Inside Salisbury: Wealth, architecture, Sir Christopher Wren and Nelson

Turn back time - from the origins of Old Sarum to Salisbury Cathedral

Welcome to another Inside Salisbury. We love a bit of history so have spent time researching just some of the amazing facts about the city through hundreds of years of activity. We start with Old Sarum and Salisbury Cathedral because there is so much historical information to be uncovered there but we also take an in-depth look at how Salisbury made its money and became an active trading place.

Annette J Beveridge

Email: contact@insidesalisbury.uk

https://insidesalisbury.uk

Old Sarum

Following the Norman Conquest of England by the famed William the Conqueror in 1066, a cathedral and royal castle were to be built at Old Sarum. However, neither the castle nor the cathedral at Old Sarum were occupied for long although, the cathedral (finished in 1091) thrived initially.

The priests developed a special way of worshipping God known as the Sarum Rite. The cathedral was an important place and many religious books written by priests for their use at that time still survive centuries later. Parts of the Domesday Book (the survey of land ownership) were ordered by the King in 1086 and some parts may have been written by the priests located at Old Sarum.

Contrary to some beliefs, there were no monks living at the cathedral and the priests did not belong to a religious order.

But all was not well at the cathedral.

In 1217, problems started to emerge. The difficulties of gaining sufficient water along with stormy conditions were an issue. Discontentment steadily grew between the Bishop, priests and castle guards. So a new site was chosen and an official document known as a Papal Bull was issued permitting the move.

Salisbury Cathedral

People visit Salisbury Cathedral from all over the world and it has stood the test of time considering its shallow foundations. The building rests on a layer of gravel and clay but is only four feet deep. The first foundation stones were laid on April 28, 1220, by William Longespee, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, and Ela of Salisbury - the 3rd Countess of Salisbury.

The higher tower and spire were not added until later - between 1300 and 1329. It was constructed from Purbeck stone. Salisbury Cathedral holds the record for having the tallest church spire in the UK at 404 feet (123m).

The Cathedral has a library. There are many handwritten books - some written when the original cathedral was still at Old Sarum. There is currently a fundraiser for a rare bible illustrated by the Sarum Master at the time of the original cathedral. It is hoped that the asking price of £90,000 will be reached and the rare bible will then be donated to Salisbury Cathedral.

The Belfry

Did you know there was a separate bell tower north of the Cathedral? On dry summer days, it is still possible to see its outline as there is only a thin layer of soil above what remains of the stonework. It was demolished in 1789, ‘possibly’ because it was being used as a tavern.

Sir Christopher Wren

Sir Christopher Wren was born in East Knoyle and played an important role in the structure of the Cathedral spire.

Wren’s father was a rector at Fonthill in the 1620s and then became a rector at East Knoyle. He also became the Dean of Windsor in 1634 so the young Christopher Wren would have left the county when very young.

Sadly Sir Christopher Wren did not do any building in Wiltshire. He is famous for his work on St Paul’s Cathedral, but in 1668, he visited Salisbury Cathedral to assess its condition.

He noted that the spire’s position had shifted slightly and suggested that iron bands be fitted inside the spire for structural soundness.

Economic success

Have you ever wondered how Salisbury became such a successful thriving city and which industry it was famous for?

As a new city, Salisbury developed rapidly as a centre of culture and trade after being recognised by a royal charter in 1227 under the reign of Charles I. The realisation dawned that Salisbury was located in a good position - Bristol - Southampton with its close proximity to Clarendon Palace.

The Bishop was keen to accelerate the city’s facilities and encouraged daily markets. This was successful but led to many complaints by traders from Wilton. They were unhappy that these irregular markets detracted from their trade in Wilton and at Old Sarum.

But this simply confirmed that Salisbury was becoming an attractive trading potential and the complaints were ignored.

In 1315, it was all set to change.