The "Upper Reaches" of Salisbury Cathedral

What an adventure!

England and all of Europe has a long list of Gothic cathedrals, built starting in the 13th century. Some say this bold new architecture was the gift to the world of the Knights Templar. Perhaps so, but these new cathedrals began a new trend in religious architecture. These spectacular diocesan churches featured stained glass that allowed light to enter the buildings; previously churches had been rather dark. The Gothic cathedrals also features ribbed, vaulted naves; bell towers and often spires.

Salisbury Cathedral in Wiltshire, UK is one of these interesting buildings. Jim and I were fortunate to visit there in 1978. We enjoyed our self-conducted tour of the building, admiring the stained glass, and the old clock. This clock dates from 1386. It remained in the cathedral, moved several times, until 1864 when for some reason it was put in storage and forgotten until 1928. It was dusted off and restarted in 1956. It is said to be the oldest working modern clock in the world. It has no face, but chimes out the hours.

                Just as the gift shop was about to close, and announcement was made over a loudspeaker. There would be a tour of the cathedral’s “upper reaches”, leaving immediately. The tour, we learned, was not suitable for children, the handicapped or the aged. Fortunately, we none of the three, at that time. Although we were not sure what the “upper reaches” were, we bought tickets and joined the group. The tour we took must be a forerunner of the Tower Tours that are popular now. We were taken to a small door in one corner of the nave, and led up a flight of small stone steps until we reached the clerestory. This brought us out high above the nave of the cathedral, an amazing experience in itself. From there, we climbed to another level and found ourselves in the most unexpected place. We were above the ceiling of the nave! We could see the vaulted ceiling falling away on either side to the walls of the nave. Since the architects in the 13th century did not have cement or concrete, I am still not sure how the ceiling was moulded in such a massive building. Those medieval craftsmen were marvellous! We walked on catwalks along the centre of the ceiling until we reached another small door and another flight of stairs which took us up to the level of the lantern at the  base of the spire. Another small door took us outside, for another surprise. We were on the edge of the roof! The panoramic view of the city of Salisbury and the surrounding area was spectacular – and a little frightening when you consider that we were 84’ above the ground! The walkway we had to traverse to catch up with out tour guide was very narrow, and the stone wall was not much above knee level.

The tour was an exhilarating experience. I only regretted that we did not get to see the interior of the spire. The spire was added in 1330. It adds 404’ to the height of the cathedral. Until 1561, it was the second tallest spire in England. The tallest was St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, but that spire came down in a fire, leaving Salisbury cathedral’s as the tallest. In recent years, Salisbury’s spire, like a downtown hotel in Hamilton, Ontario, has become a popular nesting place for peregrine falcons. The falcons nested on a balcony from 1865 to 1956 when insecticides like DDT took a toll on their population. Recently the falcons returned, and in 2014 the first 21st century eggs were hatched.

If you look at the cathedral’s website, you will see that Tower Tours are now offered. It would have been an additional thrill to look up through the inside of that spire and see the wooden scaffolding placed there, it is said by Sir Christopher Wren, to provide extra strength to this slender structure. At its base, the spire is made of two feet of stone, but as it tapers upwards, the skin of the structure becomes thinner and thinner. At the very top, there is a small “weather door”. Many people have climbed right to the top of the spire, including Prince Charles. King Charles II did, too, but the tiny space was so crowded that two boys fell to their deaths in the crush at the top! Modern tourists will not be able to climb to the top on regular Tower Tours, although there have been special tours that allow intrepid folks to do the climb!

Incidentally, the official name of the cathedral is the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is the main church of the Anglican Diocese of Salibsury.