HIST6135: Themes in Medieval and Early Modern History Trip to Sailsbury

On a cold and frosty late November morning, MA students taking Themes in Medieval and Early Modern History, along with two staff members, gathered outside Southampton Central railway station to catch the train to Salisbury for a day exploring the attractions of this medieval city.

We began inside the cathedral’s stunning architectural setting, where Nick Karn explained both the form and function of the building, which had been relocated from a less hospitable site several miles away at Old Sarum in the early thirteenth century and then constructed from scratch in just over forty years. We toured the cathedral, pausing to examine some of its many monuments, including the shrine of the original founder, St. Osmond. We were also shown a working demonstration of what is believed to be the oldest functional mechanical clock in the world and listened to its chimes, which have been ringing since the late fourteenth century. From the cathedral, we moved into the adjacent chapter house. We viewed one of only four surviving original copies of Magna Carta, which has been in the news recently due to recent plans to limit trial by jury in English courts, with critics of the move citing the document to support their stance.

Following an adjournment for lunch in one of Salisbury’s many cafes and bars, we reassembled at the church of St. Thomas the Martyr. There, Nick Kingwell outlined the history of this new town, the medieval equivalent of Milton Keynes (!), and the reasons for its success. We also examined one of the church’s great treasures, its large painting of the Last Judgement, which depicts men and women, bishops and kings being dragged into the mouth of Hell. At the same time, angels take the virtuous into the heavenly city, presided over by Christ seated on a rainbow. After walking around the market and stopping to study some of the many surviving houses in the city, the group continued to explore a medieval hospital (still functioning!), a bridge chapel, and the remains of what could be considered England’s oldest university college. The walk concluded with a visit to the cinema, but this was not to watch Zootopia 2. Instead, it was to view the foyer of the Odeon cinema, which incorporates the fifteenth-century hall of John Halle, still retaining its original roof adorned with angels and some stained glass. Halle was a leading Salisbury merchant who played a prominent role in its economic and political life, but his attack on the bishop’s control over the city landed him in a London prison.

As dusk fell, a tired but satisfied group headed back to the station for the return journey to Southampton, grateful for the opportunity the day had given them to escape the seminar room.

Thank you to the Jean Curry Memorial Fund for sponsoring our trip and covering admission to the cathedral.