Ancient monuments day

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Today we had booked to go to Stonehenge, so we decided to explore Salisbury and Old Sarum while we were in the area. We began at Stonehenge in the visitors centre, which gave some of the history of the development of the stone circle. It is incredible to know that it was begun to be built about 5,500 years ago. At first it was a series of dug circles. The rocks were added later than that, and then they were rearranged and added to further. No one really knows why Stonehenge was built, or what it was used for precisely, but there is evidence it was a burial site of both bodies and cremated people, and that it was built to take advantage and highlight the movement of the sun. The visitors centre is very interesting. Inside the history of the building is recreated. Outside there are some huts, constructed from evidence found by archeologists. We next got on a bus, and were taken out to Stonehenge. We had an audio tour of the site- which was also really good- and took lots of photos. The bus took us back to the visitors centre , where we had another look around, particularly outside. Having seen the stones, it was good to explore the tools and housing of the people who had built Stonehenge. The centre really helped you gain a perspective of their lives. After a couple of hours here, it was time to move on. Next stop Salisbury. Our goal was to have lunch and look at the cathedral. Lunch was easily dealt with, so we moved on to the cathedral. While the associated buildings do not seem to be as extensive as the Wells cathedral, the space they take up is bigger. There is a green with the houses around it and the cathedral on the other side. The cathedral is much bigger than Wells. It has very tall spires and is quite imposing. It is a gothic cathedral built in the 13th century. It is beautifully decorated inside, with many people buried in the cathedral. There are monuments and plaques on the floor and walls and also around the walls. In the chapter house is one of only four copies of the Magna Carta. It was amazing to see this document. It is in tiny writing on sheepskin and Written in 1215. We spent nearly three hours in Salisbury, but we needed to move on as our parking was about to expire. Old Sarum is very close to Salisbury. In fact you can see the cathedral from the Old Sarum castle. It is built on a mound, with a large ditch all the was around. The first settlement in the area was in about 500BC, and subsequently the Saxons and the Normans also used the site. There was a cathedral built next to the castle in the 12th century, but it was abandoned when Salisbury became more important a century later. Od. ur final stop on the trip back to Wells was at Codford. Here there is a rising sun emblem carved into one of the hills. It was put there by Anzac soldiers who were there in WW1. It certainly stands out on the hillside. After a quick cup of tea, we went out to Evensong at Wells Cathedral . It was an opportunity to see inside the cathedral and hear part of its choir. (We will go back tomorrow to look at he Cathedral in more detail). We were able to sit in the quite behind the choir, so it was a great sound. Dinner tonight at an Italian restaurant in the gatehouse. A nice way to end the day.

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