salisbury cathedral tower tour times

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Salisbury Cathedral Tower Tour

• Salisbury Cathedral, 6 The Close, Salisbury, SP1 2EF
• 11:15 and 14:15 Monday to Saturday
• 01722 555150
• [email protected]

For many people, the Tower Tour is the absolute highlight of their visit to Salisbury Cathedral.

Wind your way up narrow spiral staircases climbing 332 steps in easy stages into our ancient roof spaces to the foot of our iconic spire, 68 metres above ground level. On your tour you will enjoy spectacular sights -an uninterrupted aerial view of the inside of the Cathedral, the inside of the spire supported by medieval wooden scaffolding and panoramic views of Salisbury and surrounding water meadows. Our experienced guides will tell you all about the construction of this architectural masterpiece.

Tours are scheduled daily Monday - Saturday at 11:15 and 14:15 and includes admission in to the Cathedral and Chapter House with Magna Carta on the day of your tour.

• From £90 for a group of up to 6

Booking information:

Advance booking is highly recommended This tour runs daily all year round Tours may be restricted or cancelled in the event of high winds We regret that children under the age of 7 or anyone under the height of 1.2m cannot participate in this tour due to health and safety regulations Each child aged 7-10 must be individually accompanied by a responsible adult. For 11-17 year-olds, there must be at least one adult for every five children Dogs are not permitted on this tour Some of the stone spiral staircases date back to the 13th century and have no handrails, so care must be taken Sensible footwear is essential – no high heels, bare feet or flip flops. Sandals must be securely fastened Tickets cost £90 for adults for up to 6 people. (Group bookers please click here to enquire) Tour lasts around 105 minutes, but timings can vary.

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You are here: What's On > Twilight Tower Tours

Twilight Tower Tours

Type: christmas.

Call direct on:

Tel 01722 656555

View Salisbury's Christmas lights from above Climb 332 steps to the base of Salisbury's iconic Spire for unparalleled views of the city's twinkling Christmas lights.

On your tour you will enjoy spectacular sights – an uninterrupted aerial view of the inside of the Cathedral from right above the 32ft Christmas tree, the inside of the spire supported by medieval wooden scaffolding and panoramic views of Salisbury after dark. Our experienced guides will tell you all about the construction of this architectural masterpiece.

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Salisbury Cathedral

What to expect when visiting salisbury cathedral.

Salisbury Cathedral is one of the most popular Cathedrals in England to visit and the spire, the tallest in England, dominates the skyline of Salisbury as you approach the city.

Every year over 600,000 visitors come from all over the world to the Cathedral and Close, the largest and best preserved Cathedral Close in Britain.

How to get into Salisbury Cathedral

The Cathedral sits within the Close, one of the few left intact. The only way to enter the Close is still through one of the two main gates, impressive in their own right. They look like gates that are part of old medieval city walls, but the walls and gates are to keep the towns people out, not to protect the city.

About Salisbury Cathedral   Admission   Visiting Salisbury Cathedral   Around the Cathedral  

About Salisbury Cathedral

The Cathedral was begun in 1220, and finished, with the exception of the tower and spire, in 1258.

Salisbury Cathedral was built after the clergy abandoned the Cathedral at Old Salisbury ( Old Sarum ) on the hill above modern day Salisbury. Moving down into the valley by the River Avon.

Because of the relative speed in which the Cathedral was built it is unusually complete in one style. One of the amazing facts about the Cathedral is that the foundations are only 4 feet deep. Astounding when you stand next to the immense stone structure.

The Cathedral was built as a Catholic Church but after Henry VIII the Cathedral it became Church of England.

Today it is very much a working Cathedral, opening hours are frequently changed for religious events so do check in advance.

Magna Carta at Salisbury Cathedral

Especially for US visitors, the highlight of a trip to Salisbury Cathedral is often seeing the Magna Carta in the Chapter House.

Salisbury Cathedral’s Magna Carta is one of only four surviving original documents from 1215. The Magna Carta is over 800 years old and is still today a powerful symbol of social justice.

