Today's Cathedral: Salisbury

Salisbury Cathedral in England was built in only 38 years, between 1220 and 1258, after the former cathedral at Old Sarum was abandoned as unsuitable. (William the Conqueror built it on a hilltop that looked like a good site for defense but turned out to be nearly uninhabitable.) The cathedral sits in a damp meadow and the water table was too high for a crypt. Because of the water the foundations extend only four feet under ground, but since they rest on a hard layer of gravel, they still manage to hold up the cathedral's massive weight.

The only major addition to the main structure is the central tower and spire, finished in 1320.  At 404 feet (123 m), this is the tallest medieval structure in Britain. The tower was too heavy for the structure, though, and a lot of work in the form of buttresses, clamps and so on had to be done to keep the building up. In 1668 Christopher Wren was called in to see what he could do about the bending columns; he installed reinforcing tie beams above the crossing, and they have helped hold everything together.

The nave.

Wooden sculptures of saints.

The west facade is famous for all of its statues. There are 130 niches, which now contain 79 statues. Only seven of these are medieval, and they are in pretty bad shape.

Most of the rest are Victorian, mainly by James Redfern.

The cathedral also holds other modern works of art; these are the Prisoner of Conscience Windows by French artist Gabriel Loire, installed in 1980. It is a lovely building, and it has managed to live and evolve while still retaining its medieval form.