The finest Early English Gothic cathedral in the country, built in a single continuous campaign between 1220 and 1320 — unusually unified for a medieval building. The spire, added in the early fourteenth century, reaches 123 metres and remains the tallest in England. Stand back on the close lawns to grasp the full vertical ambition of it.
Inside, the scale is vast and the decoration relatively restrained: simple lancet windows, dark Purbeck marble columns, and a long nave that channels the eye toward the east end. The medieval clock in the north aisle is one of the oldest working mechanical clocks in the world, dated to around 1386. The Chapter House, reached through a cloister, holds one of the four surviving original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta — this alone is worth the admission price.
Tower tours run throughout the day in season, climbing 332 steps for a view across the city and surrounding plain.