An original document drawn up to proclaim the freedoms and rights of individuals under the rule of law; this practice went on to be adopted across the globe. Magna Carta established the right of trial by jury and ensured that no one, including the crown, was above the law.

Mechanical clock

In the nave you can see what is probably the  oldest working mechanical clock in the world , dating to 1386. There are no hands and no clock face; rather, it rings a chime of bells every hour. It was originally built to call the bishops to services.

Salisbury Cathedral admission fee, guides, and facilities

For visitors this is not a Cathedral that you just wander in, there is an admission fee. You can get the cheapest prices by booking online in advance (£9 in advance, £11 walk-up price). Most people just wander through the Cathedral, ending up at the Chapter House for the Magna Carta.

There is a good sized gift shop and restaurant by the cloisters.

Volunteer guides are very good and enthusiastic and worth taking advantage off, though on Sundays probably won't be available.

Tower Tours (extra charge) are very popular, lasting up to 2 hours and should be booked in advance.

Tower Tours at Salisbury Cathedral

When to visit and how long you will need at Salisbury Cathedral

Sundays are not a great day to visit with services, non availability of volunteer guides and often closed off sections. Access to the Chapter House and Magna Carta is not always as advertised.

Most people who just walk through the Cathedral take up to an hour, but some stay a bit longer. There is a reasonably priced self guided walking tour book available on entrance.

Allow enough time to absorb the architecture, learn a bit about the history of the cathedral and make time of course to see the Magna Carta and the oldest mechanical clock.

Salisbury Close - around the Cathedral

Just as there is more to the cathedral than the spire, so there is more to the city than the cathedral. A wide green space, The Close, surrounds the Cathedral. The Close, essentially a walled city within the city, is ringed by wonderful period houses, many of them now museums you can enter.

Mompesson House (National Trust)

A perfect example of Queen Anne architecture and was built for Charles Mompesson in 1701. It is noted for its elegant and spacious interior, especially the magnificent plasterwork and fine oak staircase. See the important Turnbull collection of 18th century drinking glasses, fine period furniture and charming walled garden with its garden tea room.

Mompesson House featured as Mrs Jennings' London home in the award-winning film `Sense and Sensibility.'

Mompesson House is now owned by the National Trust.

The Rifles Berkshire and Wiltshire Museum (The Wardrobe)

This popular museum displays with a vast collection of artefacts from the Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiments. The Wardrobe dates from 1254 and was known as the Wardrobe having been used as a clothing and document store by bishops in the 14th century.

In addition to the museum there is a lovely mature garden with established trees, planted areas and a lawn flowing down to the river.

You can buy a ticket just to enter the garden, and an annual garden membership (for just a few pounds) is used by many locals so they can take time out in the beautiful surroundings.

The Rifleman's Table Cafe is situated next to the museum offering coffee, cake, lunches and more.

Salisbury Museum

Salisbury Museum is the home of the award-winning, redesigned Stonehenge Gallery, the Monkton Deverill gold torch, and the now famous Warminster Jewel and the famous `Amesbury Archer.'

Displays include Early Man, the Romans and Saxons, history of Old Sarum and Salisbury (with the renowned Giant and Hob Nob), the Pitt Rivers collection, pottery, porcelain and Wedgwood in beautiful 17th century rooms, a pre-NHS surgery, costume, lace and embroidery.

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You are here: Home > What's On > Salisbury Cathedral Twilight Tower Tours

Salisbury Cathedral Twilight Tower Tours

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Climb 332 steps to the base of Salisbury's iconic Spire for unparalleled views of the city's twinkling Christmas lights.

On your tour you will enjoy spectacular sights – an uninterrupted aerial view of the inside of the Cathedral from right above the 32ft Christmas tree, the inside of the spire supported by medieval wooden scaffolding and panoramic views of Salisbury after dark. Our experienced guides will tell you all about the construction of this architectural masterpiece.

Guide Prices

Adults: £18 when prebooked online Full time Student (with ID): £14 when prebooked online Child (7-16): £11 when prebooked online Each child aged 7-10 must be individually accompanied by a responsible adult.

