Salisbury - A Weekend Away

The Pelican Inn is about 5 miles outside of Salisbury in the small, pretty village of Stapleford and offers more competitive rates than similar rooms in the city centre, with plenty of free parking spaces and a fresh country feel.

There are five purpose-built, self-contained bedrooms in a sturdy single-story block slightly detached from the main building. They are not, however as solid as appearances suggest, because the soundproofing between them leaves a bit to be desired (no worse, I guess, than a normal hotel bedroom). The Pelican boasts that they are a luxury accommodation, but they might be stretching the point a little. However, the bedroom was a decent size and had a double bed (I would have preferred at least a queen-size), an extremely large sofa, plenty of storage space, and a trouser press and iron. There was a small TV with excellent reception, kettle, hairdryer, and strangely, a toaster. A fridge provided us with an ample supply of cartooned milk and cream to accompany the tea and coffee provisions, probably the most generous that we’ve ever experienced in a bed-and-breakfast. Off the bedroom was a small, functional shower room and toilet, with a good supply of shower gel and shampoo and towels.

The rooms are airy and bright and overlook an open grassy area with garden furniture and a place for adults to relax and children to play. They will be noisy whilst the pub is open (11am to 11pm), but you’ll be out sightseeing during the day and asleep at night.

Breakfast, included in the price, is a veritable feast with a wide choice of cooked breakfast. But, to start with, help yourself to orange juice and an individual cereal packet, enjoy the strong freshly made coffee, and then make your "main course" selection. On the first day, we opted for the "full monty" – egg, sausage, bacon, hash browning, black pudding, tomato, beans, and mushrooms. It was piping hot, there was loads of it, and it was extremely tasty. Later came thick slices of locally baked bread with individual portions of marmalade and jams in glass jars (not the usual plastic containers). It was a breakfast to set us up for the day (just as well, as the wedding meal was not served until 3:30pm. On the second morning, I opted for a modified full English, which the staff were very responsive to. Indeed, as I didn’t want beans or black pudding, they gave me extra rashers of bacon – much appreciated. My wife opted for and enjoyed the less substantial continental croissants.

As we had our own key to the door, we did not feel restricted about what time we returned – but it was after midnight and a bit of a shame that the pathway was not lit or fitted with infra-red detectors. We fumbled our way to the door and struggled to open it (if you’re going to stay here, pack a torch!).

The Red Lion is a hotel, restaurant, and bar close to Salisbury’s city centre. Unfortunately, it does not have its own car-parking facilities, so you’ll need to use the council-run car park, which is only a stone’s throw away. The costs are around £5 a day, but it’s free between 6pm and 6am.

This hostelry dates back to the 13th century, is now part of the Best Western group, and despite substantial modernisation and extension work over the years, retains a certain amount of its old charm. It has modern conference facilities, and I’m assured its rooms are to a high standard. We didn’t stay here, but many of our party (we were in Salisbury for a wedding) were staying here for the weekend.

We made the mistake of entering the hotel by the rear entrance (the front is more attractive), but once in the original coaching inn courtyard, we were well impressed with the whole appearance and ambience of this historic building. Care has been taken to retain as many of the original features as is practicable, and this alone makes it worth a visit. The reception lobby has a fine antique "skeleton" long case clock in pride of place. Skeleton because imbedded in the design of the clock are three gruesome cadavers – I’m note sure what message it is trying to give, but it suggests the solemn reminder that "time marches on relentlessly." Other rooms have various antiques on display, and the dining room had a fine display of blue willowware – of particular interest to me, as I have a small collection.

The wedding reception was held in one of the function rooms, and I always reckon that if a restaurant can cater well for 100 people, they’ll do even better for a small party. The Red Lion passes that test, and not only was our meal tasty, but it was well presented and efficiently served by a friendly and well-mannered staff who responded to any special requests with speed and a smile. The starter was buffalo mozzarella and plum tomato salad with a tasty vinaigrette dressing. A great appetiser followed by superbly cooked lamb chops presented on a bed of creamed potatoes with fresh vegetables. A homemade lemon tart was a delightful finale to our meal.

After the meal, we relaxed in one of the hotel’s comfortable lounges before adjourning to the dance hall. Through our evening the hotel staff continued to be attentive and thoroughly obliging. An overheard conversation, in the reception area, confirmed a young member of staff determined to answer the problem of a German visitor with limited English. She was kind and considerate and finally offered to find a colleague who could speak German.

The Red Lion Hotel just feels friendly, and it almost seems like a family-run business, with the emphasis on customer satisfaction. I think we might stay here next time we’re in Salisbury.

Admission to the cathedral is a modest £4, and this includes a tour with a volunteer guide. I’d strongly recommend you wait for a guide because they can help bring things to life. They do follow the route as laid out in the pamphlet, and they actually don’t mind if you leave or join other tour groups. Photography is permitted, indeed encouraged, but you are asked to respect the "ban" on photos inside the Chapter House.

First, we took in the view from the west end of the cathedral, a superb vision of the length of the cathedral, its early Gothic architecture, and bright, colourful east window. I lingered a little longer than others at the oldest working clock. It’s a fantastically simple piece of engineering that was designed to tell the time, on the hour, without a clock face. Built around 1380, it was working from a separate bell tower until 1792, when the tower was destroyed by fire. Now, our guide told us, the choir doesn’t like the ringing, so the bell chime has been locked and the clocks only function seems to be for demonstration purposes. What a shame!

From the old, we were shown the most modern feature of the cathedral – the font. Apparently it’s only "on trial," and if the congregation doesn’t like it, then its life as a font at Salisbury could be limited. It’s different, modern green, interactive, and superb for showing off reflections from the modern glass windows.

