Salisbury, ENG - Postcode - SP1 3LL

Description of Salisbury, England

The city of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, sits at the meeting point of the rivers Avon, Nadder, and Bourne, and is home to a cathedral. Distances to Southampton and Bath are around 30 and 50 kilometers, respectively, from the city.

The city of Salisbury sits in southeastern Wiltshire, not far from the northern border of Salisbury Plain. Old Sarum, to the north of modern-day Salisbury, was once the site of the city's cathedral. New Sarum, so named after the city's moved cathedral, was incorporated as a city in 1227. This remained the official name until 2009, when Salisbury City Council was formed. The Salisbury train station connects the West of England Main Line with the Wessex Main Line.

Geography of Salisbury

Salisbury can be found in a low area. The area's geology is predominantly chalk, like that of the rest of South Wiltshire and Hampshire. The city's rivers have been rerouted to supply water for public gardens, which have also benefited from landscaping efforts. Queen Elizabeth Gardens is a popular spot to go in the summer since the water is shallow and moves at a leisurely enough pace that people can safely wade in. Water-meadows, where the flow of water is managed by weirs, may be found close to Queen Elizabeth Gardens. Rivers frequently flood throughout the winter because of the low elevation of the area. Sometimes it's impossible to get from Harnham to the rest of the city by the Town Path. Located 78 miles west-southwest of London, 34 miles south of Swindon, 20 miles northwest of Southampton, and 32 miles southeast of Bath, Salisbury lies roughly in the middle of the distance between Exeter and London.

Economy of Salisbury

Charter markets have been held in Salisbury on Tuesdays and Saturdays on a regular basis since 1227. Four crosses stood in the Market Place in the 15th century; the Poultry Cross, named for the market that it served; the 'cheese and milk cross,' which marked that market; a third cross near the site of the present war memorial; and the fourth, called Barnwell or Barnard's Cross, in the area between Culver Street and Barnard Street; marked a cattle and livestock market. Only the Poultry Cross, which had flying buttresses built to it in the 19th century, survives today. During the eight days beginning on the Feast of Mary's Assumption in 1226, Henry III authorized the Bishop of Salisbury to host a fair. The fair's dates have shifted over the ages, but as of recent years, a carnival has been hosted in the Market Place beginning on the third Monday of October and continuing for the following two weeks.

The Salisbury Gas Light & Coke Company, which managed the city's gasworks from 1833 until the mid-1980s, was a significant local employment. In 1832, the firm was established with an initial share capital of £8,000 and the third Earl of Radnor as its first chairman. The Gas Orders Confirmation Act of 1882 allowed the company to seek funding of up to £40,000 after it was founded privately by Act of Parliament in 1864. The gasworks were at full capacity when they began producing both coal gas and coke, the latter of which was marketed separately. Another byproduct, ammoniacal liquor, was combined with sulphuric acid, then dried, pulverized, and packaged for sale as a powdered fertilizer for use on farms. The retort house's clinker was purchased by a London company that planned to incorporate it into purifier beds for a new sewage treatment facility. 

From its completion in 1898 until its closure in 1970, the Salisbury power station kept the city and its surrounding area lit up with energy. Before the British government nationalized the energy supply industry in 1948, Salisbury Electric Light and Supply Company Limited owned and operated the Town Mill power station. There have been multiple upgrades to the coal-fired power plant, with the most recent addition being a water-driven turbine. 

There was a thriving cutlery business in Salisbury from the Middle Ages to the turn of the twentieth century. From 1902 on, the city's Dean and Burden Brothers produced Scout Motors, an early brand of motor vehicle. Moving to a new facility in Churchfields in 1907, production time for each vehicle increased to six to eight weeks. By 1912, the firm had 150 workers and was producing small commercial vehicles and 20-seater buses, some of which were utilized by the newly formed Wilts & Dorset operator. After experiencing difficulties during the war and facing stiff competition from other manufacturers, the Scout company went bankrupt in 1921.

The Old George Mall, The Maltings, Winchester Street, and the Crosskeys area are all great places to do some retail therapy. Salisbury District Hospital is a significant employer in the region. Friends Life, the area's second-largest employer, announced its office closure in 2015.