, The Close. There are 23 Grade II* buildings: Nos. 8, 9, 11, 12, 14 and 14A, 16 to 18 inclusive, 20 and 21, 23 to 27 inclusive, 29, 30, 31, 33 to 36 inclusive, and 38. Buildings listed Grade II include: No. 10; the stableyard surface and gates to No. 11; No. 13; the forecourt walls to Malmesbury House; the garden walls and gateway to No. 16, two sets of walls at No. 17, the walls at Nos. 18 and 19, railings and gates at; the stables to Nos. 21 and 21A, its gate piers, its garden wall, and a commemorative arch set into the wall; No. 22; the railings to Nos. 25 and 26; No. 28; the railings to No. 31 and the wall to Nos. 32 and 33; the railings to Nos. 36A and 36B and 37.
Depictions in art, literature and television
The cathedral is the subject of a famous painting by John Constable
John Constable (; 11 June 1776 – 31 March 1837) was an English landscape painter in the Romanticism, Romantic tradition. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedha ...
. As a gesture of appreciation for John Fisher, Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The Episcopal see, see is in the Salisbur ...
, who commissioned this painting, Constable included the bishop and his wife in the canvas (bottom left). The view depicted in the painting has changed very little in almost two centuries.
The cathedral is apparently the inspiration for William Golding
Sir William Gerald Golding (19 September 1911 – 19 June 1993) was a British novelist, playwright, and poet. Best known for his debut novel '' Lord of the Flies'' (1954), Golding published another 12 volumes of fiction in his lifetime. In 19 ...
's novel '' The Spire'', in which the fictional Dean Jocelin makes the building of a cathedral spire his life's work. The construction of the cathedral is an important plot point in Edward Rutherfurd's historical novel '' Sarum'', which explores the historical settlement of the Salisbury area. The cathedral has been mentioned by the author Ken Follett as one of two models for the fictional Kingsbridge Cathedral in his historical novel '' The Pillars of the Earth''. It was also used for some external shots in the 2010 miniseries
In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...
based on Follett's book and was shown as it is today in the final scene. Another mention of this cathedral was made by Jonathan Swift in ''Gulliver's Travels
''Gulliver's Travels'', originally titled ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'', is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clerg ...
'', part II, chapter IV, making a comparison between its spire and the tower of the main temple of Lorbrulgrud, Brobdingnag's capital.
In 1990, Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
marked the official launch of its NICAM
Near Instantaneous Companded Audio Multiplex (NICAM) is an early form of lossy compression for digital audio. It was originally developed in the early 1970s for point-to-point links within broadcasting networks.Croll, M.G., Osborne, D.W. and Spi ...
stereo service with a live broadcast of Mahler's 9th Symphony from the cathedral. The cathedral was the setting for the 2005 BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
television drama '' Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle'', written by Rhidian Brook and directed by Susanna White. Kevin McCloud climbed the cathedral in his programme called ''Don't Look Down!'' in which he climbed high structures to conquer his fear of heights. The cathedral was the subject of a Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
''Time Team
''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4, Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned in 2022 on online platforms YouTube and Patreon. Created by television produce ...
'' programme which was first broadcast on 8 February 2009.
Diocese, dean and chapter
The cathedral is the mother church
Mother church or matrice is a term depicting the Christian Church as a mother in her functions of nourishing and protecting the believer. It may also refer to the primary church of a Christian denomination or diocese, i.e. a cathedral church, or ...
of the Diocese of Salisbury
The Diocese of Salisbury is a Church of England diocese in the south of England, within the ecclesiastical Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the historic county of Dorset (which excludes the deaneries of Bournemouth and Christchurch, ...
and is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The Episcopal see, see is in the Salisbur ...
. The Right Reverend Stephen Lake was installed as bishop in 2022. The Dean is Nicholas Papadopulos, installed in 2018. The Canon Precentor is Anna Macham, installed in 2019, the Canon Chancellor is Ed Probert, installed in 2004 and the Canon Treasurer is Kenneth Padley, installed in 2022.
