South West - Wiltshire

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OLD SARUM

Castle Road, Salisbury,
Wiltshire
SP1 3SD
t: 01722 335398
e: oldsarum.castle@english-heritage.org.uk
w: www.english-heritage.org.uk/oldsarum

The lost city of Old Sarum, is a rewarding site for groups to explore. Iron Age people first raised the great encircling ramparts. Anglo-Saxons and Normans later settled within them, while the Romans built a substantial settlement adjacent to it. Creating a castle at the core of the vast hilltop fortress, William the Conqueror summoned the richest landowners of England here to pay him homage in 1086. A Norman cathedral was also raised here, before the city was abandoned in favour of Salisbury. Today Old Sarum is a magical place, with seasonal wild flowers and striking vistas over Salisbury Plain.


  • Wander through the remains of the once bustling Norman castle, cathedral and town.
  • Admire the grandeur of the formidable Iron Age ramparts, crowning a ridge above the Avon Valley.
  • Enjoy views towards Salisbury – the new city founded when life on the overcrowded, waterless, hilltop of Old Sarum became unbearable.
  • Discover how Old Sarum was abandoned after 1220 – yet the ‘Rotten Borough’ continued to ‘elect’ two Members of Parliament until 1832.

 

ITINERARY IDEA

For a memorable day combine a trip to Old Sarum with a visit to Stonehenge.