Salisbury is known as ‘the city in the countryside’ as it is surrounded by the loveliest English landscape you can imagine. And as it was on our route from Stonehenge to the little village we stayed in in Dorset, it was the perfect stop to have afternoon tea…

A stroll around Salisbury

Salisbury is a thriving little city. We parked our car at the Long Stay car park near Sainsbury’s. From there it was just a little stroll to reach the historic city center.

We walked through whirling streets, filled with beautiful timber-framed houses. Passed the market place which is large and surrounded with pubs and shops. Did some shopping in the shopping streets and ended up walking underneath High Street Gate to reach Choristers Square.

I really enjoyed walking around this Square, which is surrounded by beautiful, historic houses. It was surprisingly calm and quiet on this square, as opposed to the busy city centre.

Then we walked towards the cathedral…

The Cathedral

Even though I am not catholic, I like visiting cathedrals or churches, if only for the art that can be found in these buildings. When we were in Salisbury, we didn’t exactly visit the cathedral, but we did however take look around the cloister and in the Chapter House where the Magna Carta can be viewed.

 

Salisbury Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral, built in the thirteenth century.  As most of the cathedral was built in less than 40 years, it is built in one architectural style: Early English Gothic Style.

Besides the largest cloister and it being home to the Magna Carta, the cathedral also has the tallest church spire and has the world’s oldest working clock.

The Cathedral Close is so nice to have a bit of a rest in. When we were there, the weather was nice so the greens were filled with people having a picknick or having a bit of a rest and soaking up some sunshine.

We enjoyed a lovely afternoon tea at the Bell Tower Tearoom with a lovely view of the cathedral. It was like having tea in the cathedral’s garden… but more on that in a later post 😉

We only had about 4 hours time to visit Salisbury, just enough to get some Salisbury vibes! I which we could have spend a bit more time in this lovely town so we could have visited a museum and the cathedral, but I guess we will have to return some time to do that. I will however list three of the museums that I would like to pay a visit whenever I get the opportunity!

Three museums that are (apparently!) worth the visit

Mompesson House: 

This National Trust property should definitely be on the list of those who like to visit townhouses. You can visit the house with its period furniture, oak staircase and the Turnbull collection of English 18th century glassware.

The garden is secluded and walled and is home to traditionally planted borders.

And for the Jane Austen fans amongst us: Mompesson House was used as a filmset for Sense and Sensibility (the 1995 film) as Mrs Jennings’ London townhouse!

Website: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/mompesson-house

Rifles Berkshire and Wilthsire Museum:

The Museum holds the collection and archives relating to the Infantry Regiments of Berkshire and Wiltshire from 1748 to the current regiment, The Rifles.

The museum is situated in a house which was altered in the 19th century, but actually has its origins in the 13th century.

Website: http://www.thewardrobe.org.uk/home

Salisbury Museum: 

This museum is all about Salisbury’s history. You can visit the gallery of archaeology  which houses one of Europe’s most extensive collections of Stonehenge and prehistoric artefacts.

Website: http://www.salisburymuseum.org.uk/

I can conclude by saying that I can definitely recommend a visit to Salisbury 🙂 Have you already visited Salisbury? Do you like visiting cathedrals or churches? Let me know in the comments!

Love, Kathleen