Coordinates: 51°09′18″N 1°48′32″W / 51.155°N 1.809°W / 51.155; -1.809

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Stonehenge, the most famous antiquity on Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering 300 square miles (780 km²).^[1] It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known landmarks. Largely as a result of the establishment of the Army Training Estate Salisbury Plain (ATE SP), the plain is sparsely populated and is the largest remaining area of calcareous grassland in north-west Europe. Additionally the plain has arable land, and a few small areas of beech trees and coniferous woodland.

Physical geography[link]

On Walbury Hill, a typical Salisbury Plain landscape

The boundaries of Salisbury Plain have never been truly defined, and there is some difference of opinion as to its exact area.^[2] The river valleys surrounding it, and other downs and plains beyond them loosely define its boundaries. To the north the scarp of the downs overlooks the Vale of Pewsey, and to the north west the Bristol Avon. The River Wylye runs along the south west, and the Bourne runs to the east.^[3] The Avon runs through the eastern half of the plain and to the south the plain peters out as the river valleys close together before meeting at Salisbury. From here the Avon continues south to the English Channel at Christchurch. The Hampshire Downs and the Berkshire Downs are chalk downland to the east and north of Salisbury Plain, and the Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase are to the south west. In the west and north west the geology is mainly of the clays and limestones of the Blackmore Vale, Avon Vale and Vale of Wardour.

Amesbury is considered the largest settlement on the plain, though there are a number of small villages, such as Tilshead, Chitterne and Shrewton in the middle of the plain, as well as various hamlets and army camps. The A303 road runs along the southern area of the plain, and the A360 cuts across the centre.

History[link]

Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain is famous for its history and archaeology. In the Neolithic period Stone Age man began to settle on the plain, most likely centred around the causewayed enclosure of Robin Hood's Ball. Large long barrows like White Barrow and other earthworks were built across the plain. By 2500 BC areas around Durrington Walls and Stonehenge had become a focus for building, and the southern part of the plain continued to be settled into the Bronze Age.

Around 600 BC Iron Age Hill forts came to be constructed around the boundaries of the plain, including Scratchbury Camp and Battlesbury Camp to the south west, Bratton Camp to the north west, Casterley Camp to the north, Yarnbury and Vespasian's Camp to the south, and Sidbury Hill to the east.

Roman roads are visible features, probably serving a settlement near Old Sarum. Villas are sparse, however, and Anglo-Saxon place names suggest that the plain was mostly a grain-producing imperial estate.

In the sixth century Anglo-Saxon incomers built planned settlements in the valleys surrounded by strip lynchets, with the downland left as sheep pasture. To the south is the city of Salisbury, whose 13th and 14th century cathedral is famous for having the tallest spire in the country, and the building was, for many centuries, the tallest building in Britain. The cathedral is evidence of the prosperity the wool and cloth trade brought to the area. In the mid-19th century the wool and cloth industry began to decline, leading to a decline in the population and change in land use from sheep farming to agriculture and military use. Wiltshire became one of the poorest counties in England during this period of decline.

There are a number of chalk carvings on the plain, of which the most famous is the Westbury White Horse. The Kennet and Avon Canal was constructed to the north of the plain, through the Vale of Pewsey.

In 1896, George Kemp and Guglielmo Marconi experimented with wireless telegraphy on Salisbury Plain, and achieved good results over a distance of 1.75 miles (2.8 km).^{[citation needed]}

Defence Training Estate (SP) formerly called Army Training Estate Salisbury Plain (SPTA)[link]

Media related to Army Training Estate Salisbury Plain at Wikimedia Commons

Military use makes some areas of the plain inaccessible to the public.

The exact area of Salisbury Plain is sometimes confused with the extent of the military training area that it is home to. In fact this only covers roughly half of the geological boundaries of the plain. The army first conducted exercises on the plain in 1898. From that time, the Ministry of Defence bought up large areas of land until World War II. The MoD now own 150 square miles (390 km²) of land, making it the largest military training area in the United Kingdom. Of this, around 39 square miles (100 km²) are permanently closed to the public, and access is greatly restricted in other areas. As military use of the plain increased, new camps and barracks were constructed, including those at Larkhill, Bulford, Tidworth and Warminster. Several installations have been built and since removed, including a railway line and aerodrome that were constructed next to Stonehenge. In 1943 the village of Imber and the hamlet of Par Hinton were evacuated to allow training for Operation Overlord to be conducted. The village has remained closed, except for the annual church service and some bank holidays, ever since.

