- Old Sarum is a double walled Iron Age Fortress built around 500 BCE although the site has been occupied since 3,000 BCE.
- It is located next to the River Avon, 2 miles (3km) north of Salisbury in Wiltshire.
History
- The Romans built a Hill Fort here called Sorviodunum on a crossroads of two Roman roads.
- In 1086 CE William the Conqueror invited all the Chieftains and Nobles to come to Old Sarum and recognise him as the new King of England.
- The first Salisbury Cathedral was completed on this site in 1092 BCE, followed by a Royal Palace and a small town.
- In 1220 CE the Cathedral and town were moved down to the Banks of the River Avon.
- Salisbury Cathedral holds a model of medieval Old Sarum showing the town and cathedral inside the walls.
- ‘Rotten Borough’: Until the 1832 Reform Act, Old Sarum was a ‘Rotten Borough’ that continued to have Parliamentary Representation even though nobody lived there.
Roman Roads
- Portway
- London-Silchester-Old Sarum- Dorchester
- Roman Road
- Old Sarum-Poole
- Iter XV
- It is listed in this route of the Antonine Itinerary
- Silchester-Old Sarum-Exeter
- Iter XII
- For some reason part of Iter XV is repeated in this Iter XII.
Nearby Monuments
Old Sarum, Wiltshire