The City Of Salisbury

What To expect when visiting Salisbury

Poultry Cross Salisbury
Poultry Cross Salisbury

The City of Salisbury is a medium sized town of around 120,000, a regional centre for a mostly agricultural hinterland. Salisbury is an agreeable city with no high rise blocks, the industrial revolution bypassing this particular city. Salisbury Cathedral, the single most popular visitor attraction dominates the skyline.


Salisbury (for England) is a new settlement, only getting started about 800 years ago and grew around Salisbury Cathedral. The original Old Salisbury (where Celts built a classic Iron Age Hill Fort) and the Romans and Norman's had settlements is at Old Sarum, up on the hill above modern day Salisbury.

Salisbury Overview
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury City
Old Sarum
 
Gateway To Stonehenge
Getting To Salisbury
Stonehenge Bus
Day Tours From London
Private Tours
Within An Hour
Stonehenge
Avebury
Lacock
Bath

Salisbury had its hey day in the medieval ages when it was a classic wool town, drawing in wool from its hinterland and using its market to sell on to London amongst others.


Many of the wooden buildings from this golden age still populate the core centre of town around the market, which still operates twice a week.


The structure pictured below is typical of what you will see in the old centre of the city, a traditional wooden beamed building still used for everyday retail purposes.


The central shopping centre is immediately accessible through the High Street gate from Salisbury Cathedral.


Apart from the concentration of wooden historic buildings the shops are the same mix of chains and independents you'll find in countless other towns of a similar size in the UK. The centre is very compact reflecting its medieval history and parking is expensive, many use the park and ride schemes on the edge of town.


Because of the influx of visitors there are some tea rooms that otherwise wouldn't be there, particularly on the trek from the coach park to Salisbury Cathedral.


For most people the town is just a pass through on the way to the Cathedral or a place to grab supplies going to nearby attractions like Stonehenge. However, for those who want to explore the Tourist Centre is in the heart of the town centre and during the summer months, blue badge guides conduct regular walking tours.


There is a theatre too and a full range of restaurants across all budgets, plus a large Sainsbury supermarket by the coach park. Salisbury Market takes place Tuesday and Saturdays with about 150 stalls.


In the very centre you will find the market area, poultry cross pictured at top of the page and the tourist centre. Although there is much of interest for the visitor the town is primarily a regional centre for locals for some distance around.

You will find the tourist office here well signposted.


Everything is well signed for the pedestrian. This isn't a place to take a vehicle, leave it in the car park just outside the centre or use one of the park and ride schemes on all major roads into the city.

Salisbury Cathedral to Old Mill Salisbury Walk

Join us on a short stroll from Salisbury Cathedral to the Old Mill Salisbury, now a hotel and pub (see foot of page). The walk will only take 15 minutes each way tops.

Your destination is a delightful place to take a well earned rest. With a beer garden overlooking the old mill channels and weir. The route goes across the historic water meadows giving another perspective on Salisbury Cathedral.

The Start

Your route starts in the Close at Salisbury Cathedral.

Make your way through the High Street gate, (pictured right) into the Salisbury city centre, you are now in the heart of the shopping area.

The Close Main Gate

After passing through the arch of the gate, no doubt taking a few photographs you come to crossroad's with traffic lights in around 50 yards.


You turn left here, the road is called New Street. This is the dreariest part of the whole walk being along a busy road. Stay on the left hand side of the road. In about 200 yards you cross the River Avon and the perspective brightens up. On your left is a car park and some public toilets, (free and well maintained).


Once you pass the car park, there is Queen Elizabeth Gardens on your left. This is a spacious grass area next to the river. On a summers day there will be a lot of people stretched out on the grass, or feeding the ducks and similar innocent activities. Either follow the road around the border of the park or walk through by the river as it meanders.

At the end of the park you will see a footbridge crossing the
river.

Path Through Salisbury Water Meadows

Cross over the bridge and follow the path. The path is shown on the picture left.

Be careful as the odds are you will encounter bicycles, but now the traffic is behind us.

You now go on autopilot, the path finishes at the Old Mill our destination.

There are no turnoffs.


Salisbury Water Meadows

The first known reference to the meadows at Salisbury was in 1669. There is no known record of any owners or to whom the land may have been leased until 1743. Then the ownership of the manor of West Harnham (Salisbury) was in the hands of the Earl of Pembroke and his Steward was in charge of seeing that the occupants of various sections of the meadows were properly maintaining and operating them


A water meadow is a man-made pasture irrigation system operated at the discretion of the farmer. The aim is either to increase total grass production, or bring it forward in time during the agricultural year.

Water Meadows
With Salisbury Cathedral as Backdrop

The operation of water meadows, a practice known as ‘floating’ (sometimes ‘drowning’) is based upon skilful construction and year-round management. Water is diverted from a river or canal to irrigate grass ridges constructed in the alluvial soils.

Water meadows cause the grass to grow by bringing production earlier in the spring (by as much as one month) through warming the soil above 5C).

The Old Mill Hotel at Salisbury

Today it is largely cattle and sheep that are seen, historically it was sheep that were central to the rural economy of the area.


At the end of the path you cross a weir and reach our destination, the Old Mill.


Old Mill Salisbury

The original Mill dates from 1135. The building was converted for use as Wiltshire's first paper mill in 1550 when the river was diverted to its present course under the building. Prior to 1550 it was used for ecclesiastical purposes and it is believed monuments from Old Sarum were stored here during the building of the new cathedral.


Today the mill is a small hotel and restaurant (good) with a substantial beer garden. There is another traditional pub next door too.