The Morning I Climbed Up to the Spire of Salisbury Cathedral
All we experience informs our soul
From 2010 to 2011 I lived in Salisbury, England. I often went to Salisbury Cathedral to wander around the cloisters or walk its perimeter. Its history derives from early medieval times. Its foundation, remarkably, is only four feet deep.
This Early English Gothic cathedral was first built in 1220 and took thirty-eight years to complete. The church has the tallest spire in England. I climbed up to the base of that.
My journey began on the ground floor and up winding stone steps much like those of a castle, and then we had to walk over a narrow gallery to the opposite side of the cathedral to go higher. This meant going a very short distance in open space at the back of the nave. The barrier was hip high and the view at eye level was this:
It took me five minutes to go thirty steps — the sense of being suspended above nothing was immense. The feeling it gave me is still a force in memory.
It was a thrilling journey, despite the moments of intense vertigo. This image is an enclosed staircase leading up from inside the…
