Property in Salisbury

Salisbury - a quintessentially English town!

Situated in southern England's rural heartland, at the meeting place of five rivers, and founded in 1220, historic Salisbury is Wiltshire's only city.

Dominating the landscape for miles around is Salisbury Cathedral, its spire the UK's highest. The cathedral was originally constructed between 1075 and 1092, but work began on a "new" building at a different site in 1220, and the result is a masterpiece of early English architecture.

Property in Salisbury dates from a variety of different periods. Choicest of all is the city centre. While Cathedral Close might be outside many budgets, house prices in Salisbury are not all prohibitively expensive.

There are numerous attractive streets where historic town houses and terraces are more affordable, especially in the area near to Churchill Way. Try the Victorian suburbs east of this road near Victoria Park, or Harnham, south of the river. Fisherton Island has a nice, villagey feel to it.

Not just a pretty face!

While the Cathedral Close and the city's other historic buildings are undeniably stunningly beautiful, Salisbury is not just a pretty face! Whether you're after shopping, a bit of culture or other leisure pursuits, this superb city has it all.

Anyone who loves the great outdoors will enjoy the surrounding idyllic countryside. Stonehenge and the New Forest nearby make ideal destinations for family days out. Or take a spooky ghost tour of some of the city's older buildings!

Culture vultures will make for City Hall, Salisbury Playhouse (producing up to 10 plays annually), the Arts Centre, or the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum. The gallery in the public library is just one place where art is on show in the city centre.

Local festivities include the St George's Day pageant and the international arts festival, both firm fixtures in the annual calendar. Leisure facilities include a cinema, swimming, a sports centre and a racecourse.

Retail therapy addicts will be in their element, with traditional shops and a trio of shopping centres in the city. Meanwhile Wilton Shopping Village, just outside town, boasts a variety of factory outlets.

And with stacks of pubs, tea rooms, cafes and restaurants to choose from, you're never far from somewhere to take well-earned refreshment.

Well connected

With easy access to Basingstoke, Andover and Winchester, Salisbury is popular with commuters. For drivers, the A3 is 45 minutes away. There are bus links to Bournemouth, Andover and Southampton, and the city also runs a Park and Ride scheme.

Southampton is half an hour away by train, and there are regular rail services to Bristol (67 minutes on the hourly fast service). The journey time to London Waterloo is 90 minutes.

A class act

Salisbury is home to Wiltshire's two grammar schools, both of which were described by Ofsted as "outstanding." A number of the local primaries have been rated as 'good' by Ofsted, while St Joseph's Catholic secondary school was described as "good with some outstanding features."

Steeped in history, but well served for modern amenities, this most visually appealing of English of towns would make a perfect base for families, couples or singles.