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Salisbury Cathedral tower tours return for the first time since lockdown

Visitors can once again climb the iconic tower to explore the ancient walls of Salisbury Cathedral

• 09:17, 16 AUG 2021
• Updated 11:48, 16 AUG 2021

Visitors travel far and wide to visit the magnificent ancient cathedral in Salisbury but until now the tower tours have been closed since the start of the pandemic.

The long awaited tours are now available to pre-book, with tours resuming Monday (August 16) - running as Covid-safe bubble groups of six at a time.

People can book a tower tour for a fixed price of £90 this pays for your time-slot and guide and you can have any number of people up to six in your tour bubble.

READ MORE: Stunning West Wiltshire riverside walk that features countryside pubs and tea room

Visitors taking this tour will make their way up into the roof spaces above the nave and climb at least five spiral staircases to get to the base of the Cathedral Spire, the tallest in the country, soaring 123m heavenwards.

The views from the top are spectacular, but there are 332 steps to conquer before you get there, so this isn’t a tour for the faint-hearted and requires a reasonable degree of fitness.

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The spectacular sights included in the tour supposedly show an uninterrupted aerial view of the inside of the Cathedral, the inside of the spire supported by medieval wooden scaffolding and panoramic views of Salisbury and surrounding water meadows.

The cathedral's experienced guides will be there to talk all about the construction of the architectural masterpiece.

Tours are scheduled daily Monday to Saturday at 11.15am and 2.15pm and includes admission in to the Cathedral and Chapter House with Magna Carta on the day of your tour.

More information:

• Advance booking is highly recommended
• This tour runs daily all year round
• Tours may be restricted or cancelled in the event of high winds
• Children under the age of 7 or anyone under the height of 1.2m cannot participate in this tour due to health and safety regulations
• Each child aged 7 to 10 must be individually accompanied by a responsible adult. For 11 to 17 year-olds, there must be at least one adult for every five children
• Dogs are not permitted on this tour
• Some of the stone spiral staircases date back to the 13th century and have no handrails, so care must be taken
• Sensible footwear is essential – no high heels, bare feet or flip flops. Sandals must be securely fastened
• Tickets cost £90 for adults for up to 6 people. (Group bookers please click here to enquire)
• Tour lasts around 105 minutes, but timings can vary

Salisbury Cathedral is one of Britain’s finest medieval cathedrals, both living church and internationally renowned heritage attraction.

It is also home to the finest original copy of the 1215 Magna Carta, which is on permanent display to visitors in the Chapter House.

The Cathedral welcomes more than 250,000 pilgrims and tourists who visit each year to marvel at the peace and beauty of the 750 year old building and admire Britain’s tallest spire.

You can stay up to date on the top news near you with WiltshireLive's FREE newsletters – enter your email address at the top of the page or sign up to our newsletters here

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Salisbury Cathedral

Opt for the all inclusive ticket to take in a visit to Britain’s finest Medieval Cathedral and see one of the world’s most famous documents, the 1215 Magna Carta.

Set against a backdrop of the beautiful Wiltshire countryside, surrounded by historic buildings and museums within the spectacular Cathedral Close, it’s easy to see why many visitors find Salisbury Cathedral a place of inspiration and tranquillity.

Marvel at the stunning Gothic architecture and explore the past and the present of this living church. Explore 800 years of history by viewing the best preserved original Magna Carta, it celebrated it’s 800th anniversary in 2015. And don’t forget to take some time out to explore the gifts available in the shop or to enjoy a snack or meal in the newly refurbished Refectory Restaurant gazing up at the soaring Spire for which Salisbury Cathedral is so famous.

If you run out of time your Stonehenge Tour ticket is valid up to 48 hours after the date you take the bus tour at the Cathedral, and visitors are very welcome to join services so why not come to our daily Evensong?

Before you book

For Salisbury Cathedral opening times and scheduled closures, please check here: Easter & April – External

Visiting Times

For more information, visiting times, details of tower tours, exhibitions and events, see: Salisbury Cathedral website .

