Salisbury - Old Sarum

Old Sarum was the precursor of present-day Salisbury. The ruins of the town lie 2mi/3km to the north of the town center on a hill which even in prehistoric times was fortified. The Romans built the camp of Sorviodonum on this site, while under the Saxons a town settlement grew up here. William the Conqueror chose this strategically favorable spot to build a castle and in 1075 moved the episcopal see here from Sherborne.

The castle and the cathedral, which was consecrated in 1092, were intended to make Norman claims to overlordship indisputable. It was probably as a result of disputes between clergy and military, coupled with a shortage of water, that the church authorities decided to have a cathedral built on a new site. In 1220 the inhabitants of Old Sarum moved to New Salisbury, where a new town with a cathedral was laid out, following a definite plan, but using building materials from Old Sarum, so that today at Old Sarum only a few remains of the castle within the inner circumference wall can be seen, and the ruined cathedral within the outer wall.