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Salisbury (pronounced 'Solsbree' or 'Sauls-bree') is a small Cathedral City in Wiltshire , England . It is the main town in the Salisbury district. It is also sometimes called '''New Sarum''' to distinguish it from the original site of settlement at Salisbury, Old Sarum . Salisbury Railway Station serves the town, and is the crossing point between the West Of England Main Line and the Wessex Main Line making it a regional interchange. It is also at the confluence of several main roads. The town is located in the south-east of Wiltshire, near to Salisbury Plain . It is at the confluence of five rivers: the Avon , Nadder , Ebble , Wylye (pronounced 'Why-lee') and Bourne . The resultant river is the Avon (old Welsh for 'river'), which flows to the south coast and out into the sea at Christchurch, Dorset . This Avon is sometimes referred to as the Hampshire Avon, in order to distinguish it from the many other Rivers Of The Same Name in the United Kingdom. HISTORY The city's origins go back to the Iron Age , and the Roman s called it "Sorviodunum". There was a battle between the West Saxons and the Britons here, after which the place was called "Searoburh". The Normans built a castle and called it "Searesbyrig" or "Seresberi". By 1086, in the Domesday Book , it was called "Salesberie". The site of the castle is now known as Old Sarum and is uninhabited. The ''bury'' element is a form of ''borough'', which has cognates in words and place names throughout the Germanic languages. For a fuller explanation, see under Borough . from the Cathedral Close. At 404 feet, the spire is the tallest in the UK.]] The name "Sarum", which is often mistakenly taken to be the Roman or Norman name for the old city and castle, came into use when documents were written in contracted Latin and it was easier to write Sar with a stroke over the "r", than write the complete word "Saresberie". That mark of contraction was also the common symbol for the Latin termination "um". Hence "Sar" with a stroke over the r was copied as "SarUM". One of the first known uses of "Sarum" is on the seal of Saint Nicholas Hospital, Salisbury,which was in use in 1239. Bishop Wyville (1330-1375) was the first Bishop to describe himself "episcopus Sarum". (A full description of this is given in "The Victoria History of Wiltshire", Vol. VI, pp. 93-94). The first cathedral was built at Old Sarum by St Bishop Osmund between 1075 and 1092 . A larger building was subsequently built on the same site in c. 1120 . However, deteriorating relations between the clergy and the military at Old Sarum led to the decision to resite the cathedral elsewhere. Thus the city of New Sarum, known as Salisbury, was founded in 1220 , and the building of the new Cathedral begun by Bishop Richard Poore in that year. The main body was completed in only 38 years and is a masterpiece of Early English Architecture , the stones which make up the cathedral came down from Old Sarum. The spire, which is 404 feet (123 metres) tall, was built later and is the tallest spire in the UK. The cathedral is built on a gravel bed with unusually shallow foundations of 18 inches upon wooden faggots: the site is supposed to have been selected by firing an arrow from Old Sarum, although this is clearly legend due to the distance involved (although it is sometimes claimed the arrow hit a white deer, which continued to run and died on the spot where the Cathedral now exists). The cathedral's Library contains the best surviving of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta . In 1386, a large mechanical clock was installed at Salisbury Cathedral. It is the oldest surviving mechanical clock in Britain and probably anywhere. The novel ''Sarum'' by Edward Rutherfurd , is an imaginary retelling of the history of Salisbury. ECONOMY Salisbury holds a Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays and has held a regular markets since 1227 . In the 15th century the Market Place was dotted with stone crosses marking the centres for certain trades and goods. Today only the ''Poultry Cross'' remains, although the addition of Flying Buttress es was made in 1852 . In 1226 , King Henry III granted the Bishop of Salisbury a charter to hold a Fair lasting 8 days from the Feast of the Assumption Of Mary ( 15 August ). Over the centuries the dates for the fair have moved around, but in its modern guise, a Funfair is now held in the Market Place for three days from the 3rd Monday in October. However, there is still an ancient law stating that the fair can move to Cathedral close. Salisbury has a strong artist community, with many galleries situated in the city centre. In the 18th century, John Constable made a number of celebrated Landscape Paintings featuring the cathedral spire and the surrounding countryside. Salisbury's annual International Arts Festival, held in late May to early June, provides a varied programme of theatre, live music, dance, public sculpture, street performance and art exhibitions. The world famous Stonehenge site adds greatly to the local economy. Stonehenge is about 8 miles (13 km) northwest of Salisbury. ARTS Salisbury is a vibrant centre of art and culture. The permanent home of the arts in the city is the Salisbury Arts Centre and every year the city hosts the Salisbury International Arts Festival an internationally recognised festival featuring dynamic and static artists from around the world. REFERENCES
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