Thursday, August 23, 2007

Salisbury Cathedral

We visited the famous cathedral on our last day in Salisbury, joined by Kimberly, Lily-Ann and Alexandra. The kids were very patient as we followed our guide on a lengthy tour of the many treasures found here. The cathedral is extremely interesting architecturally, but most people come here to see one of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta, housed in the Chapter House.

Another item of great interest to me was the tomb of William Longespee, 3rd Earl of Salisbury and illegitimate son of Henry II. When I was a teenager, I'd read the entire Plantagenet series by Jean Plaidy and thus learned all about Henry II's life story (accurate or not). We were told that a preserved rat carrying traces of arsenic was found with William Longespee's body. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the rat, though it was on display at a nearby museum.

Todd took these photos of the cathedral and the 800-year-old doors, with Julia and Kate, and their cousins Alexandra and Lily-Ann in front.

No comments: