| Salisbury Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Salisbury | |
 Salisbury Cathedral from the north-east | |
  Salisbury Cathedral Location within Wiltshire | |
| 51°03′53″N 1°47′51″W / 51.06472°N 1.79750°W | |
| Location | Salisbury, Wiltshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Catholic |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic[1] |
| Website | www |
| Architecture | |
| Previous cathedrals | 2 |
| Architect(s) | Richard Poore; Elias of Dereham (possibly) |
| Style | Early English Gothic |
| Years built | 1220–1330 |
| Groundbreaking | 1220 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 442 feet (135 m) |
| Nave length | 234 feet (71 m)[2] |
| Nave width | 78 feet (24 m)[2] |
| Choir height | 84 feet (26 m) |
| Number of towers | 1 |
| Tower height | 225 feet (69 m) (without spire) |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Spire height | 404 feet (123 m) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | Salisbury (since 1220) |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Stephen Lake |
| Dean | Nicholas Papadopulos |
| Precentor | Anna Macham |
| Canon Chancellor | Ed Probert |
| Canon Treasurer | Kenneth Padley |
| Laity | |
| Organist(s) | David Halls, John Challenger |
| Chapter clerk | Jackie Molnar |
| Lay member(s) of chapter | Nigel Salisbury Tim Daykin Sue Groom Jonathan Leigh Lucinda Herklots |
Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is considered the beau idéal of Early English Gothic design. Built over a relatively short period, some 38 years between 1220 and 1258, it has a unity and coherence that is unusual in medieval English cathedrals. The tower and spire were completed by 1330 and at 404 feet (123 m) is the tallest church spire in England.
The original cathedral in the district was located at Old Sarum, about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the present city. In 1197 bishop Herbert Poore determined on a relocation but this was not taken forward until the bishopric of his brother, Richard Poore in the early 13th century. Foundation stones for the new building were laid on 28 April 1220 by the Earl and Countess of Salisbury. By 1258 the nave, transepts and choir were complete. The only major additions were the cloisters, added 1240, the chapter house in 1263, and the tower and spire, which was constructed by 1330. At its completion it was the third highest in England, but the collapse of those at Lincoln Cathedral and Old St Paul's Cathedral in the 16th century saw Salisbury become England's tallest.
The cathedral close is Britain's largest, and has many buildings of architectural and/or historical significance. Pevsner described it as "the most beautiful of England's closes".[3] The cathedral contains a clock which is among the oldest working examples in the world. It also holds one of the four surviving original copies of Magna Carta. In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration. In 2023, the completion of a programme of external restoration begun in 1985, saw the removal of scaffolding that had stood around the building for some 37 years.
- ^ Blagdon-Gamlen, P. E. (1973). The Church Travellers Directory. London: Church Literature Association. p. 69.
- ^ a b Ben Sloper (14 August 2010). "Salisbury - a Divined Cathedral". Salisbury Cathedral (unofficial). Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Metcalf, Priscilla (2005). The Cathedrals of England: The West and Midlands. Vol. 2. London: Folio Society. OCLC 71807455.