A Short Visit to Wiltshire: #5
Old Sarum
In this short series of posts, relating to places of interest in the English County of Wiltshire, I intend to help visitors know what to expect. I’m not presenting details of history, etc., simply describing as well as I can, with the aid of photographs, how to get there and what to expect when you arrive. I’ve provided links to more informative sites for each place listed.
What is it?
Old Sarum started life as an Iron Age fortification. The Romans used it for a time during their occupation of England. William the Conqueror recognised its strategic importance and had a motte thrown up. Later there were additions including a castle and cathedral. In the twelfth century, Henry I had a stone structure erected to replace the old wooden buildings. But in the first part of the thirteenth century, the buildings were abandoned, and a new cathedral erected in Salisbury, with some Old Sarum stone used to build a boundary wall for the new cathedral. What is left on the site is a mix of the remains of the old buildings. It offers wonderful views over the city and the surrounding countryside and is a very pleasant place to wander.
