The great advantage of this wide open space to us was that
we could obtain a magnificent view of the whole cathedral. We had passed
many fine cathedrals and other buildings on our walk whose proportions
were hidden by the dingy property which closely surrounded them, but
Salisbury was quite an exception. True, there were houses in and around
the close, but these stood at a respectful distance from the cathedral,
and as they had formerly been the town houses of the aristocracy, they
contained fine old staircases and panelled rooms with decorated
ceilings, which with their beautiful and artistic wrought-iron gates
were all well worth seeing. The close was surrounded by battlemented
stone walls on three sides and by the River Avon on the fourth,
permission having been granted in 1327 by Edward III for the stones from
Old Sarum to be used for building the walls of the close at Salisbury;
hence numbers of carved Norman stones, fragments of the old cathedral
there, could be seen embedded in the masonry. Several gate-houses led
into the close, the gates in them being locked regularly every night in
accordance with ancient custom. In a niche over one of these, known as
the High Street Gate, there was a statue which originally represented
James I, but when he died it was made to do duty for Charles I by taking
off the head of James and substituting that of Charles, his successor to
the throne, with the odd result that the body of James carried the head
of Charles!
There were many old buildings in the city, but we had not time to
explore them thoroughly.
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