Burials
Notable burials include:
*William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury
William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (In or before 11677 March 1226) ("Long Sword", Latinised to ''de Longa Spatha'') was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, primarily remembered for his command of the English forces at the Battle of Damme and for ...
, ( 1165–1226)
* Lady Katherine Grey, Countess of Hertford (1540–1568)
*Saint Osmund
Osmund (died 3 December 1099), Count of Sées, was a Norman noble and clergyman. Following the Norman conquest of England, he served as Lord Chancellor (–1078) and as the second bishop of Salisbury, or Old Sarum.
Life
Osmund, a nati ...
, Bishop of Salisbury
The Bishop of Salisbury is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The Episcopal see, see is in the Salisbur ...
(1078–1099)
*Roger of Salisbury
Roger of Salisbury (died 1139), was a Norman medieval bishop of Salisbury and the seventh Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England.
Life
Roger was originally priest of a small chapel near Caen in Normandy. He was called "Roger, priest of t ...
, Bishop of Salisbury (1102–1139)
* Josceline de Bohon, Bishop of Salisbury (1142–1184)
* Robert de Bingham, Bishop of Salisbury (1229–1246)
*Giles of Bridport
Giles of Bridport was a medieval Bishop of Salisbury.
Giles was archdeacon of Berkshire in the diocese of Salisbury as well as Dean of Wells , Bishop of Salisbury (1256–1262)
* Walter de la Wyle, Bishop of Salisbury (1263–1271)
* Nicholas Longespee, Bishop of Salisbury (1291–1297)
* Simon of Ghent, Bishop of Salisbury (1297–1315)
* Roger Martival, Bishop of Salisbury (1315–1330)
* Walter Hungerford, 1st Baron Hungerford (1378–1449)
*Richard Mitford
Richard Mitford (died 1407) was an English cleric and Public administration, administrator. He was bishop of Chichester from 17 November 1389, consecrated on 10 April 1390, and then bishop of Salisbury. He was translated to the see of Salisbury o ...
, Bishop of Salisbury (1395–1407)
* Robert Hungerford, 2nd Baron Hungerford (1409–1459)
* Robert Hungerford, Lord Moleyns and 3rd Baron Hungerford (1431–1464)
* John Cheyne, Baron Cheyne ( 1442–1499)
* Richard Beauchamp, Bishop of Salisbury (1450–1482)
* John Blyth, Bishop of Salisbury (1493–1499)
* John Doget, Renaissance humanist (died 1501)
* Edmund Audley, Bishop of Salisbury (1501–1524)
*Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford
Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Baron Beauchamp, KG (22 May 1539 – 6 April 1621), of Wulfhall and Totnam Lodge in Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire, of Hatch Beauchamp in Somerset, of Netley Abbey, Hampshire, and of Hertford House, Ca ...
(1539–1621), nephew of queen-consort Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...
* Thomas Gorges, (1536–1610) and wife Helena, Marchioness of Northampton, (1548/1549–1635)
* John Jewel, Bishop of Salisbury (1559–1571)
* Edmund Gheast, Bishop of Salisbury (1571–1577)
* Mary Sidney (1561–1621), writer and patron
* William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (1580–1630), politician and courtier, buried in a family vault in front of the altar
* Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke
* Philip Herbert, 7th Earl of Pembroke
* Michael Wise (1648–1687), organist and composer
* Alexander Hyde, Bishop of Salisbury (1665–1667)
* Seth Ward, Bishop of Salisbury (1667–1689)
* John Seymour, 4th Duke of Somerset (before 1646–1675)
* Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset in the Seymour Chapel (1662–1748)
* John Thomas, Bishop of Salisbury (1761–1766)
*Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 1916 – 17 July 2005) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 ...
