Salisbury [key], town (1991 pop. 36,890), Wiltshire, S England. A market town, Salisbury was founded in 1220 when the bishopric was moved there from Old Sarum. Squares or “checkers” are characteristic of the regular plan of the town. Industries include cattle and poultry marketing, brewing, leatherwork, and printing. The cathedral, a splendid example of Early English architecture with the highest spire in England (404 ft/123 m), was built mainly between 1220 and 1260. Some of the materials were brought from the razed cathedral of Old Sarum. The 13th-century palace of the bishops, numerous medieval churches and other old buildings, and the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum are of interest. There is a teacher-training college and a theological college. The town is the Melchester of Thomas Hardy's Wessex novels. Stonehenge is 10 mi (16 km) to the north.
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