The Royal School of Artillery is based at Larkhill, and live firing is conducted on the plain for approximately 340 days of each year. Military personnel from the UK and around the world spend some 600,000 man days on the plain every year.^[4]

The ATE SP is located close to other military facilities including the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down (much of whose work is secret), Boscombe Down airfield and Middle Wallop Army Air Corps Base, where pilots train on the Westland Apache.

The Central Impact Area has been used by the Royal Artillery since the beginning of the 20th century. The percentage of live UXO to inert practice rounds is probably quite low, but it is impossible to distinguish between the two until they are uncovered. Some rounds will lie near the surface, some 10m down in the chalk. Because of its use it remains untouched by modern intensive farming and is thus part of the last chalk grassland in the UK (and probably Europe) and the whole area is designated as an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). Additionally the area also contains great numbers of archeological sites, which although occasionally damaged by impact, are for the most part intact. Should at some future date the army decide to stop training, and give public acces, to clear the area would take hundreds of years, cost millions of pounds and destroy both the SSSI and the archaeology. It is likely that it will remain an Out of Bounds area for time immemorial. Even cutting of scrub to stop invasion of the grass lands to retain its SSSI condition has to be carried out in an armoured mine-clearing tractor fitted with cutting flails that pass over the surface (not into it as with mine clearance) and if as often happens in dry summers, it catches fire, it has to be left to burn out (often live shells near the surface will explode) and the unit causing the fire has to stay and provide fire watchers to ensure the fire does not spread outside the impact area.

Ecology[link]

Because of the large training areas inaccessible to the public, the plain is a wildlife haven, and home to two National Nature Reserves, but there is concern that the low level of grazing on the plain could allow scrub to encroach on the grassland. The plain supports the largest known expanse of unimproved chalk downland in north west Europe, and represents 41% of Britain's remaining area of this wildlife habitat. The Plain supports 13 species of nationally rare and scarce plants, 67 species of rare and scarce invertebrates and forms a site of international importance for birds. In addition to chalk downland, the Plain supports scrub and woodland habitats, temporary and permanent pools and the River winterbourne.

Vegetation[link]

A diversity of soil types, slope, aspect and past and present land-use has given rise to various grassland communities. Historical evidence suggests that large areas of grassland are of great antiquity, and areas which were cultivated at the beginning of this century have experienced nearly 100 years of chalk grassland re-colonisation. Parts of East Salisbury Plain and the periphery of Central and West comprise areas of grassland currently managed for grazing pasture and hay-cutting, whilst the middle of Centre and West are ungrazed. A large proportion of Salisbury Plain supports upright brome (Bromus erectus) species-rich grassland, within which a continuous floristic variation is seen. A widespread type on the Plain is characterised by an abundance of red fescue (Festuca rubra), crested hair-grass (Koeleria macrantha), salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor), lady's bedstraw (Galium verum), rough hawkbit (Leontodon hispidus), common rock-rose (Helianthemum nummularium) and dropwort (Filipendula vulgaris). The high constancy of this last species is a distinctive feature of the upright brome grasslands on Salisbury Plain and is otherwise only known from one other site in Hampshire. Where upright brome is less dominating, plants such as small scabiosa (Scabiosa columbaria), clustered bellflower (Campanula glomerata), dyer's greenweed (Genista tinctoria), kidney vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria), sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) and horseshoe vetch (Hippocrepis comosa) are characteristic associates.^[3]

The Burnt Orchid (Neotinea ustulata) can be found on Salisbury Plain

The rare and notable plants which occur here include burnt orchid (Neotinea ustulata), slender bedstraw (Galium pumilum), field fleawort (Senecio integrifolius) and the nationally scarce British endemic early gentian (Gentianella anglica). Particularly associated with long established turf on thin rendzina soils, and rabbit-grazed areas of the eastern and central ranges, are low-growing perennials including squinancy-wort (Asperula cynanchica), chalk milkwort (Polygala calcarea), dwarf thistle (Cirsium acaule), wild thyme (Thymus praecox), the nationally scarce bastard toadflax (Thesium humifusum) and purple milk-vetch (Astragalus danicus) in its most southerly British station.^[3]

Devil's-bit scabious (Succisa pratensis), saw-wort (Serratula tinctoria) and betony (Stachys officinalis) are all abundant and exemplify the oceanic character of the chalk grassland on the Plain, a feature which is confined to south-west England. Similarly restricted is a community in which dwarf sedge Carex humilis forms a conspicuous component. This type of grassland has its stronghold in Wiltshire and occurs on the less disturbed areas of the central ranges. Herb diversity is generally lower in the tall, upright brome-dominated swards, but wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa), hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) and greater knapweed (Centaurea scabiosa) are characteristic. Parasitic on the latter species is knapweed broomrape (Orobanche elatior), occurring in greater quantity on the Plain than anywhere else in Britain. False-oat grass (Arrhenatherum elatius) grassland is also widespread, but is particularly a feature of the western ranges, often indicating areas of past cultivation.^[3]