, former British Prime Minister (1970–1974)
Music
Organ
Throughout its history, there have been several organs in the cathedral. Of particular interest are the two fine four-manual instruments, the first by Renatus Harris (–1724), which was replaced at the end of the 18th century, and the current organ, whose present fame has eclipsed the reputation of the former.
The four-manual instrument by Harris had been installed in 1710. The abundance of reed stops was typical of Harris' instruments and bears witness to the influence of the classical French organ. The instrument, not only spectacular in style but also of good quality, had remained practically unaltered (beyond occasional repairs) for nearly 80 years, until it was replaced at the same time as the cathedral was "restored" by James Wyatt between 1789 and 1792: the Bishop had convinced George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
to furnish the cathedral with a new instrument once the work was complete.
This organ, by Samuel Green, was presented by the king in 1792 and was installed on top of the stone screen, which, unusually, did not divide the choir from the nave, but rather came from an unknown location in the cathedral. The organ was later taken out and moved to St Thomas's Church. When the new Willis organ was installed, its distinct sound from 55 powerfully-voiced stops, directly in the choir with little casework, was quite a contrast to Green's more gentle 23-stop instrument.
The present-day instrument was built in 1877 by Henry Willis & Sons. Walter Alcock, who was organist of the cathedral from 1916, oversaw a strictly faithful restoration of the famous Father Willis organ, completed in 1934,[Webb, Stanley & Hale, Paul]
"Alcock, Sir Walter"
Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online, accessed 1 March 2012 even going to such lengths as to refuse to allow parts of the instrument to leave the cathedral in case any unauthorised tonal alterations were made without his knowledge, while allowing some discrete additions in the original style of the organ (as well as modernisation of the organ's actions) by Henry Willis III, the grandson of Father Willis. The instrument was extensively restored between 2019 and 2020.
Organists
It is recorded that in 1463 John Kegewyn was organist of Salisbury Cathedral. Among the notable organists of more recent times have been a number of composers and well-known performers including Bertram Luard-Selby, Charles Frederick South, Walter Alcock, David Valentine Willcocks, Douglas Albert Guest, Christopher Dearnley
Christopher Hugh Dearnley (11 February 1930 – 15 December 2000) was an English Organist#Classical and church organists, cathedral organist, who served in Salisbury Cathedral and St Paul's Cathedral.
Background
Christopher Hugh Dearnley was bor ...
, Richard Godfrey Seal and the BBC presenter Simon Lole.
Choir
Salisbury Cathedral Choir
The Choir of Salisbury Cathedral exists to sing services in Salisbury Cathedral, Wiltshire, England, and has probably been in existence since the consecration of the cathedral in 1258. The choir comprises twenty boy choristers and twenty girl chor ...
holds annual auditions for boys and girls aged 7–9 years old for scholarships to Salisbury Cathedral School, which housed in the former Bishop's Palace. The boys' choir and the girls' choir (each 16 strong) sing alternate daily Evensong and Sunday Matins and Eucharist services throughout the school year. There are also many additional services during the Christian year particularly during Advent, Christmas, Holy Week, and Easter. The Advent ''From Darkness to Light'' services are the best known. Choristers come from across the country and some board. Six lay vicars (adult men) comprise the rest of the choir, singing tenor, alto and bass parts. In 1993, the cathedral was the venue for the first broadcast of Choral Evensong (the long-running BBC Radio 3
BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
programme) to be sung by a girls' cathedral choir.
Library
The cathedral library holds 193 manuscript books – 60 of them written at the first cathedral at Old Sarum
Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest recor ...
– and around 12,000 early printed books. There are 43 books (incunabula
An incunable or incunabulum (: incunables or incunabula, respectively) is a book, pamphlet, or broadside (printing), broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. The specific date is essentiall ...
) from the earliest years of printing, up to the year 1500. Significant collections include works of 16th-century theology from bishop Edmund Gheast, medical and science books from bishop Seth Ward, and 19th-century theology from dean Henry Hamilton.