The guide took great pleasure in telling us of the gory story of William Longespee’s tomb. The tale goes that William was one of King John’s advisors for the Magna Carta, present when the foundation stones of the cathedral were laid and the first person to be buried in the original building. In later years, the tomb, unusually wooden on a concrete base, was moved and the skeleton disturbed. It was then that the skull was found to contain the corpse of a rat that had died whilst ingesting quantities of arsenic from the brain of the dead William. The first Earl of Salisbury had been murdered or was the victim of local "quackery," but we’ll never really know why or by who!

To the right of the quire, we were shown the infamous bending columns – I tucked myself next to the quire and looked up at these amazingly distorted structures. Small wonder I guess, as when they were first constructed, there were no plans for them to support Salisbury’s soaring spire (at 123m, it’s the tallest spire in England)

I thought the view of the cathedral from the eastern end of the quire was particularly haunting – the light bounced off the find wooden carvings as my eye was led to the cavernous grandeur of the nave. Look eastwards and take in the treat of Gabriel Loire’s "prisoner of conscience" window, but make sure a guide helps you with the interpretation. It is fascinating.

Whilst at the cathedral, make sure that you visit the Cloisters and the Chapter House. It is almost like another visit, and it certainly opens up new parts of history. Everyone knows of the Magna Carta, and Salisbury holds one of the four surviving original texts of this famous agreement. It is displayed in a no-nonsense manner (I personally prefer the presentation at Lincoln – but I am an old Lincolnian!), and I believe it to be the most perfectly preserved. Painstakingly written on vellum, the Magna Carta has formed the constitution of the British Isles and informed the basic principles of the constitutions of the USA and many of the commonwealth countries. Not bad for a document crafted almost 800 years ago!

Running around the Chapter House is the carved medieval frieze depicting the first two books of the bible of superbly preserved stone carvings. We could pick out the story of Adam and Eve, the building of Noah’s Ark, the murder of Abel, and the tower of Babel to name but a few. If we’d have got a bit more time, we’d have studied it closer, but the guides are always willing to point out the better-known scenes. The tops of the marble columns are carved as representations of foliage with the odd bird or small animal hidden in the leaves. Typically, there are also a number of head carvings, some with classically grotesque expressions.

Around the Chapter House are numerous display cabinets with examples of the dioceses’ silverware, medieval manuscripts, early books, and original seals. We were told that the contents of these cabinets are often changed, so if you’re a regular visitor, there’s plenty to see.

Outside the Chapter House are the covered cloisters looking out onto a large grassy area with two large trees. Here are numerous grave markers (always an interesting read) and some superb views of the church spire. People are actively encouraged to spend time in this area, and although it was peaceful when we visited, the guide proudly stated that, in summer, people will bring picnics and enjoy each other’s company. Personally, I preferred the tranquillity! The trees apparently are a mixed blessing – they provide an interesting focal point and tantalisingly hide part of the cathedral’s grand architecture but are seen as a potential hazard for the safety of the building. Apparently, as the trees are growing on chalk, the roots run horizontally very close to the surface. Will they topple or start growing through the very fabric of the building? This is the question often asked – but the trees have age to them and don’t appear too hazardous.

The last stop as we left the cloisters was the cathedral shop and the modern café. I have to say that I had little interest in the shop, but my wife managed to wile away a few minutes examining the various souvenirs, which did seem to be of good quality.

We enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the medieval city. We started in the cathedral grounds and spent some time examining the external architectural features of the cathedral. There are a great number of plinthed statues with fantastically preserved (or restored) features, and of course, no church would be complete without its ghoulish gargoyles. These were superb characters, and we paused to imagine what they would have looked like originally with rainwater spewing from their mouths.

On that day, there was an interesting art display next to the cathedral with numerous stakes displaying colourful flags. The gentle breeze rattled the delicate canes as we meandered our way through this impressive installation. On the grounds, there are also a number of modern statues placed in juxtaposition against the soaring spire of Salisbury Cathedral. They should have looked out of place, but this fine cathedral tolerates differences very easily, along with the stone "Lazarus" and "Fallen Angel" crouched in the shadow of the massive structure, which also dwarfed the frail bronze of a walking woman.

Unfortunately, the National Trust Mompesson House is closed on Fridays, so we could only stand and stare at the external features of this impressive 18th-century house set in the cathedral close. We’d read that it was featured in the film "Sense and Sensibility" but could only wonder about its inner features. Perhaps another time we’ll catch it open.

Ancient gates still stand proud in the city, and you will have to exit through one of them to leave the cathedral behind you. The Western Gate had a great heraldic carving at the top and led us towards the "river walk." We originally hoped to find a view of the cathedral from the riverside, but this was not to be, but we were treated to some great scenery with swans, accompanied by their cygnets, floating gracefully down the river, geese feeding on the river bank alongside brightly coloured ducks. Cows grazed in the nearby fields, and magpies hopped from the backs of sedate sheep as they lie in the meadows. All this within walking distance of a city centre offered a clear reminder of the influence that this part of the country had on John Constable.

As we crossed back over the main road, we saw a strange, tall clock tower building that, on close inspection, seemed to have been built on the city jail. The foundations had shackles and chains carved on an integrated stone plaque. Tucked round the back of the marketplace is the church of St Thomas Beckett, a three-tired angular building, and close by is the market’s Buttercross.

There are loads of really interesting buildings to be spotted, and we enjoyed our stop-start wander around this fascinating city. There are countless small independent shops, and if you really want to make shopping easy, head for the Old George Mall in the city centre. Also, this is a central place to park at reasonable rates.