Salisbury Cathedral's magnificent spire can be seen wherever you are in the city or surrounding countryside. Up close too, the cathedral is phenomenal, sitting on a large, smooth lawn, levelled in the 18th century, when the graves were removed. A similar thing happened to the inside when James Wyatt removed the internal fixtures, fittings and furnishings that had built up over the previous six centuries or so and rearranged the tombs.

Construction began an the Cathedral in 1220 by Richard Poore to his brothers design, the foundation stone being laid on Easter Monday. The cathedral was 38 years in the building. By the end of the 13th century the spire which is 404 feet (123 metres) high, had been added. Being built in its entirety over a relatively short period, it is a textbook example of Early English architecture.
Sir Christopher Wren discovered that the spire was out of line, so iron tie-rods were used to straighten it. These here replaced in l951. This is the tallest and finest spire in England.

Probably one of the most noteworthy of the many interesting tombs and memorials is the oldest, that of William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury, who witnessed the signing of the Magna Carta. It is said that he brought to Salisbury the copy in the cathedral library, one of only four in Britain. The oldest clock in Britain, dated 1386 is in the north transept and still strikes the hour.