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| The Heel Stone |
We boarded a train to Salisbury,
ditched our bags at the accommodating Cat Tavern, and jumped onto a bus for
Stonehenge. This is definitely one of the most anticipated items on our
itinerary. The visitor center is about 2km from the actual site. Shuttle buses
ferry visitors to the monument. It seems pointless to describe Stonehenge as
everyone has seem hundreds of images of it.
A “henge” in archaeological parlance
is a circular banked earthwork with an internal ditch. Stonehenge is not a true
henge because its ditch is on the outside of the earthen ridge. Within the
circle there is the outer ring of stones arranged in the familiar post and
lintel structure. These are called trilithons. The stones used in the
construction of the site are bluestone and sarsen. Theories differ on exactly
how the stones were moved and from exactly how far away, but one things is
sure, it was no mean feat to get them to where they are now and build the
incredible structure we see today. The site has undergone extensive
reconstruction throughout the ages – Neolithic peoples of the area changed the
layout and arrangement of the stones in three major building periods.
There are numerous theories about the purpose of Stonehenge and with many of
its pieces missing there is necessarily a great deal of conjecture. Suggestions
incorporate everything from Medicine, to Music, to Merlin, to magic, but the
only absolutely obvious role is that of celestial observatory. It is aligned
with the solstices, summer and winter, so it was likely a calendar. Outside the
ring there is a large standing stone known as the Heel Stone. Unlike the other
stones, it has not been worked into a particular shape. It is about 10 feet
tall and leans in towards the henge. The Heel Stone marked the end of a long
avenue that lead to Stonehenge that is aligned with the sunrise on the summer
solstice in the north east. Opposite this point on the other side of the henge
there is a point where on the solstice one would see a narrow shaft of sunlight
rising over the tip of the Heel Stone across Stonehenge and through to the
other side.
The site also obviously had some
sort of religious/ spiritual purpose. It is at the heart of the largest
concentration of Neolithic and Bronze Age burials in Britain and there is
evidence that it was used for funerary practices. There are hundreds of these
burial mounds in the area in a variety styles. Some are round or oval and
contain the remains of many people, Others are quite long and contain only one
person who is obviously of great importance.
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| Stonehenge family portrait |
Whatever its function may have been,
it is a truly astonishing sight. No photograph you have seen can do it justice,
you need to be there to appreciate it.
From Stonehenge we traveled to Old
Sarum. This is a hill outside the present town of Salisbury which has been in
use since Neolithic times. It has a series of concentric embankments and
ditches on its sides so that at a distance it resembles a wedding cake. The
Saxons used it as a stronghold against the Vikings. On the summit are the
remains of a castle built by William the Conqueror. Key events in the life of
Old Sarum: The Domesday Book was given to William I at here in 1086, this was
the same year he convened the first national council of clergy, nobility,
sheriffs, and knights of all his dominions here to swear fealty. National
councils were held here also during the reign of William Rufus in 1096, and another
by Henry I in 1116. .Not much is left as it was never particularly well cared
for after the 12th century. A great deal of Salisbury was built up
using material from this site. Edward II ordered the castle's demolition in
1322 and the locals looked on it as a convenient quarry with pre-cut stone. Nonetheless, it was clearly an impressive structure
that would have been visible from miles around like a medieval “Big Brother is
watching you”.
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| 404 feet from top to bottom |
On one of the lower levels of the
Old Sarum cake are the remains of the first cathedral in the area. Nothing
remains of it except a few low walls. They have added concrete paths to
complete the outline so the full footprint is visible. In 1218, owing to a
dispute between civil and religious authorities, it was decided to move the
cathedral to its present site in the town of Salisbury which was built up around
it.
After collecting our luggage from
the tavern and relocating it to the hostel, it was time, that’s right, for tea.
We indulged in a generous helping of tea and scones with clotted cream and jam.
Then we were ready for the cathedral.
The first thing to say about
Salisbury Cathedral is that it is huge. It possesses the tallest spire in the
UK at 404 feet. This makes it really difficult to photograph. The façade has
more than 130 shallow niches, only 73 of these contains a statue. There are
five levels of niches which have: angels and archangels, Old Testament
patriarchs, apostles and evangelists, martyrs, doctors and philosophers and, on
the lower level, royalty, priests and note-worthy people involved with the
cathedral. Only 7 of the statues are 14th century; Most are from the
mid-19th century, although a few have been installed within the last
decade. It is a beautiful building and the interior is just as amazing.
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The baptismal font resembles a table
whose surface is liquid. Its four convex sides meet to create four spouts from
which water pours into holes is the floor with a gentle splashing sound. The
basin is about 8 feet across and made of a dark green stone. It reflects the
stained glass windows and intricate vaulted ceiling beautifully. There are
graves of people of importance including Henry IV’s treasurer who later fought
with Henry V at Agincourt. The windows are glorious, particularly vibrant and
detailed. The quire is carved from dark wood with the names of the various
nobles painted behind each seat. Outside side there is a cloister from where
the spire can be viewed.
The greatest treasure at Salisbury
Cathedral is not a religious artifact, but a political one. Their chapter house
contains the best preserved of the 4 remaining original copies of Magna Carta. This
copy came to Salisbury because Elias of Dereham was at Runnymede in 1215.
He was responsible for distributing the original
copies. Elias was a canon of Salisbury and supervised the construction of the
cathedral. It is housed in a beautiful room with a vaulted ceiling help up by a
central pillar. The ceiling is painted with floral motifs around the joints.
The windows and floor tiles are amazing and have clearly been restored with
great care.
Another notable feature of the
cathedral is the clock. It dates from about AD 1386 is supposedly the oldest
working modern clock in the world.
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| Salisbury Cathedral's amazing ceiling |
We went in for evensong only to find
out as the service was beginning that we were at a special Eucharist service.
It was the feast day of St. Barnabas and so the usual evensong was replaced. It
was a nice service, though the Cathedral Choir was in performance elsewhere, so
the chamber choir was singing. They were wonderful, but a much smaller group
and the order of service didn’t call for much singing from them. Perhaps most
alien for us Methodists was the use of actual wine at communion rather than
grape juice. Also we always have either
intinction or individual cups for our Welch’s. The Anglicans share the chalice.
We returned to the hostel to shower
and sleep and prepare for the very early morning that was to come.
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| The Chapter House roof under which lives Magna Carta |
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