Salisbury, part 3; The Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral is incredible; it has the tallest spire in the UK (404 feet), as well as the largest cloister and cathedral close. The original site was at Old Sarum, but bad relations between clergy and military led to relocation further south on the Salisbury Plain; building started in 1220. The Cathedral clock (1386) is the oldest in the world and the large font (2008) has reflections.

The Cathedral is also famous for having the best preserved of the four remaining Magna Carta documents; a replica of this is housed between the magnificent nave and choir - the original, which we saw in the Chapter House, cannot be photographed. The Magna Carta was a Royal Charter of Rights agreed by King John and signed at Runnymede, near Windsor, in 1215 to make peace with rebel barons; it is still cited today as a statement of personal liberty.

After the truly amazing experience of seeing an original,Magna Carta document, we exit tbe Cathedral via the cloister.Read more