Rather interesting Salisbury facts
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Did you know that at 404 feet the spire at Salisbury Cathedral is the tallest spire in Britain and its tallest masonry structure? It was at one time the tallest spire in all Europe. The spire was built in 1320, a century after the foundation stone of the main building was laid
Did you know that inside Salisbury Cathedral is the oldest working clock in Britain which dates back to 1386? It is almost certainly also the oldest working mechanical device of any complexity in the world. Incredibly the clock, which has neither hands nor dial but merely marks the passage of time by the striking of bells, was dismantled and set aside in 1884, replaced by a new mechanism. Happily it was rescued in 1929 and restored in 1956. Salisbury Cathedral’s Chapter House also boasts what is regarded as the best extant copy of Magna Carta .
Did you know that William Golding was a teacher at Bishop Wordsworth’s School in Salisbury when he wrote Lord of the Flies? His career there began in 1940 and ended in 1962. He not only proved a very accurate observer of adolescent male group behaviour, but also disproved if it were necessary that odious cliché that those who can’t, teach.
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Famous Salisbury people:
David Mitchell
Edward Clarendon
Edwy the Fair
Joseph Fiennes
Michael Crawford
Philip Massinger
More famous Britons here
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