Old Sarum, Nr Salisbury (Wiltshire)

Spend a day at the Iron Age hill fort of Old Sarum.

Summary 13th century buildings (or older) Gift shop Information provided Learning facilities

Food and Drinks Picnic area

Introduction

The great earthwork of Old Sarum stands near Salisbury on the edge of Wiltshire's chalk plains. Its mighty ramparts were raised in about 500 BC by Iron Age peoples, and later occupied by the Romans, the Saxons and, most importantly, the Normans. Old Sarum boasts prehistoric and medieval fort remains.

History to the present day

William the Conqueror paid off his army here in 1070, and in 1086 summoned all the great landowners of England here to swear an oath of loyalty. A Norman castle was built on the inner mound, and joined soon afterwards by a royal palace. By the middle of the 12th century a new town occupied much of the great earthwork, complete with a noble new Norman cathedral, the mother church of a huge diocese.

But Norman Sarum was not destined to thrive. Soldiers and priests quarelled, and life on the almost waterless hilltop became intolerable. The solution was a move downhill to the new settlement now known as Salisbury, where a new cathedral was founded in 1220. Thereafter Old Sarum went into steep decline. Its cathedral was demolished and its castle was eventually abandoned. But the largely uninhabited site continued to 'elect' two MPs, becoming the most notorious of the 'Rotten Boroughs' swept away by the 1832 Reform Act.

Today, the remains of the prehistoric fortress and of the Norman palace, castle and cathedral evoke memories of thousands of years of history, which are interpreted by graphic panels throughout the site.

Arrival information and how to find us

Address: Old Sarum, Wiltshire, , United Kingdom

Opening times:

1 Apr-30 Jun 10am-5pm

1 Jul-31 Aug 9am-6pm

1-30 Sep 10am-5pm

1 Oct-1 Nov 10am-4pm

2 Nov-31 Jan 11am-3pm

1-28 Feb 10am-4pm

1-31 Mar 10am-4pm

24-26 Dec and 1 Jan CLOSED

Admission prices:

Adult:£3.30

Children:£1.70 (5-15yrs)

Concession:£2.80

Photographs copyright English Heritage Photographic Library