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• Four eggs laid on the tower - Peregrine Blog 28/03/2024

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Four eggs laid on the tower – peregrine blog 28/03/2024.

As I type this, I am periodically stopping to check the live nest cam footage on the internet. It is currently absolutely teeming with rain and the adult falcon is looking extremely bedraggled on the nest box. Peregrines are of course an extremely resilient species and are well used to coping with adverse weather conditions. Prior to their relatively recent adaption to nesting on man made structures, they typically nested, and still do, on crags and sea cliff, open to all winds and weathers. Some nests in these locations do fail in very wet years, nest scrapes can get flooded and eggs chilled. Such failures in nest boxes on made structures are much rarer however. Our own nest box is a wooded structure with holes drilled in the bottom to allow for good drainage. The course gravel substrate in which the nest scrape is created also allows for good drainage. For good measure the whole structure is raised up above the walkway level on two pieces of three by two inch (if memory serves) wooden battens. Additional, as viewers of the nest cam will have noted, there is a small square metal drain cover beside the box and that drains any standing water from the stone walkway. This cover was cleared of debris shortly before the breeding season commenced, and is currently working perfectly. It and a similar one at the opposite end of the walkway can get blocked with miscellaneous prey remains when there are chicks in the nest box, and this can in cases of very heavy rain lead to some temporary flooding of the walkway. When the chicks are ringed at about three weeks old, the opportunity is taken at the same time to clear any debris from these two drain covers.

The nest cam went live in the third week of March, just in time to record the first egg laid on 21 March, followed by the second, third and fourth eggs on 23, 25 and 28 March respectively. In 2023 the first egg was laid a little earlier on 17 March. From contacts around the United Kingdom who actively monitor nests on man made structures, many with similar nest cams to ours, I gather our first egg laying date of 21 March was fairly typical for 2024. The Salisbury falcons, as do most other pairs, normally lay a clutch of four eggs, occasionally three and once a rare clutch of five. I suspect we will probably have a clutch of just four eggs this year, but I am prepared to be pleasantly surprised if a fifth egg appears in two or three days time. I am not sure the adult male will be quite so pleased however as sometimes the smaller males do struggle to cover all five eggs fully when it is their turn to incubate whilst the female goes off for a while to stretch her wings so to speak!

Peregrines typically start incubating after the third or fourth egg, so allowing perhaps about 32 days for incubation, we can perhaps anticipate the eggs to start hatching in the last few days of April. With typically about six to seven weeks between hatching and fledging, we can anticipate the first chicks fledging in mid June. Between hatching and fledging, the chicks will be ringed in the usual way, and this normally takes place when they are about three weeks old.

Regular viewers of the nest cam, and visitors we speak to at the ‘Date with Nature’ event run every year by the local Salisbury RSPB group often ask if the birds occupying the site this year are the same birds as last year or indeed in previous years. The honest answer to that is we don’t know. Adult Peregrines are remarkably similar in plumage, and whilst it is possible to tell, given a good view, adult females from adult males, distinguishing between different adult females or adult males is really very difficult and often quite impossible. Once they have reached breeding age typically after three or four years, adult mortality is perhaps about 20% in any given year. Statistically therefore it is likely that a number of the birds occupying the cathedral since they first attempted to breed in 2013 have been resident with us for a number of years. The only real way to be sure is if a bird occupying a site is ringed with either a metal BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) ring, a coloured and lettered Darvic ring, or both. Surprising to date, no birds occupying the cathedral site have been seen to be wearing rings placed on their legs form other monitored nest sites. The vast majority of chicks fledged from buildings in the United Kingdom, typically in urban locations, are ringed every year. A Peregrine WhatsApp group to which I belong frequently shows photographs of birds with coloured Darvic rings which have taken up residence at nest boxes like our own across the country. This enables us to know from which nest they fledged and how old they are. One of our own chicks fledged on the cathedral in 2021 and christened Flo with a Darvic ring TND, took up residence on a disused breakfast cereal factory in Welwyn Garden City in 2023 and bred successfully there when only two years old. Breeding at only two years old is quite unusual in itself; she is as far as I am aware still present at this site in 2024.

