English Heritage

6th-10th CenturiesStrong Defences

Old Sarum functions as a religious centre, defensive refuge and stronghold for post-Roman British settlements.

1066-1100Norman Motte-and-Bailey

William I builds a motte-and-bailey castle called Seresberi. It contains a new cathedral employing 36 priests.

1100-39Grand Rebuilding

Henry I builds the stone keep. Bishop Roger of Sarum rebuilds the cathedral on a lavish scale.

1170s-1180sQueen's Prison

Queen Eleanor of Aquitane spends 16 years under house arrest for treason. Henry II undertakes major renovations.

1190sThe Cathedral Abandoned

The cathedral clergy decide to abandon Old Sarum for a new site in the valley below.

1220New Cathedral

Bishop Richard Poore lays stones for New Sarum (Salisbury) cathedral.

1240-1331The Move to Salisbury

Most of the old cathedral is demolished and its stones are carried 2 miles to the new cathedral at Salisbury, to be reused there. 

1514Slow Decline

Although the castle is still functioning as an administrative building, Henry VIII grants all remaining stone as building material.

1514-1832Rotten Borough

Despite its lack of population, Old Sarum continues to send members to Parliament until the Great Reform Act of 1832 abolishes such 'rotten boroughs'.

1834First Antiquary

A dry summer reveals the foundation of the cathedral. Antiquarian Henry Hatcher reconstructs the cathedral's probable original plan.

1909-19Extensive Excavations

Sir William Hope excavates with the London Society of Antiquaries. Much stone and soil is removed. On Hope's death, the knowledge of these loose stone layouts is lost.

PresentContinued Research

Under English Heritage, excavations continue. Modern technologies allow far more to be uncovered than was thought possible, despite missing stones.

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