Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral can be seen for miles around and is the elaborate heart of this small and beautiful city. Renowned for its English Gothic architecture, the cathedral dates back to the 1200s and has the tallest church spire in the UK. Not only that, the cloisters and close are the largest in Britain.

Think that’s enough? Not for Salisbury. The cathedral is home to the most well-preserved of four copies of the Magna Carta and has a verge and foliot clock, one of the oldest working clocks in the world. The subject of several John Constable paintings, it’s a beautiful sight and surrounded by stunning historic buildings.

Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, and one of the leading examples of Early English architecture. The main body of the cathedral was completed in only 38 years, from 1220 to 1258.

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). It 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). In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration.

If you are in the region you should definitely visit the nice town of Salisbury with its cathedral. The church, which was built in the record time of just over 30 years in the 13th century, sits on a lawn as if conceived by an ecologically inspired city planner. In contrast to other churches, everything looks very slim thanks to the high, centrally located tower instead of at one end. If the Lord were to award a prize for the most beautiful place of worship, Salisbury would certainly be on the shortlist. ;-) Going inside is definitely worth it thanks to the voluntary entrance fee. One should not miss a visit to one of the last four copies of the Magna Charta, the beginning of English parliamentary rule and one of the roots of our democracy.
Definitely a worthwhile detour on the way to Stonehenge.