With, probably the fourth and last egg now laid, things are likely to be relatively quiet at the nest box for the next month or so whilst incubation takes place. That month will I am sure fly by, if you will excuse the pun, and from the very end of April until mid June viewers of the nest cam can look forward to the treat of watching the intimate life of our resident falcons and their new chicks…..I can’t wait.

Granville Pictor 28 March 2024.

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Moscow Metro

The Moscow Metro Tour is included in most guided tours’ itineraries. Opened in 1935, under Stalin’s regime, the metro was not only meant to solve transport problems, but also was hailed as “a people’s palace”. Every station you will see during your Moscow metro tour looks like a palace room. There are bright paintings, mosaics, stained glass, bronze statues… Our Moscow metro tour includes the most impressive stations best architects and designers worked at - Ploshchad Revolutsii, Mayakovskaya, Komsomolskaya, Kievskaya, Novoslobodskaya and some others.

What is the kremlin in russia?

The guide will not only help you navigate the metro, but will also provide you with fascinating background tales for the images you see and a history of each station.

And there some stories to be told during the Moscow metro tour! The deepest station - Park Pobedy - is 84 metres under the ground with the world longest escalator of 140 meters. Parts of the so-called Metro-2, a secret strategic system of underground tunnels, was used for its construction.

During the Second World War the metro itself became a strategic asset: it was turned into the city's biggest bomb-shelter and one of the stations even became a library. 217 children were born here in 1941-1942! The metro is the most effective means of transport in the capital.

There are almost 200 stations 196 at the moment and trains run every 90 seconds! The guide of your Moscow metro tour can explain to you how to buy tickets and find your way if you plan to get around by yourself.

SALISBURY CATHEDRAL TOWER TOUR AT CHRISTMAS

The Salisbury Cathedral Tower Tour takes visitors up into the roof spaces of this extraordinary Medieval church, where you even get the opportunity to stand at the base of the iconic spire and look up into it. The tours run throughout the year, but every Christmas they run extra special festive tours.

Tower tours run daily throughout the year for all visitors, but every year during the festive season, Salisbury Cathedral runs ‘Twilight Tower Tours’. These tend to start at around 3.15pm and are timed so that you are at the top of the tower when it is dusk, and you can admire the stunning view of the Christmas lights of Salisbury twinkling far down below you.

They end with a shared cream tea in the refectory, and finish in time for you to attend evensong if wished, or visit the nearby Christmas market.

The tower tour groups are small, no more than 12 people and they always have a good mix of children and adults. The tour guides are enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable volunteers, who seem to love having children in their groups and who interact with them in such a way that the children thoroughly enjoy it as well as learn a great deal without even trying.

Each guide will emphasize different aspects of the cathedrals long history, they each have favourite anecdotes and stories to tell, and will often tailor these to suit the age group of their audience. Judging by Trip Advisor reviews of tower tours, the enjoyment of the tour is universal as they receive high marks across the board from all age groups.

I have taken my family on a Twilight Tower Tour for three years in a row now and it is becoming part of our festive traditions. The cathedral itself is always beautifully decorated for Christmas, with a huge yet tasteful Christmas tree, candles around the font and festive flower displays. The warm lighting and atmosphere just add to the festive mood.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUD OF SALISBURY CATHEDRAL

What is fascinating about Salisbury Cathedral is that it was completed in just 38 years (1220-1258), and so is all in the same architectural style of Early English Gothic. It was in fact the third cathedral in Salisbury.

The first was built in 1092 at Old Sarum , but was damaged in a storm not long after consecration. It was rebuilt in stone in the same location, but as the site of Old Sarum was too small, very cold and due to ongoing conflict between the clergy and military, the decision was taken to re-site the cathedral elsewhere. As every local knows, the legend is that an arrow was fired by the Bishop from Old Sarum and it was agreed that wherever it landed, that is where the new cathedral would be built. The arrow hit a deer who ran for some distance before dying, and where he died is the site of the current cathedral.