On anthills, and in the more disturbed turf that is especially a feature of the impact area, mouse-ear hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella) is abundant together with sheep's fescue (Festuca ovina) and wild thyme. Annuals are also characteristic of this habitat, including common whitlowgrass (Erophila verna), rue-leaved saxifrage (Saxifraga tridactylites,) hairy rock-cress (Arabis hirsuta) and the nationally scarce dwarf mouse-ear (Cerastium pumilum) and fine-leaved sandwort (Minuartia hybrida). A very local community characterised by a lichen-rich turf (Cladonia species) and the broom moss (Dicranum scoparium) is found in some stabilised missile-impaction craters on the central ranges. This vegetation type is found elsewhere only on Porton Down SSSI and on the Brecklands.^[3]

Small areas of chalk-heath vegetation occur on superficial clay-with-flints deposits. Here chalk-loving plants such as salad burnet (Sanguisorba minor) and dropwort co-exist with plants typical of acid soils, including gorse (Ulex europaeus), heather (Calluna vulgaris) and the uncommon annual knawel (Scleranthus annuus). Two Red Data Book (RDB) plants occur on the Plain. The largest population in Britain of tuberous thistle (Cirsium tuberosum) occurs on the western ranges and is notable for the low incidence of hybridisation with dwarf thistle, a contributory cause of its decline in other localities. Meadow clary (Salvia pratensis) persists as a small colony in tall upright brome grassland.^[3]

Salisbury Plain supports a diverse bryophyte flora with seven nationally scarce species which have seen a general decline in other chalk grassland sites, including Barbula acuta, Phascum curvicolle, Pleurochaete squarrosa, Thuidium abietinum and Weissia sterilis.^[3]

Although there is some scrub development on the Plain, it is remarkable that large expanses of the chalk grassland remain open with very little invasion of woody species. Of particular interest are the large stands of juniper (Juniperus communis) on Bulford Downs and Beacon Hill. Both pyramidal and prostrate forms are present and this site, along with Porton Down SSSI to the south, supports the best remaining examples of the lowland type of juniper associated with chalk and mixed scrub in England.^[3]

Insects[link]

The botanically and structurally diverse grasslands support a large range of rare and uncommon chalk downland invertebrates. Where abundance has been assessed strong populations of national and local importance are present, and the large area of habitat available to them is important in ensuring their survival.^[3]

The Duke of Burgundy butterfly Hamearis lucina

Butterflies

The Plain is an important stronghold for declining downland butterflies. A high concentration of colonies of three nationally scarce species, the Adonis Blue Polyommatus bellargus, Duke of Burgundy Hamearis lucina, and the largest population of Marsh Fritillary Euphydryas aurinia on the chalk, occur. A colony of Brown Hairstreak Thecla betulae is present on East Salisbury Plain at one of its two Wiltshire localities. Strong populations of other downland species such as Chalkhill Blue Polyommatus coridon and Dark Green Fritillary Argynnis aglaja are found, and of note here is the occurrence of Grayling Hipparchia semele, a butterfly rarely found away from the coast.^[3]

Moths[link]

An outstanding assemblage of two rare (RDB), 36 nationally scarce and two regionally notable moths are present, most of which are either chalk grassland specialists or are partly dependent on chalk grassland. The RDB species Scarce Forester Adscita globulariae is present, and amongst many species of nationally scarce moths are the Cistus Forester Adscita geryon, Six-belted Clearwing Bembecia scopigera, Oblique Striped Phibalapteryx virgata, Pimpernel Pug Eupithecia pimpinellata, Shaded Pug Eupithecia subumbrata and Narrow-bordered Bee Hawk Moth Hemaris tityus. Larvae of these moths feed on the chalk grassland plants which are widespread on the Plain. Other nationally scarce moths such as Orange-tailed Clearwing Synanthedon anthraciniformis depend on the associated scrub habitats.^[3]

The Cuckoo Bee Nomada armata

Bees[link]

The bee fauna is particularly rich in species which depend on chalk grassland. One of only two British populations of the endangered (RDB) mining bee Melitta dimidiata is present on the Plain, and two other RDB species which occur are Andrena hattorfiana and its nest parasite the Cuckoo Bee Nomada armata. This is a rare inland site for the nationally scarce Tawny Bumble Bee Bombus humilis.^[3]

Flies[link]

The Diptera (flies) include four RDB species which depend on chalk grassland, the picture-wing flies Chaetorellia loricata, Urophora solstitialis and Terellia vectensis and the hover fly Volucella inflata.