In late 2024, the Friends of the Nations' Libraries raised £90,000 to purchase a 13th-century Bible, illuminated at Salisbury by the Sarum Master, which they donated to the cathedral.
Gallery
File:Salisbury Cathedral bird's view.jpg, Aerial view
File:1023581-Cathedral Church of St Mary (8).jpg, From the southwest
File:Catedral de Salisbury, Salisbury, Inglaterra, 2014-08-12, DD 03.JPG, North front
File:Hugh Trenchard memorial in Salisbury Cathedral.jpg, Trenchard Memorial
File:Salisbury Cathedral, Cathedral Close, Wiltshire.jpg, From the northeast
File:Salisbury 01.jpg, Sculptural detail
File:Salisbury.cathedral.front.arp.jpg, Detail from west front
File:Catedral de Salisbury, Salisbury, Inglaterra, 2014-08-12, DD 54.JPG, The cloisters
File:Hall to Magna Carter by Theophil Arthur.JPG, Cloister walk, east side
File:Salisburycathedralgilesdebridporttomb.jpg, Tomb of Giles of Bridport
Giles of Bridport was a medieval Bishop of Salisbury.
Giles was archdeacon of Berkshire in the diocese of Salisbury as well as Dean of Wells
File:Catedral de Salisbury, Salisbury, Inglaterra, 2014-08-12, DD 52.JPG, View of the spire from the cloisters
File:SalisburyCathedralRoof.jpg, Rib vault
A rib vault or ribbed vault is an architectural feature for covering a wide space, such as a church nave, composed of a framework of crossed or diagonal arched ribs. Variations were used in Roman architecture, Byzantine architecture, Islamic a ...
ceiling above clerestory
A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, a ''clerestory' ...
windows
File:Catedral de Salisbury, Salisbury, Inglaterra, 2014-08-12, DD 05.JPG, Lateral view of the west façade
File:Salisbury Cathedral's spire and west facade.jpg, Spire and west façade
File:The lower spiral staircase in the tower of Salisbury Cathedral.JPG, Interior of the tower
File:Salisbury Cathedral Spire Interior.jpg, Interior of the spire
File:C E Buckeridge altar at Salisbury Cathedral.jpg, Reredos by Charles Edgar Buckeridge
File:Man with coffee.jpg, Man with coffee by Sean Henry in a spare niche at the west end of the cathedral
See also
* Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England
* Bishop Wordsworth's School
* English Gothic architecture
English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of Gothic cathedrals and churches, cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture, Got ...
* Gothic cathedrals and churches
Gothic cathedrals and churches are religious buildings constructed in Europe in Gothic style between the mid-12th century and the beginning of the 16th century. The cathedrals are notable particularly for their great height and their extensive u ...
* List of Gothic cathedrals in Europe
* List of cathedrals in the United Kingdom
* List of tallest church buildings
* List of tallest structures built before the 20th century
* Salisbury Cathedral School
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
* Evans, Sydney. ''Salisbury Cathedral: A reflective Guide'', Michael Russell Publishing, Salisbury. 1985.
* Martín-Gil, J; Martín-Gil, FJ; Ramos-Sánchez, MC; Martín-Ramos, P. ''The Orange-Brown Patina of Salisbury Cathedral (West Porch) Surfaces: Evidence of its Man-Made Origin''. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 12(5):285–289. 2005.
External links
*
Salisbury Cathedral Stained Glass website
()
{{Authority control
13th-century church buildings in England
Anglican cathedrals in England
Anglo-Catholic church buildings in Wiltshire
Basilicas (Church of England)
Buildings and structures completed in 1258
Church of England church buildings in Wiltshire
Churches in Salisbury
Diocese of Salisbury
English Gothic architecture in Wiltshire
Grade I listed cathedrals
Grade I listed churches in Wiltshire
Pre-Reformation Roman Catholic cathedrals
Tourist attractions in Wiltshire