If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 523

 

 

 

 

 

Salisbury Cathredral, Wiltshire, England

 

This Walter Scott Colour Series unused postcard features a photograph of the exterior of Salisburg Cathredal in Wiltshire, England.  The identifier C.E. 129 appears at the center line on the reverse of the card.  It is another card shared by friends.

 

Formally known as the Cathredal Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Salisbury Cathredal is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England.  The building is regarded as a leading example of Early English Gothic architecture.  The main part of the building took 38 years to complete from 1220 to 1258.  Land for the building was donated by Richard Poore.  A statue of Poore holding a model of the cathedral is found on the west front of the cathedral.  Construction funds came from donations by canons and vicars of southwest England who were asked to donate a fixed annual sum until the building was completed.  Much of the freestone for the cathedral came from the Teffont Evias Quarry.  Due to the high water table the foundation is only 4 ft (1.2m) deep. 

 

The spire measures 404 ft (123 m) high, was built in 1320, and has been the tallest church spire in the United Kingdom since 1561.  Tours are offered in which the interior of the hollow spire, with ancient wooden scaffolding, can be seen.  The cathedral has a clock that dates from about 1386.  The clock has no face, but rings the time every 15 minutes on bells.  The clock was originally placed in a bell tower that has since been demolished.  The clock was put in storage and forgotten until 1928 when it was found in an attic of the cathedral.  In 1956 it was restored to working order with more repairs made in 2007.  The chapter house has one of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta. 

 

 

 

Nave, Salisbury Cathedral

 

This second unused card is also a Walter Scott, Colour Series, postcard.  On this card the Nave of Salisbury Cathedral is featured.  On reverse on the center line is CE 134.  The picture shows the unusally tall and narrow nave with light grey Chilmark stone for the walls and dark Purbeck marble for the columns.  There are three levels:  a tall pointed arcade, an open gallery, and a small clerestory.  The tomb of William Longespée, half brother of King John and illegitimate son of Henry II, is located here.  Longespée was the first person buried in the cathedral.  A modern font was installed in 2008.  The new font has a cruciform shape, “a 10 foot wide vessel filled to its brim with water, designed so the water overflows in filaments through each corner into bronze gratings embedded in the cathedral’s stone floor.”

 Thanks again to K and J for sharing the cards.

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salisbury_Cathedral