The Fairy Shrimp Chirocephalus diaphanus

.^[3]

Crustaceans

Recent observations have shown that Salisbury Plain is an important site for the RDB crustacean, the Fairy Shrimp Chirocephalus diaphanus which is dependent on temporary pools, a rare and declining habitat. On the Plain this habitat requirement is met by numerous pools created by repeated tank movements along the earth tracks which cross the chalk grassland.^[3]

Others[link]

Other nationally scarce invertebrates occur within the Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets), Heteroptera (bugs) and Coleoptera (beetles), the latter group including a RDB soldier beetle, Cantharis fusca.^[3]

Birds[link]

The area as a whole is of national and international importance for breeding and wintering birds. It supports seven species listed on Annex 1 of the EC Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds, populations of six species of Red Data bird and several species of candidate Red Data bird. Amongst the breeding birds three species are particularly noteworthy. Up to 20 pairs of Stone Curlew representing 12% of the British population breed on the Plain. The area accounts for approximately 20% of breeding records for Quail in Britain each year, and numbers of breeding Hobby are thought to exceed 1% of the British population on a regular basis. Other important breeding species include Buzzard, Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl, Nightingale, Stonechat, Whinchat, Wheatear, Corn Bunting and, on occasion, Montagu's Harrier.^[3]

The Stone Curlew

The overall breeding assemblage is exceptionally diverse for a British dry grassland site. In winter the Plain is an important area for foraging flocks of thrushes, finches and buntings. These, together with abundant small mammals are prey for wintering Hen Harrier, Merlin and Short-eared Owl. Hen Harriers occur in nationally significant numbers each winter, and the Plain is an important winter roost for this species in southern England.^[3] In 2003 the Great Bustard was reintroduced into Britain on Salisbury Plain.^[5]

Snakes and Amphibians[link]

Other species of interest on Salisbury Plain include the Great Crested Newt Triturus cristatus. This newt occurs in dew ponds across the Plain and in pools along the River Winterbourne, together with smooth newt Triturus vulgaris, common frog Rana temporia and common toad Bufo bufo. Grass snake Natrix natrix are also often seen near pools, and common lizard Lacerta vivipara, slow worm Anguis fragilis and adder Vipera berus are present.^[3]

Cultural references[link]

The plain has featured in the writings of William Wordsworth, Thomas Hardy, William Henry Hudson and A. G. Street, and in the paintings of John Constable. It is also used in The Beatles movie Help! as they sing "The Night Before" and "I Need You".

It is also the setting of a scene in John Boorman's film Catch Us If You Can when the film's hero, pop star Dave Clark, encounters a group of sinister beatniks in a deserted village used as target practice by the British Army. It is also mentioned in Ayreon song "And the Druids Turn to Stone". In the Gilbert and Sullivan opera Iolanthe, the Lord Chancellor has a nightmare in which he is crossing the English Channel in a steamer, which changes to a 4-wheel vehicle, and finally he is "Crossing Salisbury Plain on a bicycle".

Billy Bragg makes mention of Salisbury Plain in the song "Island of No Return".

Salisbury Plain is also marked as the location of a Piece of Eden in the video game Assassins Creed.

In the episode One of Us of the British television series Yes, Prime Minister, a lost dog on Salisbury Plain becomes a crucial plot point.

See also[link]

• British Army Training Unit Suffield
• Geology of the United Kingdom
• Marconi's Law

References[link]

External links[link]

• The Countryside Agency: Salisbury Plain and West Wiltshire Downs AONB
• The Salisbury Plain Life Project
• MoD Access & Recreation Contact Information

Coordinates: 51°04′26″N 1°47′37″W / 51.0740°N 1.7936°W / 51.0740; -1.7936

Salisbury
City of New Sarum
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury  Salisbury shown within Wiltshire
Population	39,726 (2001 Census)
OS grid reference	SU145305
- London	85 miles (137 km)
Civil parish	City of Salisbury
Unitary authority	Wiltshire
Ceremonial county	Wiltshire
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SALISBURY
Postcode district	SP1, SP2
Dialling code	01722
Police	Wiltshire
Fire	Wiltshire
Ambulance	Great Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Salisbury
List of places: UK • England • Wiltshire

Salisbury ( /ˈsɔːlzbri/ SAWLZ-bree or /ˈsɒlzbri/ SOLZ-bree, or locally /ˈsɔːzbri/) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county (the largest being Swindon). It has also been called New Sarum to distinguish it from the original site of settlement to the north of the city at Old Sarum, but this alternative name is not in common use.

