Weekend & Beyond

This weekend has been one trip to the yesteryears and back… and has been quite a memorable weekend at that. Have walked down corridors lined up with looming pillars, have come face to face with life before and after; all echoing voices, emotions and hopes of the times bygone. The inspiration behind my joining my friends for this trip to Salisbury about 30 miles from Bournemouth and 90 miles south west of London was famous Salibury Cathedral.

Long before you even enter Salisbury, the spire of the Salisbury Cathedral looms into view just as John Constable painted it. The 404-foot pinnacle of the early English and Gothic cathedral is the tallest in England. The extra 6500 tons of tower and spire have caused the support columns in the church to visibly buckle under the weight. Salisbury, or New Sarum, lies on the banks of the River Avon, is best known for its proximity to Stonehenge and for its glorious cathedral.

Salisbury Cathedral is generally considered to be England's finest medieval cathedral, and is unusual because it was all built at the same time with none of the subsequent additions of most other cathedrals. This gives it a very pleasing unity of appearance. Construction commenced in 1220, with most of the work complete by 1258. The building of the cathedral also marked the founding of the 'modern' town of Salisbury; prior to that time most people lived a couple of miles north at Old Sarum, a settlement dating back to Iron Age times. Nowadays there is little remaining at Old Sarum, but some of the stone has been taken to Salisbury and used for building the walls of the Cathedral Close. Filled with Tudor inns and tearooms, it's known to readers of Thomas Hardy as Melchester and to fans of Anthony Trollope as Barchester.

Our group toured the cathedral, noticing the floor stones which are witness to the numerous people who lie buried within the cathedral. A sign of the heart wrenching stories unheard and untold that haunt the place. While in the cathedral, I saw a crypt with what looked like potholes by the sides that went beyond the hole. I overheard a guide that the crypt was a sign of hope and healing for the physically disabled who could slip their arms into the crypt and get as close as possible to the saint who is said to have magical powers. Some of the crypts had graffiti which interestingly is a major attraction at the cathedral.

At the charter house, we saw the very historic Magna Carta. Just to enlighten you souls about the famous Magna Carta. Magna Carta is Latin for "The Great Charter"; the famous agreement made between King John and his barons at Runneymede in 1215 and is very significant for the foundation for the U.S. constitution. It is beautifully written in Latin on vellum (animal skin) and contains some 3,500 words, many of which have been abbreviated. It is believed that there have originally been many copies of the Magna Carta of which only 4 have been preserved and the best is on display at the Chapter House, which, according to the docent we had the privilege to lay our eyes on. Amazingly even after nearly 800 years the writing was as crisp as if it was just yesterday that it was fleshed out. The docent believes that it was the iron used in the ink. Time waits for no man or woman in this matter signified magnificently by the oldest working clock of all Europe built in 1386 which still ticks away at the cathedral.

Volunteer guides give free tours regularly every day. Entrance to the cathedral is free and the cathedral is open daily, but there are some interruptions during formal services every Sunday. A lovely glass-roofed restaurant offering a view up to the cathedral spire, and the inevitable gift shop are also onsite. Some parts of the cathedral complex do have admission charges – for example, if you wish to climb the 332 steps up to the base of spire.

One can spend many hours in the Cathedral and the surrounding grounds and not exhaust all it has to offer. It truly is a very enchanting and memorable place to visit as for us standing under the shade of the glorious cathedral building for once time stood at a stand still bringing the past and present together.