More Salisbury

 On the same day as Stonehenge, we also visited Old Sarum, which is the former site of the city of Salisbury. 

And the next day we went to the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral; and after that to the Salisbury Museum. 

However, Blogger is insisting on loading the photos backwards, so...

Here are two beautiful green glass bowls buried with a rich lady. I wish I could remember when, but I think it was in Anglo Saxon times, so about eight hundred years ago. I would happily have them on a shelf now. 

Quite a few of the effigies on tombs in Salisbury Cathedral have ancient graffiti on them. Tut tut. But quite interesting. 

The cathedral was built in between 1220 and 1258 and has the highest spire in Britain - though the spire was a bit of an afterthought and wasn't added till 1330. 

Going back in time, Old Sarum used to look as below, but now looks - roughly the same view - as above. It had a castle and a cathedral, and was built on the site of an Iron Age hillfort with earthwork ramparts and a ditch in between them, still visible today. Because it was on a hill, there was only one, deep well, and the nobles and the clergy used to argue about access to water. So the king decided to move the city to two miles away, and used much of the stone to build the new city and cathedral. Well, when I say "new" - it was new then. 

Now there are bits of walls and so on, so that you can get a good idea of what used to be there. It's very interesting.