Old Sarum

Old Sarum A Norman castle built within an Iron Age hill fort. Steeped in history and with beautiful views of the surrounding Wiltshire countryside.
(1438)

Discover the story of the original Salisbury and take the family for a day out to Old Sarum, 2 miles north of where the city stands now. The mighty Iron Age hill fort was where the first cathedral once stood and the Romans, Normans and Saxons have all left their mark. Today, 5,000 years of history are told through graphic interpretation panels on site. Families, heritage lovers and walkers can enj

oy a great value day out at Old Sarum - you could even bring a picnic and enjoy the fantastic views across the Wiltshire countryside. The gift shop has a delicious range of ice-creams and exclusive English Heritage gifts and produce. Wooden bows and arrows are also on sale to help the kids imagine what life was like all those years ago! Don't miss:

The spectacular view from the ramparts at Old Sarum to the 'new' cathedral in the centre of Salisbury. Our interesting interpretation panels bringing 5,000 years of history to life. Old Sarum's literary connections- you can buy some of the famous books written about the site in our shop.

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24/06/2026

⚠️ Old Sarum will be closing at an earlier time today, Wednesday 24th June 2026, due to extreme heat.
The site will close at 3:30 pm, last admission 3pm. If you have a booking for a timeslot when we are closed, we will automatically cancel any bookings and make any necessary refunds within 10 working days. We always do everything we can to avoid unexpected closures, we are really sorry to disappoint you.

We hope you will be able to visit on another day soon.

Happy Solstice!☀️Whilst we are not as old as our neighbour to the north, Stonehenge, we still have plenty of history and...
21/06/2026

Happy Solstice!☀️

Whilst we are not as old as our neighbour to the north, Stonehenge, we still have plenty of history and amazing views!

If you gave travelled to Stonehenge to celebrate and are looking for somewhere else to enjoy the sunshine, come and visit!

Our outer bailey dates back to 400BC, and both the hillfort and Norman Castle are bursting with colour due to our wildflowers on site- a perfect backdrop for a perfect day out!!🌷🪻⚘️🌻

What an amazing celebration! 🎊🎉Thank you to everyone that visited us this weekend and made our anniversary extra special...
16/06/2026

What an amazing celebration! 🎊🎉

Thank you to everyone that visited us this weekend and made our anniversary extra special.

A huge thank you to Salisbury Cathedral for coming to our site and holding a beautiful service.

And a massive thank you to all of the volunteer reenactors who came to Old Sarum to share and demonstrate their skills and talents!

We hope everyone who visited had a fantastic time, we certainly did! We also hope that you come back and visit us again soon - we are open 362 days out of the year so come back and say hello!

👇Check out some awesome photos from this weekend down below! Comment any photos you took, we would love to see them!

First day done! 🎉🎉Thank you for everyone who came and visited us at Old Sarum today for our event, we hope you had an am...
13/06/2026

First day done! 🎉🎉

Thank you for everyone who came and visited us at Old Sarum today for our event, we hope you had an amazing time!

Anyone planning on visiting tomorrow, there will be a service at the ruins of the cathedral at 13:30, celebrating our cathedral and our bishops, before Evensong held at Salisbury Cathedral. We hope you all can join us for another day of great medieval fun!

There is still time to book tickets for tomorrow - head to https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/old-sarum/prices-and-opening-times/ to guarantee your entry!

Today is the day! 🥳🥳Our event is officially open! Activities start from 11am. We have a huge range of medieval crafts an...
13/06/2026

Today is the day! 🥳🥳

Our event is officially open! Activities start from 11am. We have a huge range of medieval crafts and activities for you all to enjoy, including a Garrison of Knights!

Demonstrations and tours will occur throughout the day - pop in and say hello!

⏳ Tomorrow.Eight hundred years of history, three remarkable bishops, two cathedrals, one extraordinary hill — and it all...
12/06/2026

⏳ Tomorrow.

Eight hundred years of history, three remarkable bishops, two cathedrals, one extraordinary hill — and it all comes together this weekend

On Trinity Sunday, 14 June 1226, Sarum moved house. The remains of three bishops, Osmund, Roger and Jocelin, were lifted from their tombs up here on the hilltop and carried down to be reburied in the brand-new cathedral rising in the valley, the Salisbury Cathedral we know today. Even their tomb slabs came with them.

