Salisbury Cathedral

The first time I visited Stonehenge some 17 years ago, I took a bus tour from London.  Last year when I visited again, I knew I wanted to see a bit of Salisbury and the beautiful Salisbury Cathedral so I took the train there. Walking toward the church gives you a good image of its massive scale.  The cathedral boasts a lot of "bests" including the tallest spire in all of the United Kingdom.

The cathedral is constructed in what is called Early English Gothic Architecture.  The outside contains 130 niches, 73 of which contain statues.

The inside is long and narrow and unusually light.  The light grey stone of the walls helps to give the inside a bright, well-lit look.

One of the things that caught my eye inside this massive church was this new and modern Baptismal font that was designed by a British water sculptor, William Pye.  It was added to the church in 2008 in celebration of the cathedral's 750th anniversary.  The reflections on the smooth surface of the water seem to perfectly meld the old with the new.

In addition to the tallest spire in England, the church is also home to the oldest working modern clock in the world.  Looking at this box of gears and pulleys, you ask yourself, where is the clock face?  There isn't one.  Back in 1386 when it was built, clocks didn't have faces, they simply rang out the time with bells.  This one was originally located in the old bell tower but was removed when the tower was rebuilt.  It was fully restored to working order in 1956.

There was beauty in every direction inside the cathedral.  From inspiring chapels to beautiful monuments to notable men and women, there was something to see in every corner.

There was even the added attraction of a beautiful glass exhibit that was going on while I was there.  The colorful glass on display almost drew as much of my attention as all the historic elements.

Superlatives abound when describing the notable aspects of Salisbury Cathedral.  I've already mentioned the tallest spire and the world's oldest clock now I bring your attention to the best of the  the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta.  The document is protected from light under a tent-like structure located in the Chapter House on the cathedral property.  Obviously, photographs of the actual document are not allowed but, I can say that viewing such an important and ancient document is a moving experience.

Yet another Salisbury boasting right, is the Cathedral cloisters and cathedral close.  It is the largest in Britain. All of these import "bests" and "oldest's" and "largest's" make Salisbury Cathedral a place well worth a visit.  I am so glad I made a point of seeing it for myself.