Parish Holiday Day 2 -- 9-3-10

Pictures from top:

Entry into the Cathedral Close through a gate from the city. Salisbury Cathedral is the only English Cathedral with totally enclosed grounds.

Salisbury Cathedral with the tallest spire in England. Yes, the spire does bend.

The Parish Holiday visitors (minus me) with our two guides for the day at lunch in the Refectory.

Interior of the Cathedral from partway up on the spire walk.

Vies of the city of Salisbury and surrounding countryside from the top (at the base of the pointed part of the spire).


Today we spent the day in Salisbury, a city about 15 miles from Sherfield English. Drove to the Cathedral Close where our drivers let us loose to explore the city and shop on our own for a couple of hours. I looked around a bit but, feeling relatively lousy with my cold, I found a coffee shop and sat there for an hour eating scones and writing postcards. Arrived at our meeting place at least half an hour ahead of the appointed hour so sat in the sun on the grass reading my murder mystery.

We then all went to have lunch in the Cathedral refectory (cafeteria). The food was good and the view, of the Cathedral spire through the glass ceiling, most impressive. We then moved into the Cathedral for a guided tour. I know I’d been here previously at least once (in 1969) and possibly a second visit in 1980 (can’t remember for sure) but had never been on an official tour which was quite informative. Even more interesting was the tour up the spire, the tallest in Britain at 404 feet. It was a lot of steps (234? – am not positive, but a lot), but the view over the city and the surrounding countryside made it well worthwhile. I also really enjoyed seeing the construction techniques used in the 13th century; the wooden supports were massive and the bracing techniques well engineered. We were in the chamber when the bells (struck, not swung) did their “Big Ben” thing at 5 p.m.

We hurried back down because we’d planned on attending 5:30 Evensong service. I first rushed off to see the Chapter House, with truly wonderful frieze carvings of Bible stories and one of only four surviving copies of the Magna Carta from 1215. Then rushed back for the service. Because it’s summer holidays, the Cathedral school is not in session which means that the Boys and Girls Choirs are not available. The service was sung by volunteer members of the Cathedral’s adult choir and was very nice.

Because some of the Parish Holiday visitors had left before Evensong with one of our drivers, there was a bit of confusion about how we’d all get back. That was soon resolved, however, and we were “home” by 6:45. I brought in from the line the clothes hung out to dry on my second day of washing, ironed just well enough the things which needed pressing , ate dinner, and was in my room by 8:30 and in bed to sleep by 10. I hope that this is the worst day of the cold and that I’ll be feeling better tomorrow.