UNPRECEDENTED EVENTS IN A CATHEDRAL CITY: THE SALISBURY POISONINGS

'Unprecented' is a word we have been hearing a lot recently, with the unwelcome arrival of Covid-19 in all of our lives.  For the inhabitants of the charming Wiltshire cathedral town of Salisbury it must have come all too soon after a previous unprecedented event: the targeting of a Russian national living in the city with the nerve agent novichok, a news story which broke in March 2018 and was watched with horror by people all over the country and the wider world.  I remember feeling outraged at this unwarranted attack on not just one individual (and his daughter who happened to be visiting), but an entire English city, particularly when a perfectly innocent member of the public died after unwittingly coming into contact with the deadly substance, and a policeman ended up in intensive care. 

That sense of outrage was reignited recently with the showing of a 3-part drama reliving the events of 2018 called The Salisbury Poisonings, starring Rafe Spall as the policeman.  There were eerie parallels with the Covid-19 crisis, with talk of tracing individuals who may have come into contact with the nerve agent and shutting down businesses while a massive cleanup took place, so that what at the time seemed unreal and inconceivable now seems a fact of life.

Much of the filming of the drama took place in Salisbury itself, with some of the key locations of the real-life event making a prominent appearance.  The shopping area just off the city’s main square known as The Maltings was where the Russian victims Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found on that fateful Sunday.  Adjacent to the shops are a pub called Bishops Mill, and a branch of the Zizzi pizza restaurant chain.  These were visited by the Skripals before they were discovered incapacitated on a bench.  I have visited both of these establishments several times, and could hardly believe that they played a part in such a sinister episode.

The Maltings, Salisbury - geograph.org.uk - 1052564. Photo by Jonathan Billinger, via Wikimedia Commons.

One of Salisbury’s most attractive features, apart from its magnificent cathedral, is the expanse of open green spaces with the River Avon flowing through them, with an often astonishing number of swans in attendance.  This was where a dead swan was found near the Five Rivers Leisure Centre and was investigated in case it was yet another victim of the nerve agent.  The unfortunate swan, though dead, was given the all clear as far as novichok was concerned.

Salisbury Cathedral exterior 2. Photo by WASD, via Wikimedia Commons.

The decontamination effort, which caused untold disruption to the city’s businesses, and which saw the centre of this genteel cathedral city colonised by men in special hazmat suits looking like something out of a sci-fi movie, was finally completed nearly a year after the original discovery of the stricken Russians.  The bench at the centre of it all was removed, and there was talk of putting an art installation in its place.  One cannot help but feel for the city’s inhabitants, who came out of the novichok scare only to be confronted with covid-19 a year later.  Let’s hope the city can bounce back again this time.

Map of the city.

A TOUR OF ENGLAND'S FINEST CATHEDRALS: ELIZABETH AND ELIZABETH:THE GOLDEN AGE

Any film about events in English history will inevitably be chock-full of some of the finest examples of English heritage.  In the films Elizabeth (1998) and its sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), both starring Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I, it is some of the country’s finest cathedrals that come to the fore among the locations used.

In Elizabeth, the coronation scene was filmed at York Minster, which proved a splendid substitute for Westminster Abbey, where the actual coronation took place on 15 January 1559.  The Minster lies in the centre of this historic city, and due to the flat terrain in the area surrounding it can be seen from miles around.  There has been a place of worship at this spot since the 7^th century, but it was not until 732 that the first Archbishop of York was recognised by the Pope.  The present building took a massive 250 years to complete, starting in 1220 and ending in 1472.  The Minster brought shocking images to our TV screens in 1984 when a fire which started in the south transept raged out of control, and firefighters were forced to deliberately collapse the roof to save the rest of the building.

York Minster from M&S. Photo by Matze Trier, via Wikimedia Commons.

The other cathedral which  makes an appearance in Elizabeth is Durham Cathedral.  The cathedral plays the part of the royal palace, and its distinctive pillars are seen in the scene where Elizabeth searches for Lord Robert after receiving a message.  Like York Minster, Durham Cathedral was preceded by a humbler place of worship known as the Saxon ‘White Church’.  The present-day building, which makes for a picturesque sight overlooking the River Wear, was built between 1093 and 1133, with further additions thereafter.

Durham Cathedral Nave. Photo by Michael D Beckwith, via Wikimedia  Commons.

In Elizabeth: The Golden Age we are taken further south, with Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire playing an important role as the Palace of Whitehall, which in those days was the main residence of the monarchs of the day.  It is seen in a number of scenes, such as the one where Elizabeth confronts the Spanish Ambassador, and when Sir Walter Raleigh arrives bearing gifts from the New World.  Ely Cathedral is unusual in that, unlike most cathedral cities, Ely is the size of a small town.  In fact, the cathedral came before the town, which grew up around it.  There is a slate in the cathedral marking the location of a former shrine to Ethelreda, daughter of the King of East Anglia, who founded an abbey at the location of what is now the cathedral.  The building dates from 1083, and was granted cathedral status in 1109.

Ely Cathedral Choir East View. Photo by Michael D Beckwith, via Wikimedia Commons.

The sequel covers the period leading up to, and including the country’s spat with Spain, and Westminster Cathedral transports us over the water to the court of King Philip II, as it was where the scenes were filmed featuring the ranting king, plotting his invasion of England following the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots.  As a Roman Catholic cathedral, Westminster Cathedral was a good choice.  The cathedral is much younger than the others used in the two films, with construction completed in 1903.  Its main distinguishing feature is the striped appearance of its exterior, fashioned from layers of brick and stone.

Westminster.cathedral.frontview.london.arp. Photo by Arpingstone, via Wikimedia Commons.

One of the most dramatic scenes in the sequel is the attempt on Queen Elizabeth’s life by Thomas Babington (Eddie Redmayne), an event which is pure fiction, since in reality this particular individual did not get anywhere near the Queen, although it is true that there was a plot to assassinate her.  The scene in question was filmed in Winchester Cathedral.  Originally founded in 642 and known as Old Minster, the present-day cathedral was started in 1079 at a site nearby, and the Old Minster was demolished in 1093.  The cathedral has the distinction of being one of the largest in Europe, and includes many notable features, such as the 17^th century choir screen designed by Inigo Jones.

Winchester Cathedral Nave 1, Hampshire, UK - Diliff. Photo by DAVID ILIFF, via  Wikimedia Commons.

Finally, for the main entrance to Whitehall Palace as seen in the sequel, the producers made use of Wells Cathedral, specifically the staircase linking the North Transept to Chapter House.  Like Ely, Wells is another unusually small cathedral city, nestling among the green fields of the Somerset countryside.  The cathedral was built to replace an earlier church which had occupied the site since 705, and construction spanned the period from 1176 to 1450.  One of the cathedral’s best known features is its astronomical clock dating from around 1325.

Wells cathedral chapter house brighter. Photo by Lamiai, via Wikimedia Commons.