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Above the cloister are the ancient mortuary chests of the kings of Wessex, among them Canute,
the one who tried to hold back the tide. Jane Austen, the famous novelist is buried there. So is
Edward Heath, British Prime Minister between 1970-74.

So too is William Walker, a deep sea diver who, between 1906–1911, working in water up to a
depth of six metres (20 feet), shored up the sagging foundation of the building which was slowly
sinking into the peaty ground. To do so he placed more than 25,000 bags of concrete, 115,000
concrete blocks, and 900,000 bricks.

If the Norman Library is open you can look at the 12th century illuminated Winchester Bible or the
10th century Ecclesiastical History written by the Venerable Bede.

The picture (above) is by John Constable. As a gesture to the Bishop of Salisbury, who
commissioned the work, Constable included him and his wife in the lower right foreground.

Learn more about Salisbury Cathedral from its website . . . .

Other local attractions include the award-winning Salisbury Museum housing many artefacts from
Salisbury’s past, including the Stonehenge Gallery and the Rifles Museum – a military museum
dedicated to the Berkshire and Wiltshire regiment.

There’s Mompesson House, a Queen Anne style house with a beautiful courtyard garden. Make
sure you see a stained glass window designed by Burne-Jones and made by William Morris. It’s
an exquisite example of pre-Raphaelite art. You’ll find it behind the Mompesson Tomb.

Old Sarum, 1½ miles north of Salisbury, is one of the most historically important sites in southern
England. Uniquely, it combines a royal castle and cathedral within an Iron Age fortification, and for
150 years was a major centre of both secular and ecclesiastical government. Neither castle nor
cathedral was occupied for long: In 1226 the cathedral was moved to Salisbury, although the
castle remained an administrative centre into the 14th century. Old Sarum lived on, however, as a
notorious ‘rotten borough’ which continued to elect members of Parliament until 1832. The
electorate comprised one farm house, a few paddocks and a mob of sheep.

Interesting factoid: It is also the datum point on which all the maps of Britain are based.

Boscombe Down Aviation Collection located at Old Sarum Airfield, just opposite the Old Sarum
site, is an important collection of aircraft, mostly jets. Unlike most museums where the exhibits are
roped off and you can’t touch them, here you are actively encouraged to get into the cockpits and
push buttons, flick switches and pull levers.

More information on Salisbury . . .

Wilton

Just to the west of Salisbury, this was once the capital of the
kingdom of Wessex with a history going back over 2000
years. It is the town that gave its name to Wiltshire. Among
other things it is famous for Wilton carpets which are still woven
in the town. More on Wilton . . . And even more in Wikipedia .
. .

On the edge of the town centre lies Wilton House, (pictured)
home of the Earls of Pembroke since the 1540s. It is set in over
22 acres of landscaped parkland with water and rose gardens
beside the River Nadder and stands on the site of an abbey