Salisbury’s History

Old Sarum, The City and the Cathedral

The story of Salisbury starts at an Iron Age hill-fort 2 miles north of the present city. It was here that the first cathedral was built, where the mint was transferred from nearby Wilton and where William the Conqueror built a castle. Nothing quite evokes the passage of time as standing in the place where our ancient families lived and died, where kings have come and gone.

It was from Old Sarum that the city moved to it’s present site. A glorious Cathedral was built at the same time as the city was established and this all began in the year 1220.

Over 800 years this city has grown. It still retains it’s Medieval core in the design of it’s streets and in the many Medieval wool merchants houses. Come and visit all that our Medieval City has to offer, walk these Medieval streets and breathe in the past, see how we combine old and new.