Moments in History

1078-1092 The building of the first Cathedral at Old Sarum by Bishop Osmund
1220 Foundations of new Cathedral in City of Salisbury are laid
1227 Henry 2nd grants first charter giving right to hold market and a fair
1258 Cathedral is consecrated
1313-1334 The spire is built
1612 James 1st grants charter of incorporation taking city out of power of Bishop
1645 “The Battle of Salisbury” only one during civil war between royalists and parliamentarians.
1665 King Charles 2nd and court stay in Salisbury to avoid the Plague
1668 Sir Christopher Wren arrives in Salisbury to make structural survey of the cathedral
1767 Salisbury Infirmary is founded following smallpox outbreak
1780 The fire that destroyed the Tudor Council House
1795 The building of the new Guildhall
1833 Gas street lighting is introduced
1847 The arrival of the Railway
1849 Cholera outbreaks
1851 Prince Albert visits the city
1855-1875 The water courses are drained and filled in and all the objects taken out become known as the “Drainage Collection” and are given to Salisbury Museum
1856 Queen Victoria and her family visit the city
1890 First city library opened and Bishop Wordsworth’s School is opened
1906 Rail disaster 28 people are killed
1940 Hundreds of women, girls and a handful of men were secretly building sections of Spitfires in garages and sheds. This contributed ten percent of all Spitfires made.
1940-42 Minor damage caused from 5 air raids
1950 Salisbury Arts Theatre, now the Playhouse, established
1967 First Arts Festival staged
1974 Queen Elizabeth II visits to distribute Maundy Money
1975 Salisbury Library opened on site of Market House
1975 Arts Centre opened in redundant St. Edmund Church
1987-93 Restoration of the Cathedral spire and the “Spire Appeal”
1993 New hospital opened at Odstock
2015 Queen Elizabeth II visit to celebrate Magna Carta
2018 March 4th, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia, were taken ill on a bench in the Maltings. They were victims of a nerve agent called Novichok
2020 The Corona-19 virus reaches the City
2020 In June the Cathedral and City marked the 800 anniversary of the laying of the foundation stones for the new Cathedral and the City of Salisbury
2021 The Secret Spitfires Memorial was officially inaugurated on 9th July 2021 and is a lasting tribute to hundreds of the women and men of Salisbury who contributed to an astonishing part of the city’s history by building almost 2,500 Spitfires in total secrecy.