Tag Archives: church

Salisbury Cathedral

We decided to go to Salisbury one Saturday to do a few chores. We also thought a wander in a different town would be worthwhile. The biggest feature of Salisbury is its cathedral. It includes the tallest spire in the UK. We ended up spending a bit of time walking around inside and out. There are some specific elements of the cathedral that I shall include in their own posts. However, this is a more general overview of the building.

The view from outside is pretty imposing. I think I once photographed it from the air where it really does look impressive. From the ground it is no less so! Inside it is also quite a dramatic structure. The vaulted ceilings and massive columns really get your attention, particularly given how old it is. To think that craftsmen could build something this impressive that long ago is amazing. Apparently, it was also built quickly – 38 years – which is very fast relative to similar buildings.

There are many chapels within the interior and tombs and monuments from through the centuries that have followed its construction. Maintaining it is an ongoing mission with skilled crafts of various types needed to ensure its longevity. Our tickets are valid for a year so I suspect a return is in order and I shall go prepared for photography next time.

Cartmel Priory

While Cartmel now seems like a pretty sleepy town, it once was a bustling center of commerce. The Priory was the heart of a local agricultural economy. While that might have changed a lot, the Priory itself is still an impressive structure and reminder of how things had once been very different. While not as grandiose as some of the UK’s cathedrals, it is still a pretty grand building to come across in an otherwise small town.

St Paul’s Cathedral

We made a stop at St Paul’s while we were in London. It was Sunday so it was not open for tourist visits but was operating as a church. You were able to go in and listen to the service and the choir which is certainly worth hearing. However, we didn’t spend much time inside and, instead, took a look around the outside of the cathedral.

It is a great looking building, even if it is a little squashed in amongst the other buildings in the City which impacts on the view a little. Apparently, there are laws that protect certain sight lines of the cathedral but, when close in, it is quite hard to appreciate it all. Even so, we did have some fun checking it out from various angles.

We also got a good look at it from up at the top of The Shard. The aerial perspective is a good one, much like what we saw a couple of years ago when in the helicopter. With the height of the Shard, it is hard to tell the difference from flying.