Old Sarum
Climb the mighty ramparts for views over the Wiltshire plains and imagine the once thriving town of Old Sarum. Stand in the footprint of Salisbury's original cathedral, conquer the royal castle which stood high on the motte, and discover the awe-inspiring Iron Age hill fort where it all began. Unearth over 2,000 years of history and find out how the Romans, Normans and Saxons have all left their mark on this impressive landscape.
The Iron Age Hillfort
Rising up from the Salisbury plains, the Iron Age Hillfort of Old Sarum is hard to miss. The impressive ramparts consist of two earth banks separated by a ditch.
First created around 400BC, they were later heightened in either the late Iron Age or early Roman period. Read about the history of Old Sarum.
The Royal Castle
Cross Old Sarum's wooden bridge and step into the heart of a once bustling medieval castle. Built around 1070 by William the Conqueror, it was here in 1086 that William gathered all the powerful men of England for a ceremony to assert his royal authority.
Salisbury's First Cathedral
Stand in the footprint of Salisbury's original cathedral in the outer bailey of Old Sarum. The first cathedral was a modest building damaged by a violent thunderstorm just five days after its consecration in 1092. It was later massively extended by Bishop Roger.
In 1220 foundations were laid for a new cathedral in Salisbury (New Sarum) and Bishop Roger's cathedral was demolished. Many of its stones were re-used in the construction of the new building. The outline of both the original and extended cathedrals can be seen today.
Building the castle in the middle of the old earthworks transformed the site. It created an inner set of fortifications which became home to a complex of towers, halls and apartments, and a huge bailey.
Avebury-Stonehenge: A Scale Model of Atlantis
Few have looked at Avebury and Stonehenge, pondering whether they might be part of a larger complex. But when that question is asked, an altogether different one bubbles to the surface: could this complex also be linked with Plato’s fabled lost civilisation of Atlantis
Without any doubt, Stonehenge is the most famous megalithic monument of Great-Britain; perhaps even of Europe, if not the entire world. Almost one million people visit the site annually, half of them coming from outside of Britain. But Stonehenge is not the only megalithic complex in this area. Thirty minutes by car, directly north of Stonehenge, are two massive stone circles, in Avebury. In fact an entire village is built inside the enormous henge that surrounds these two circles. Unlike Stonehenge, where the visitor is kept far away from the monument, in Avebury, one can experience the stones up close and personal and the impression Avebury leaves is far superior then anything a tourist to Stonehenge can experience. That is one of the reasons why since the 1980s the number of visitors to Avebury has continued to rise. Both Stonehenge and Avebury are accepted as being part of a larger whole. For example, the henge of Avebury is part of landscape that incorporates West Kenneth Long Barrow, as well as an Avenue – two long lines of standing stones – that connects Avebury to The Sanctuary, next to the River Avon. Finally, Silbury Hill, Europe’s tallest man-made mound, is also part of Avebury’s “sacred landscape”.
2 hours
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Admission Ticket Free