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Stone from ancient site found hidden in cathedral

Sophie Parker
BBC News, Wiltshire
Salisbury Cathedral A large stone with carvings, including a triangle shape and a couple of sphere shapes. Sitting on a scaffolding board.Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral A close-up of decorated stone: diagonal lines in different widths, one made to look like beadingSalisbury Cathedral
The decorative stones were facing inwards, protecting them from the elements
The cathedral's works department had been repairing a wall when they made the discovery

Stones from a ruined medieval site have been found in the nearby walls of a city cathedral.

A few of the original decorative stones from Old Sarum - now a heritage site on the edge of Salisbury - have been found in a wall near the city's current cathedral.

The works department was doing repairs when the stones were found - well-preserved because the decorative parts were turned to face the inside, avoiding damage from the elements.

The material would have been re-used from the Old Sarum when the cathedral was re-built in 1220.

Salisbury Cathedral under a bright blue sky - a grand medieval building with a tall spire and lots of arched windows
Salisbury Cathedral is 800 years old, but had a predecessor at Old Sarum

Salisbury's head mason, Lee Andrews, said: "It’s exciting when you uncover a carved stone that was once from the original Old Sarum Cathedral, seeing the tool marks and moulding being so well preserved in the mortar and all that craftsmanship has been hidden away for 800 years."

He plans to have a shelter made to display them in the works department.

Salisbury Cathedral The same wall, but to the left looking neater with fresh mortar and to the right before repairs, with some missing stones and others not in correct place. Some weeds growing from them.Salisbury Cathedral
Left shows the wall the stones were found in after repair and to the right is before

This plundering of stone from previous sites is common and can be seen in other historic buildings too.

Salisbury Cathedral was founded at its current position in 1220 and took decades to build as it is today.

The move was due to unhappiness with the Old Sarum site - such as poor water supply - and disagreements with those at the castle there.

Local myth tells that the current position was picked when an archer shot an arrow and where it landed, the build would be.

However, with it being around two miles from Old Sarum, this is generally considered a tall tale.

View from a footbridge going into ruins and a visitors wooden hut. Green grass, trees and blue skies.
The Old Sarum site is now owned by English Heritage and can be visited on the edge of Salisbury

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