Old Sarum, Salisbury (must see)

Old Sarum is a deserted ruin in Wiltshire. It sits on a hill about two miles from modern day Salisbury. A hill fort was erected on the hill around 400 BC. Romans knew of it, but did not occupy it. Saxons occupied the fort in the sixth century. The Normans arrived shortly after 1066.

The Normans erected a motte-and-bailey castle with a curtain wall and a cathedral. Relations between the garrison at the fort and the clergy were never good. Royal approval for the move to what is now Salisbury was given in 1194. In the 1220s. The demolition of the Old Sarum began. Stones salvaged were used in the construction of the new cathedral.

In 1514 Henry VIII transferred what was left of the castle to Thomas Compton. By 1540 the suburbs were gone. Old Sarum curiously retained its representation in Parliament as a "rotten borough" until 1832.

The earthworks of the ancient hill fort, the Norman castle ruins atop the motte, and the bits of the old cathedral remain. The outer enclosure had a single entry point in the east which still is mostly intact. The rampart enclosed a vast area. Within the area is a second rampart built for the 11th century castle of William the Conqueror.

The inner bailey was uncovered in 1909. There is the ruin of a 12th century gatehouse, the shell of a keep, and a courtyard. In the south part there was a two story chapel dedicated to Saints Nicholas and Margaret. The plan of the cathedral was discovered in 1912. It was small; a mere 184 feet in length with three apses and a narrow transept.

The cloister was dug out by 1915. Four walks are visible. There are remains of the bishop's palace, a hall and gardens. Old Sarum is important as an example of a fortified arrangement. Its history covers three distinct periods: the Iron Age, the Roman period, and the period of the royal castle and cathedral. All this ended in 1220.