Old Sarum
Old Sarum started out as an iron age hill fort that was subsequently used by the Romans and Saxons before the arrival of the Normans who built a stone curtain wall around the perimeter. At the centre of the site they constructed a castle on a motte protected by a deep dry moat.
A Norman cathedral and bishop's residence were built in close proximity to the castle, but these were abandoned in the 1220's when the cathedral relocated a couple of miles south to a new settlement that became the city of Salisbury.
Despite the loss of the cathedral and surrounding town, the castle remained an administrative centre into the 14th century.
The foundations of the Norman castle and cathedral are all that now remain within the earthworks of the hill fort.
- Location:
- 2 miles north of Salisbury, off A345
- Address:
- Old Sarum, Castle Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3SD
- Access:
- English Heritage. Open to the public. Admission fee.
- Website:
- For further information visit www.english-heritage.org.uk
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