Part funeral, part festival, part fresh start. Eight hundred years later, almost to the very day, we'll gather on the same ground.

📍 Old Sarum

🗓️ Saturday 13 & Sunday 14 June

🕚 11am - 4pm

🎟️ £11 per adult. Save 15% by prebooking online — link in the comments 👇

👥 Tag the friend you're dragging up the hill with you. See you up there

⏳ Three days to go.This Saturday and Sunday, 13 & 14 June, we mark 800 years since the bishops were carried down from th...
10/06/2026

⏳ Three days to go.

This Saturday and Sunday, 13 & 14 June, we mark 800 years since the bishops were carried down from this hill. And we're marking it in the only place that makes sense: right where it happened.

Here's what to expect: On both Saturday and Sunday Old Sarum will come alive with medieval crafts, demonstrations and hands-on activities – a rare chance to see, hear and even smell the Middle Ages.

On Sunday visitors are welcome to join a short 1:30pm service led by the Acting Bishop of Salisbury and Dean of Salisbury, joined by the Cathedral choristers that will take place within the footprint of the old cathedral.

🕚 Old Sarum is open 10am-5pm with the medieval encampment open 10:30-4pm.

🎟️ Standard admission (15% discount for advance bookings), Free for Members of English Heritage.

Bring the family, bring a friend, bring a curiosity about the people who built this place. We'll see you on the hill.




https://bit.ly/TwoCathedrals

And bishop number three: Jocelin de Bohun (1142–1184). No spectacular fall here, just the long, steady hand who outlaste...
08/06/2026

And bishop number three: Jocelin de Bohun (1142–1184). No spectacular fall here, just the long, steady hand who outlasted everyone, finished what Roger started, and gave the cathedral its great west front.

But he comes with a proper mystery. There's a worn medieval effigy near the west door of Salisbury Cathedral. For years it was said to be Bishop Roger. Historians now think it's almost certainly Jocelin, on the evidence of his seal, the noble birth named in the inscription, and the old spelling “Salesberie” carved into the stone.

So next time you're in Salisbury Cathedral, go and find him. You'll be looking at one of the men who built on the very hill we're celebrating.

🗳️ Have you ever spotted the effigy? Let us know in the comments.

Bishop number two was a great builder and masterful administrator.As a priest in Normandy this Bishop's efficiency came...
06/06/2026

Bishop number two was a great builder and masterful administrator.

As a priest in Normandy this Bishop's efficiency came to Henry I's attention on account of his Speed at delivering the Mass!

Bishop Roger (1102-1139) quickly became King Henry I's right-hand man. He managed the royal finances and the machinery of government, running the country when Henry was frequently away in France.

He poured that influence into building castles and to more than doubling the size of the cathedral here on a scale designed to impress. And then it all came apart. When the royal succession was disputed after Henry's death Roger found himself on the wrong side of the new King's suspicions. He was arrested, his castles and treasure seized, and he died soon after, a broken man.

👉 Power, ambition, a spectacular fall. Find out more at our Tale of Two Cathedrals event on the 13th-14th June!



https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/old-sarum-a-tale-of-two-cathedrals-13-to-14-jun/

Meet the first of our three bishops: Osmund (1078 - 1099). Though, to be fair, he didn't start the Cathedral.That was hi...
04/06/2026

Meet the first of our three bishops: Osmund (1078 - 1099). Though, to be fair, he didn't start the Cathedral.

That was his predecessor, Bishop Herman, who moved the see up to Old Sarum and broke ground here. But Herman died in 1078 with little more than the foundations laid. It fell to Osmund, a nobleman and former Chancellor of England, to raise the cathedral, finish it, and give the new community its rules and its books.

Centuries after his death, Osmund was made a Saint, one of the very few English Bishops ever canonised, and pilgrims came to his tomb for generations. To this day he is the patron Saint of the Diocese of Salisbury and you can see his original tomb in the cathedral.

Two more Bishops to meet. One of them was arrested by the king.

Address

Castle Road
Salisbury
SP13

Telephone

+441722335398

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