The real reason is rather more prosaic and due to land ownership and availability at the time, but it’s the arrow story that everyone remembers. The tower and spire were not part of the original plans and for some years the cathedral did not have either. These were completed by 1320 and were troublesome from the start, adding an extra 6,500 tonnes of weight to a building that was just not designed to carry that weight (and that has foundations only 4 feet deep!).

The tower tour gives a fascinating insight into the changes they had to make to keep the spire on the building, and being able to see inside it gives a far greater depth of knowledge than just admiring from below ever can.

It has been the tallest spire in  England  since the 16th century, as other spires in other cathedrals collapsed over the years.

It stands at 123 metres and as you go further up the tower, you see just how that has been achieved and what an amazing accomplishment it is.

The first stage of the tour takes you up stone spiral staircase to the first floor with impressive and expansive views over the nave and the interior of the cathedral. Behind you, close enough to touch, is a beautiful stained glass window constructed from medieval glass from the Chapter House and elsewhere in the cathedral.

Windows were gradually removed post reformation as images of saints and angels were offensive to Protestant beliefs. This window is an early example of the move to bring stained glass back into religious buildings – as it depicts heraldic shields rather than religious symbolism.

You can also see the slight curvature of the walls holding up the tower at the far end of the nave, as well as the buttresses used to fortify the pillars when the spire was added.

From here you reach the under roof space, with all of its wooden beams supporting the roof.

Our guide took great pleasure is showing us into this area with the lights down low, then turned them on with a magnificent flourish, just to hear our gasps of amazement. You are presented with row upon row of wooden beams, all seemingly perfectly aligned and with the aromatic scent of old wood. Most of these beams are from the original 13th century construction, and with the cross beams being 40ft long, the children in the tour group were fascinated as the guide pointed out that those oaks would have been alive at the time of the Norman invasion of 1066.

He also explained how the builders had to find trees that were the exact shape and curvature that were needed to fit a particular space, and how the trees were sourced from miles around, some even coming from Dublin.

The skills used to join these beams together are nothing short of remarkable. You walk the length of this roof space feeling truly awed by the skills required to build it, and enable it to still be standing today.

You can also look down on the false ceiling that is painted to look like stone from below but is in fact just slaked lime, and was put in to hide all of the beams above.

It is around this point that some of the impressive graffiti pops up, and trying to read it all and work out the dates is fascinating. It continues to adorn the walls throughout the tour, as well as some of the glass panes which were part of a fundraising drive in the 1990s. Some of the designs on these glass panes are very ornate and provide a detailed and intricate contrast to the huge and imposing blocks of limestone and the cavernous spaces of the tower.

Some examples of the graffiti. The first one says – ‘William Jerred fell from this height on the 29th day of March 1864’. (He survived, his coat catching on the part of the cathedral below leaving him hanging there until he could be rescued.)

At the base of the actual tower itself you see a lot more of the adaptations that were necessary to keep it upright. The tower caused trouble right from the start and needed upkeep and repairs early on. Over the years there have been several adaptations and amendments to the design, just to try to keep everything upright.

The guide gives a fascinating account of the methods they used, with the most impressive being the metal supports and struts added after a survey of the cathedral by Christopher Wren in 1668, only two years after the Black Death, when, as our guide pointed out, he had plenty of other far more important buildings to build, yet still managed to find the time to save the Salisbury spire.

It was he who discovered that the spire was leaning 27 inches off centre and after he put in the supports, it hasn’t budged an inch in the 350 years since.

It is up here as well that you can see the bells, which often strike as you are standing next to them (the tour guide does offer ear defenders for those with sensitive hearing, but I’ve never seen anyone who needed them).

The cathedral is one of only 3 in the country that doesn’t have a ring of bells. These were originally housed separately in a bell tower on the edge of the cathedral close that was damaged by fighting in the streets during the civil war and later demolished, so what it does have is 4 bells that are struck with a hammer, as they are far too heavy to allow them to ring freely in that tower.