The city is located in the south-east of Wiltshire, near the edge of Salisbury Plain. It sits at the confluence of five rivers: the Nadder, Ebble, Wylye and Bourne are tributary to the Avon, which flows to the south coast and into the sea at Christchurch, Dorset. Salisbury railway station serves the city, and is the crossing point between the West of England Main Line and the Wessex Main Line, making it a regional interchange.

History[link]

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008)

Although the actual city was not established until 1220, there has been a settlement in the area since prehistory. There is evidence of Neolithic settlement on the hilltop of Old Sarum, which became a hill fort in the Iron Age. The Romans called this fort "Sorviodunum" and may also have occupied the fort. The Saxons established themselves there called it "Searesbyrig"^[1][2][3] and the Normans built a castle or "Seresberi". By 1086, in the Domesday Book, it was called "Salesberie".^[4]

The first Salisbury Cathedral was built on the hill by St Bishop Osmund between 1075 and 1092. A larger building was built on the same site circa 1120. However, deteriorating relations between the clergy and the military at Old Sarum led to the decision to re-site the cathedral elsewhere. Even in the 12th century, Peter of Blois had described the old church as "a captive within the walls of the citadel like the ark of God in the profane house of Baal". He made the appeal —

Let us descend into the plain! There are rich fields and fertile valleys abounding in the fruits of the earth and watered by the living stream. There is a seat for the Virgin Patroness of our church to which the world cannot produce a parallel.^[5]

Salisbury Cathedral from the Cathedral Close

The logic of this was inescapable, and in 1220 the city of New Sarum, now known as Salisbury, was founded on a great meadow called 'Myrifield'.^[5] The building of the new cathedral was begun by Bishop Richard Poore in the same year. The main body was completed in only 38 years and is a masterpiece of Early English architecture. Some stones which make up the cathedral came from Old Sarum, others from the Chilmark Quarries from where they were most likely moved to the cathedral building site by ox-cart. The existence of many water-mills and weirs probably prevented transport via boats on the River Nadder. The 123 m (404 ft) tall spire was built later and is the tallest spire in the UK.

The cathedral is built on a gravel bed with unusually shallow foundations of 18 inches (46 cm) upon wooden faggots: the site is supposed to have been selected by shooting an arrow from Old Sarum, although this can only be legend as the distance is over 3 kilometres (1.9 mi). It is sometimes claimed the arrow hit a white deer, which continued to run and died on the spot where the Cathedral now exists. The cathedral contains the best preserved of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta and a large mechanical clock installed in the cathedral in 1386 — the oldest surviving mechanical clock in Britain.

19th century milestone refers to the city as Sarum

The original site of the city at Old Sarum fell into disuse. Old Sarum was a rotten borough that was abolished as at the time, one MP represented three households. The bury element is a form of borough, which has cognates in words and place names throughout the Germanic languages. For a fuller explanation, see borough.

The origins of the name "Sarum" are obscure. It most likely derives from the fact that Sarum came into use when documents were written in contracted Latin. It was easier to write Sar with a stroke over the "r", than write the complete word "Saresberie". That mark was also the common symbol for the Latin termination "um". Hence "Sar" with a stroke over the r was copied as "SarUM". One of the first known uses of "Sarum" is on the seal of Saint Nicholas Hospital, Salisbury, which was in use in 1239. Bishop Wyville (1330–1375) was the first Bishop to describe himself "episcopus Sarum".^[6]

The City[link]

Great West Front of Salisbury Cathedral

In 1219 Richard Poore, the then Bishop of Sarum, decided to establish a new town and cathedral on an estate in his possession (confusingly known as Veteres Sarisberias — Old Salisburys) in the valley, on the banks of the River Avon.

The town was laid out in a grid pattern, and work started in 1220, with the cathedral commencing the following year. The town developed rapidly, and by the 14th century was the foremost town in Wiltshire. The city wall surrounds the Close and was built in the 14th century.

There are five gates in the wall; four are original, known as the High Street Gate, St Ann's Gate, the Queen's Gate, and St Nicholas's Gate. A fifth was created in the 19th century to allow access to Bishop Wordsworth's School located inside the Cathedral Close. A room located above St Ann's Gate is where the composer Handel stayed, writing several works while there. During the Great Plague of London, Charles II held court in the Close.

The novel Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd, published in 1987, is an imaginative retelling of the history of Salisbury.

Governance[link]

Salisbury now falls under two authorities created in 2009, Salisbury City Council and Wiltshire Council. It was once at the heart of the now defunct Salisbury District, which oversaw most of south Wiltshire as well as the city. When Wiltshire's local government was reorganised under a unitary authority in April 2009, Salisbury City Council was formed, although with fewer responsibilities than the former district council. The city has one Member of Parliament for the Salisbury constituency, currently John Glen (Conservative) who was elected in the 2010 election.

