With a population of 40,000, Salisbury is often overlooked. For many, it’s a city that’s used as a stop-off on the way to Stonehenge, rather than a destination in its own right.
Its location, not quite in the New Forest and about as far away as you can get from the seaside in that part of the world, means it’s not always first place on people’s holiday bucketlists. But there are plenty of reasons why it should be. Not least, the cathedral.
Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, two Russians who found themselves at the house of dissident Sergei Skripal “by accident” back in 2018, claimed they’d visited the “wonderful town” on the advice of friends. And who can blame them?
In an unusual, Russian state-controlled interview amidst the diplomatic crisis, Boshirov sang the praises of Salisbury Cathedral, a building “famous not just in Europe, but in the whole world. It’s famous for its 123-metre spire, it’s famous for its clock, the first one [of its kind] ever created in the world, which is still working.”
The widespread decontamination effort that followed the attempted poisoning of Skripal and the accidental killing of Dawn Sturgess undeniably dented Salisbury’s reputation and popularity for a while, but the city has bounced back, and strongly.
The cathedral is loved across Europe, from Wiltshire to Russia (Image: Getty)
The Wiltshire city was chosen by the Sunday Times Best Places To Live guide in 2019 because it “remains a divinely attractive and welcoming place”, not long after the Telegraph named it one of the lovliest towns in the UK. A particularly strong quality of Salisbury is its independent shopping scene, particularly given its modest size.
There are several shopping centres in the city, including Fisherton Street with its galleries, delis, independent cafes and boutiques, Winchester Street, the High Street and Milford Street.
Head to Fisherton Mill, one of the south’s largest arts emporiums, if you’re after something pretty. You can pick up a unique nifty-gifty, with resident artists in studios on the first floor selling handmade wares next to an award-winning café.
Anokhi is a great bet if you’re after a women’s clothing boutique that sells a wide variety of high-quality clothing, accessories and gifts, with designer brands including Masai, Sahara, Adini, Capri, Sandwich, Eden Rock and Crea, while Regent clothes shop has seven individually themed rooms over three floors.
The Rocket is a great bookshop selling children’s and young adult fiction, while Salisbury Antiques Market is a lovely gallery that houses a fabulous exhibition by local artists and smaller permanent exhibitions.
The Salisbury Charter Market runs every Tuesday and Saturday on the Market Place, and is one of the largest traditional markets in the South of England, with over 200 stalls across the Market Place and surrounding streets. The Charter Market is best visited in the morning as some stalls sell out by lunchtime.
What some fans of Salisbury love about the city is how close to the natural world you feel while being there. Time Out, which named it one of its underrated city break destinations this year, wrote: “City or countryside? Forget the normal question facing mini-breakers: Salisbury delivers both. This pint-sized city – with a few good boozers to boot – is surrounded on all sides by the delectable natural beauty of Wiltshire. The greenery invades the town itself, most notably in the lovely area about the famous cathedral. Despite great restaurants like the Gallery Café at Fisherton Mill or the outside-town Pythouse Kitchen Garden, I somehow always end up lunching on the cathedral green with a picnic from Henderson’s Artisan Bakery.”
Many of the city’s buildings date back to the 14th century (Image: Getty)
What to do in Salisbury
1. Salisbury Cathedral: How can you not? At 123 meters, Salisbury Cathedral boasts Britain’s highest church spire, and it also harbors the 1215 Magna Carta.
2. Old Sarum: Just outside the city, this English Heritage site combines a medieval castle with an Iron Age fort and a Roman settlement.
3. The Cathedral Close: Lined townhouses dating from the 1200s and formerly home to MPs and Prime Ministers, it’s one of the loveliest historic quarters in England.
4. The Salisbury Museum: Right by the cathedral, the Wessex Gallery in particular has a great deal of artefacts from the Stonehenge World Heritage Site.
5. The Wardrobe military museum: This military museum tells the story of the Berkshire and Wiltshire regiments through uniforms, medals and personal accounts.
6. The water meadows: Widely rated the city’s best view, Salisbury Cathedral seen from the water meadows shouldn’t be missed. lt’s the same vantage point Constable painted Salisbury Cathedral from in 1831.
7. The Haunch of Venison: One of the city’s most atmospheric old pubs, this medieval inn is a favourite stop for a historic drink after a day of sightseeing.