Up some very narrow and steep wooden stairs again takes you to the base of the spire and here you can look upwards and marvel at what you see – the original internal wooden scaffolding still in place, which only touches the external walls at the bottom and which goes all the way to the top.

The original 13th century wheel is also here, that was used to winch the stone blocks to the top. You can’t go up any further from here as it is for the stone masons only, but you can go outside on to three of the sides of the base of the spire (the fourth one is occupied by peregrine falcons who nest here every year – they even have their own  livestream .

The views on all sides are remarkable and as it is twilight by the time you get up there, the lights are on across town. The Cathedral Close itself looks lovely with its imposing and beautiful buildings – as our guide said the priests were all meant to be celibate and had no families, but still felt the need to live in mansions. I was grateful they had as it does mean that the Close is stunning to look at.

As we stood up there, admiring the Christmas lights and watching the streams of traffic on Salisbury’s infamous ring road, an enormous full moon appeared as the clouds cleared and the tour group stood in a row gazing in awe and running out of superlatives to describe what we could see. We visited all three sides and the effect was the same.

The journey back down is an easy one and after you have been awarded your ‘tower tour’ badges you are guided to the refectory for a generous cream tea with the rest of your group.

When finished, we left to admire the spire from outside (the cathedral always looks amazing lit up in the dark) and then off to the Christmas market for mulled wine and bratwurst.

It’s a very festive yet educational experience and one I cannot recommend highly enough as a way to engage children, even the most disinterested teenager, in a truly impressive historical and monumental site.

SALISBURY CATHEDRAL TOWER TOUR DETAILS

I always book far in advance for the twilight tours as they sell out quite quickly. Tours are also run daily throughout the rest of the year if you are visiting at other times – the tour is still a fabulous experience at any time.

Twilight tours cost £17.50 per adult, £12.50 per child or £48.00 for a family of 2+3 and include a cream tea. For the rest of the year, tickets are £13.50 per adult, £8.50 for children and £33 for a family, with no cream tea included in the price.

Wear sensible shoes and warm clothing. There are free lockers at the base of the stairs to put bags and rucksacks in as you really won’t want to carry them.

The tour lasts approximately 90 – 105 minutes.

No under 7s or anyone under the height of 1.2m. I would also say it’s not suitable for people who are unsteady on their feet, or not good in confined spaces.

Book your Tower Tour here >>

Visiting Salisbury? Our Salisbury City Guide is packed with information about places to visit, locally owned places to stay, eat and shop, day trips you can take from the region, sporting activities, things to do with kids and plenty more.

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Cathedral clock tower reopens to visitors

A cathedral clock tower, which was closed for maintenance work and then due to the Covid-19 pandemic, has reopened to the public.

Worcester Cathedral staff said it had been shut for "most of the last four years" and they were delighted visitors could again enjoy the city views from "its lofty 200ft height".

The 200ft (61m) tall tower has 255 steps and it would mainly be open for climbing on Saturdays, bank holidays and during the school holidays, a cathedral spokesperson said.

The tower is the cathedral's third, with the first one collapsing in 1175 and the second one taken down after it was deemed unsafe.

The present tower was completed in 1374 and the exterior stone work was restored in the 19th Century.

People can pay a fee to climb the tower or take part in guided tours.

"On a clear day there are spectacular views over the city centre, River Severn, county cricket ground, Pitchcroft racecourse, Malvern Hills and countryside beyond," a spokesperson added.

About 180,000 people visited the cathedral last year, which was about 30,000 more than in 2022.

Its busy 2023 also saw the completion of repairs to the north choir aisle roof, organ and vaulting following damage from Storm Arwen two years earlier.

Stonemasons also created a replacement pinnacle because part of the old one had fallen, causing the roof damage.

More on this story

• Cathedral’s clock tower to reopen after four years
• Cathedral sees record visitor numbers in 2023
• Cathedral's new pinnacle marks final storm repairs

Related internet links

• Worcester Cathedral