Old Sarum
I am ashamed to admit that having lived in the Warminster area for almost a lifetime, I had never visited Old Sarum until I did this walk, although it always impressed me due to its imposing presence in the landscape. It is probably one of the most historically important sites in the south of England, as it combines as medieval royal castle and also a cathedral within the enclosure of an Iron Age hill fort. For 150 years it was a centre of both civil and church administration. However, the cathedral or castle were not occupied for very long as a new cathedral was built on the present site in 1226. The castle remained as an administrative centre until the 14th century. After that Old Sarum carried on as a ‘rotten borough’, continuing to elect members of parliament until 1832. These boroughs were able to elect an MP despite having very few voters, and the choice of MP was usually in hands of one person or family. The situation was reformed in 1832 when 140 seats in ‘rotten boroughs’ were done away with.
A fascinating walk, full of history and wildlife where you can feel on top of the world, but with Old Sarum always dominant on the horizon.