Geography[link]

Queen Elizabeth Gardens showing part of the River Avon diverted through the gardens.

Salisbury is located in a valley. The geology of the area, like much of South Wiltshire and Hampshire, is largely chalk. The rivers which flow through the city have been redirected, and along with landscaping, have been used to feed into public gardens. They are popular in the summer, particularly the Queen Elizabeth Gardens, as the water there is shallow and slow-flowing enough to enter safely. Close to Queen Elizabeth Gardens are water-meadows, where the water is controlled by weirs. Because of the low-lying land, the rivers are prone to flooding particularly during the winter months. The Town Path, a walkway that links Harnham with the rest of the city, is at times impassable.

A cause of concern to the people of Salisbury is the lack of adequate roads. There is no motorway that links the ports of Southampton and Bristol meaning that all traffic must pass through the city.

Settlements and geographic features near Salisbury

	Warminster 30 km	Stonehenge18 km Amesbury 15 km	Andover 25 km Basingstoke 45 km
	Wilton 5 km		Winchester 30 km
		Salisbury    East
	Shaftesbury 25 km	Ringwood 20 km Bournemouth 35 km	Romsey 25 km Southampton 30 km

There are civil airfields at Old Sarum (where the experimental aircraft the Edgley Optica was developed and tested) and at Thruxton near Andover.

Climate[link]

Salisbury experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom. The nearest Met Office weather station to Salisbury is Boscombe Down, about 6 miles to the north of the city centre. In terms of the local climate, Salisbury is amongst the sunniest of Inland areas in the UK, averaging over 1650 hours of sunshine in a typical year. Temperature extremes since 1960 have ranged from −12.4 °C (9.7 °F) in January 1963^[7] to 34.5 °C (94.1 °F) during July 2006.^[8] The lowest temperature to be recorded in recent years was −10.1 °C (13.8 °F) during December 2010.^[9]

Demography[link]

The city itself had a population of 39,726 at the 2001 census.^[12] The results of the 2011 census are not yet available, but they are expected to show a substantial increase.

The former Salisbury District, which was abolished in 2009, included the surrounding towns and villages and had an estimated population in 2004 of 115,000, of whom 98.67% of were white, and 96.41% White British. 0.30% of the population were South Asian, 0.16% were Chinese, 0.13% were black and 0.57% were of mixed race.^[13]

88.50% of the population were born in England,^[14] 4.77% were born elsewhere in the UK, and 3.12% were born elsewhere in the EU (including the Republic of Ireland). 3.60% of the population were born outside of the EU.

78.29% of the population declared their religion as Christianity,^[15] while 13.58% stated "no religion" and 7.17% declined to state their religion. The second largest actual religion in Salisbury was Islam with adherents accounting for 0.24% of the population.

22.33% of the population are aged between 30-44,^[16] 42.76% are over 45 and only 13.3% are between 18-29

Economy[link]

The 15th century Poultry Cross in the Market Place originally marked the section of the market trading in poultry.

Salisbury holds a market on Tuesdays and Saturdays and has held markets regularly since 1227. In the 15th century the Market Place was dotted with stone crosses marking the centres for certain trades and goods. Today only the Poultry Cross remains, to which flying buttresses were added in 1852. The other crosses were the Livestock Cross, the Cheese & Milk Cross and the Wool & Yarn Cross.

In 1226, King Henry III granted the Bishop of Salisbury a charter to hold a fair lasting 8 days from the Feast of the Assumption of Mary (15 August).^[17] Over the centuries the dates for the fair have moved around, but in its modern guise, a funfair is now held in the Market Place for three days from the third Monday in October. However, there is still an ancient law stating that the fair can be held in the Cathedral Close.

Stonehenge, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site is about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Salisbury and greatly aids the local economy. The city itself, Old Sarum and the original cathedral also attract visitors.

Shopping centres include The Old George Mall, The Maltings, Winchester Street and the Crosskeys precinct.

Major employers include Salisbury District Hospital and Friends Life.

Culture[link]

Salisbury High Street

Salisbury was an important centre for music in the 18th century. The grammarian James Harris, a friend of Handel, directed concerts at the Assembly Rooms for almost 50 years up to his death in 1780, with many of the most famous musicians and singers of the day performing there.^[18]

Salisbury holds an annual St George's Day pageant, the origins of which are claimed to go back to the thirteenth century.

Salisbury has a strong artistic community, with galleries situated in the city centre, including one in the public library. In the 18th century, John Constable made a number of celebrated landscape paintings featuring the cathedral spire and the surrounding countryside. Salisbury's annual International Arts Festival, started in 1973, and held in late May to early June, provides a programme of theatre, live music, dance, public sculpture, street performance and art exhibitions. Salisbury also houses a producing theatre - Salisbury Playhouse - which produces between eight and ten plays a year, as well as welcoming touring productions.

Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum[link]

Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum, housed in The King's House

The Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum is housed in the King's House, a Grade I listed building whose history dates back to the 13th century, just opposite the west front of the Cathedral.

The permanent Stonehenge exhibition gallery has interactive displays about Stonehenge and the archaeology of south Wiltshire, and its collections include the skeleton of the Amesbury Archer, which is on display.

The Pitt Rivers gallery holds a collection from General Augustus Pitt Rivers, often called the "father of modern archaeology".^{[citation needed]}

The costume gallery showcases costume and textiles from the area with costumes for children to try on and imagine themselves as characters from Salisbury's past.

Historical events[link]

In May 1289, there was uncertainty about the future of Margaret, Maid of Norway, and her father sent ambassadors to Edward I of England. Edward met Robert the Bruce and others at Salisbury in October 1289, which resulted in the Treaty of Salisbury, under which Margaret would be sent to Scotland before 1 November 1290 and any agreement on her future marriage would be delayed until she was in Scotland.^[19]

In 1450, a number of riots broke out at roughly the same time Jack Cade led a famous rebellion through London. The riots were for related reasons to those of Jack Cade and his followers, however the decline of the cloth trade may have also been influential. The violence peaked with the murder of William Ayscough, Bishop of Salisbury. The Bishop was branded a traitor for his involvement in a governing clique perceived responsible for mis-government of the realm by both the rebels in London and Salisbury.

In 1483, a large-scale rebellion against Richard III of England broke out, led by his own 'kingmaker', Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham. After the revolt collapsed, Buckingham was executed at Salisbury, near the Bull's Head Inn.

At the time of the Glorious Revolution, King James II gathered his main forces, altogether about 19,000 men, at Salisbury, James himself arriving in the city on 19 November 1688. His troops were not keen to fight William and Mary, and the loyalty of many of his commanders was in doubt. The first blood was shed at Wincanton, in Somerset. In Salisbury, James heard that some of his officers had deserted, such as Edward Hyde, and he broke out in a nose-bleed which he took as an omen that he should retreat. His commander in chief, the Earl of Feversham, advised retreat on 23 November, and the next day John Churchill deserted to William. On 26 November, James's own daughter, Princess Anne, did the same, and James returned to London the same day, never again to be at the head of a serious military force in England.^[20]

At the time of the 1948 Summer Olympics, held in London, a relay of runners carried the Olympic Flame from Wembley Stadium, where the Games were based, to the sailing centre at Torbay via Slough, Basingstoke, Salisbury, and Exeter.

Twinning[link]

Salisbury is twinned with Saintes in France since 1990, and Xanten in Germany since 2006. Salisbury is also a sister city of Salisbury, North Carolina and Salisbury, Maryland, both of which are in the United States.^[21]

Schools[link]

There are numerous schools around the area of Salisbury, including the Chafyn Grove School, Leehurst Swan School, the Godolphin senior and prep school and Stonehenge Comprehensive School. Salisbury also includes the only two grammar schools in Wiltshire: South Wilts Grammar School for Girls and Bishop Wordsworth's School, which is for boys.

Transport[link]

The city has a good variety of public transport.^[22] There are bus links to Southampton, Bournemouth and Andover working seven days a week with limited services on Sundays. Wilts & Dorset are the main local bus company, part of the Go-Ahead group, with a bus station at 8 Endless Street and a bus yard in Castle Street. Stagecoach in Hampshire runs the number 87 to Andover every two hours from Salisbury and also every other journey on route 8 to Andover via Amesbury and Tidworth along with Wilts & Dorset. Bodman's also runs the number 24 bus between Salisbury and Warminster,^[23] which replaced the X4/X5 service which used to run between Salisbury and Bath.

Salisbury railway station is the crossing point of the West of England Main Line, from London Waterloo to Exeter, and the Wessex Main Line from Bristol to Southampton. The station is operated by South West Trains. First Great Western hourly trains call from Cardiff, Bristol, Bath Spa to Southampton Central and Portsmouth Harbour

Salisbury also has a Park and Ride bus scheme with five sites around the city. These park and ride sites relieve pressure on the city centre but run at an annual loss of £1 million.^[24] The Park and Ride sites, which are funded by Wiltshire Council and cost £2.50 for parking and bus transport of up to six passengers, are:^[25]

Sport and leisure[link]

Salisbury Racecourse with the cathedral in the distance.

