Old, Older, Oldest

I've a bit more stitching to show on "Star Spangled Sampler".

Today's post is titled Old, Older, Oldest.

This qualifies as as my 'older'.  It is called Old Sarum and it is the original site of Salisbury. It began life as an Iron Age fort, then was occupied by the Romans, Normans, and Saxons.

But in about 1200 the Bishop decided the location was less than desirable.  He chose to move down the hill close to the Avon River and build a new cathedral there.

The 'new' city of Salisbury and its cathedral are my 'old'.  There are lots of wonderful old buildings including a small Norman church and three stone city gates. 

Among the charming buildings is former Prime Minister Edward Heath's home. 

If you love to look at different styles of domestic architecture, then Salisbury is a great place to visit. 

Salisbury Cathedral (part two of my 'old') was rapidly constructed between 1220 and 1266.  That gives the cathedral a really harmony of style.  It is probably best known for the 404 foot tall spire - the tallest in Britain.  

While it had some exterior scaffolding, most of the building had been freshly clean and was easy on the eye.

The view along the Nave soars ever upward.

I noticed several dragons about the cathedral. 

There also was some truly beautiful needlework. I wish I could show you photos of the 43 Calendar of Saints cushions in the Chapter House, but photography was not allowed.  Click here to see a photo from the cathedral's website. I should mention that the Chapter House has one of the four original copies of the Magna Carta in the Chapter House and that's why photography is banned there. 

The cathedral has perhaps the most lovely baptism font I've ever seen.  The water acts like reflective glass and the ceiling and windows appear on it.

Much of the original interior was 'cleaned out' in the 1700's.  That's too bad, but the cathedral does seem very airy as it is not packed with monuments and memorials. 

Fortunately the 106 original quire stalls dating from 1236 were left untouched.

As were the ceilings.

The "Prisoners of Conscience" Window installed in 1980 is a symphony of blue.

The Cloisters are the largest in Britain and visually appealing.

From 'old' Salisbury and 'older' Sarum, we travelled to 'oldest' Stonehedge.

And that was rather thrilling.

While I was no longer allowed to walk up and touch the stones, the stones still reached out and touched me.

Such an amazing feat of engineering and prolonged community effort.

I was glad it was a grey and cloudy day - it fit the mood.

The complexity of the stone circle is such that every few paces there is a new view and angle of the stones.  Something different to appreciate.

So that's old, older, and oldest.  A wonderful theme to today's adventure.