Day Trip to Salisbury

Salisbury is the county town in Wiltshire, 83 miles west from London. The rivers are calm and beautiful as they pass this medieval town and its famous cathedral.

Because it's too far from central London for commuters, the community is very fortunate as most traffic by passes this picturesque city and uses the major roads. The area rests
on a plain where the Rivers Nadder and Bourne flow into the River Avon.

Interestingly, the old city center is virtually intact and very charming and worth a walk around the town. Salisbury has anothe major asset, its convenient location bringing it just 10 miles from Stonehenge, one of the most important prehistoric monuments in Europe.

Made famous by John Constable (whose painting can be seen at the National Gallery in London if you can't make this trip), classic Salisbury Cathedral (The Close, off North Walk), consecrated in 1258, is the pinnacle of English cathedral architecture. It was made even more beautiful by the addition of a majestic spire (circa 1320) rising above the water meadows beside the Avon.

At 404 feet high, it is the tallest spire in England, enchanting the eye with its deceptively light appearance-in reality, the 6,400 tons of stonework have put such a strain on the four load-bearing columns that they are slightly bent.

The interior of the cathedral is not as breathtaking as the exterior I seem to remember, this is due in part, I understand to James Wyatt's renovations (1788-1789), in which he removed the screens and chapels and re-arranged the monuments in rows. You don't notice this, because it seems to have stood there for ever. Happily, the restoration by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1859 minimized the damage.

The cathedral contains tombs of the Crusaders and those who fought at Agincourt. Other reasures include windows with patchworks of glass from the 13th and 15th centuries and a 14th century wrought-iron clock that was restored to working order in 1956 and is now possibly the oldest working clock in the world believe it or not.

The Cloisters and the beautiful, octagonal Chapter House, built between 1364 and 1380, were modeled after those of Westminster Abbey. Many of the cathedral's treasures are displayed in the Chapter House, including one of four existing copies of the Magna Carta, brought here for safekeeping shortly after 1265. The Cathedral Close contains the medieval Bishop's Palace and Deanery. Admission. Daily.

Mompesson House by the way (tel: 01722-335659) is operated by the National Trust and boasts an elegant oak staircase, antiques, a collection of china and glassware from the 18th century, and a lovely walled garden. Admission. M-W; Sa-Su.

For your travel information, The Salisbury Tourist Information Centre (Fish Row, at Queen St. tel: 01722-334956) is open Monday through Saturday; it's also open Sunday between May and September.

I should mention, the incomparable art collection includes 16 works by Van Dyck, which are hung in the famous double-cube room (60 feet long by 30 feet high and 30 feet wide) where General Eisenhower viewed plans of the Normandy invasion. Admission. Daily, Apr-Oct. Buses take the 18 minute journey from the station (Windsor Rd. off Fisherton St.) to Wilton House every half hour; if you're driving, again, take the A30.

Salisbury is 83 miles from London and can be reached via a picturesque, 90 minute railway journey, which leaves from Waterloo Mainline Station every hour.

There are at least two National Express Bus trips daily from Victoria Coach Station that take about 3 hours, but the bus service in the afternoon from Salisbury is often not that convenient so I recommend the train. The station is a short 10 minute walk from the center of Salisbury.

If you're driving from London, take the M3 and continue on the M27 and then the A36.