• The Bishop's Walk on the edge of the city provides a popular viewing point
• Some buildings in Salisbury are reputed to be haunted. Ghost tours are popular with locals and visitors. One such building is the local Odeon cinema located in the Hall of John Halle - the oldest building in the UK to contain a cinema. The Debenhams department store is said to be haunted by Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham - the store is on the site where he was beheaded in 1483.
• The city has a football team, Salisbury City F.C.. Salisbury City football club play in the Conference South division. Their games are at the Raymond McEnhill Stadium on the northern edge of the city. Also in the city is fellow Non-League football club Laverstock & Ford F.C., which plays at The Dell.
• The rugby club has produced several England Internationals in recent years and continues to nurture future talent through a buoyant Mini and Youth section. It is seen as one of the prime rugby nurturing centres nationwide, regularly providing County Championship winning sides, County Players at all ages, and academy players for the professional game. Their junior section has also won National tournaments on a regular basis playing finals at Twickenham.
• The Five Rivers Leisure Centre and Swimming Pool is located just outside of the ring road and was opened in 2002
• The local theatre is the Salisbury Playhouse.
• Salisbury is well-supplied with pubs. 'The Haunch of Venison', overlooking the market, still operates from a 14th century building. One of its attractions is a plaster cast of a mummified hand, supposedly severed during a game of cards. The hand vanished in 2004 as a publicity stunt for the pub but later reappeared and can still be seen there.^[26] The Rai d’Or has original deeds dating from 1292. It was the home of Agnes Bottenham who used the profits of the tavern to found Trinity Hospital next door in around 1380.
• The City Hall is an entertainment venue and hosts comedy, musical performances as well as seminars and conventions
• Salisbury Racecourse is a flat racing course to the south-west of the city
• Salisbury Arts Centre^[27] has exhibitions and workshops.
• Five Rivers Indoor Bowls Club and Salisbury Snooker Club share a building on Tollgate road (behind the College). The snooker club also has sections for Pool and Darts.

Media[link]

Salisbury is served by two local radio stations. Spire FM is the Independent Local Radio station, and BBC Wiltshire is the BBC Local Radio public service station for the whole county. Regional television services are provided by BBC South and ITV Meridian.

The Salisbury Journal is the local paid for weekly newspaper which is available in shops every Thursday, with some home deliveries coming on Wednesday night. The local free weekly newspaper is the Avon Advertiser, which is delivered to houses in Salisbury and the surrounding area and made by the same company as the Journal.

In fiction[link]

• Salisbury is the original of "Melchester" in Thomas Hardy's novels, such as Jude the Obscure (1895).
• The BBC TV adaptation of Archer's Goon was filmed in the city.
• A lively account of the Salisbury markets, as they were in 1842, is contained in Chapter 5 of "Martin Chuzzlewit" by Charles Dickens.
• The fictitious Kingsbridge Cathedral in TV miniseries, The Pillars of the Earth (2010) based on a historical novel by the same name by Ken Follett is modeled on the cathedrals of Wells and Salisbury. The final aerial shot of the series is of Salisbury Cathedral.^[28][29]
• The novel Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd describes the history of Salisbury.
• The novel The Spire by William Golding tells the story of the building of the spire on Salisbury Cathedral.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Salisbury

• Salisbury (England) travel guide from Wikitravel
• Salisbury at the Open Directory Project
• Official tourism website
• Let Me Tell You: Salisbury- a BBC film about life in the city in 1967 at BBC Wiltshire
• Historic Salisbury photos at BBC Wiltshire
• About Salisbury

Austin Vince is best known for his long distance adventure motorcycle expeditions: twice round the world as part of the Mondo Enduro and Terra Circa trips.

As well as presenting the Mondo Enduro and co-presenting the Terra Circa TV shows, Austin has also written and presented the Routes series on Disney Channel. Latterly he played the maths teacher in Channel 4's That'll Teach 'Em and has in the past taught at St.Johns Northwood as a maths teacher.

Vince attended the private Mill Hill boys school in North London then was sponsored through university by the army but became a pacifist while there and had to pay them to get out. After university, Austin returned to Mill Hill as a teacher and used to teach at St.Johns school in Northwood, the best school in the world. He is married to long distance female motorcyclist Lois Pryce, who has completed several notable expeditions of her own.

External links[link]

• AustinVince.com — The official home of everything Austin.
• MondoEnduro.com — Official website of the Mondo Enduro expedition.
• Aimimage.com — The official website of Aimimage, the company that produces the Austin Vince travel adventure DVDs.
• LoisOnTheLoose.com — Website of Lois Pryce.

Books[link]

• Vince, Austin; Bloom, Louis et al. (2006) Mondo Enduro. Ripping Yarns.com. ISBN 1-904466-28-1.