Salisbury Cathedral

Salisbury Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. The main body was completed in only 38 years, starting in 1220. It is considered to be one of the leading examples of Early English architecture.^[1]

The cathedral has the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom (123m/404 ft).^[1] Visitors can take the 'Tower Tour' where the interior of the hollow spire, with its ancient wood scaffolding, can be seen. The cathedral also has the largest cloister and the largest cathedral precinct ('close') in Britain (80 acres).^[1][2] The Cathedral contains the world's oldest working clock (from AD 1386).^[3][1] It also has one of the four surviving original copies of Magna Carta (all four original copies are in England).^[1]

Although commonly known as Salisbury Cathedral, the official name is the Cathedral of Saint Mary. In 2008, the cathedral celebrated the 750th anniversary of its consecration in 1258.^[4] It is the seat of the Bishop of Salisbury, the Rt. Revd. Nick Holtam (bishop since 2011).

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} "Visitor Information, Salisbury Cathedral". Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2008-01-17.
2. ↑ Cloister = rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries. It has open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle. Close = precinct or area of land surrounded by walls.
3. ↑ The clock, now in the north nave aisle, was in the Bell Tower (demolished in 1789). It has ticked more than 5 million times since it was first built.
4. ↑ "750th Anniversary, Salisbury Cathedral". Archived from the original on 2008-01-20. Retrieved 2008-01-17.