Built over a relatively short period, some 38 years between 1220 and 1258, it has a unity and coherence that is unusual in medieval English cathedrals.

The original cathedral in the district was located at Old Sarum, about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the present city.

At the time, the city was at the now-abandoned site of Old Sarum, on a hill about 2 miles (3.2 km) north of the present-day cathedral.

In 1197, bishop Herbert Poore sought permission to re-site the cathedral, possibly due to deteriorating relations between the clergy and the military at Old Sarum.

[A] Construction was paid for by donations, principally from the canons and vicars of southeast England, who were asked to contribute a fixed annual sum until the building was completed.

[11] As a result of the high water table on the new site, the cathedral was built on foundations only 4 feet (1.2 m) deep.

[15][16] The only major sections begun later were the cloisters, added in 1240, the chapter house in 1263, the tower and spire, which at 404 feet (123 m) dominated the skyline from 1330.

In the 17th century, Christopher Wren designed restoration measures to strengthen the central pillars, which by then had visibly deformed under the weight of the tower and spire.

[19] Significant changes to the cathedral were made by the architect James Wyatt in 1790, including the replacement of the original rood screen and demolition of a bell tower which stood about 320 feet (98 m) northwest of the main building.

[24] The right of the cathedral, as a liberty, to maintain a separate police force was conclusively terminated by the Local Government Act 1888.

[27] In 2016, the cathedral chapter placed Sophie Ryder's sculpture The Kiss (of a pair of hands) straddling a path in the grounds.

[31] In February 2024, the full exterior of the cathedral could be seen for the first time in 38 years after the removal of scaffolding that had been erected for extensive renovation works.

It is composed of a stair turret at each extremity, with two niched buttresses nearer the centre line supporting the large central triple window.

Salisbury Cathedral is unusual for its tall and narrow nave, which has visual accentuation from the use of light grey Chilmark stone for the walls and dark polished Purbeck marble for the columns.

[38] Lined up between the pillars are notable tombs such as that of William Longespée, half brother of King John and the illegitimate son of Henry II, who was the first person to be buried in the cathedral.

Maintenance workers have sometimes climbed the spire, including to service the aircraft warning light and weather station at the summit.

[42] The chapter house is notable for its octagonal shape, slender central pillar and decorative medieval frieze.

The frieze, which circles the interior above the stalls, depicts scenes and stories from the books of Genesis and Exodus, including Adam and Eve, Noah, the Tower of Babel, and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

[56] Grade II* listed buildings on the High Street and in Choristers Square include: No.s 48, 48A, 50 and 50A, which flank the North Gate;[57][58] 51, 52 and 53A;[59][60] No.s 55 and 55A;[61][62] a former stable block;[63] and the Hungerford Chantry.

Another mention of this cathedral was made by Jonathan Swift in The Travels of Gulliver, part II, chapter IV, making a comparison between its spire and the tower of the main temple of Lorbrulgrud, Brobdingnag's capital.

In 1990, Channel 4 marked the official launch of its NICAM stereo service with a live broadcast of Mahler's 9th Symphony from the cathedral.

[116] The cathedral was the setting for the 2005 BBC television drama Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle, written by Rhidian Brook and directed by Susanna White.

Of particular interest are the two fine four-manual instruments, the first by Renatus Harris (c. 1652–1724), which was replaced at the end of the 18th century, and the current organ, whose present fame has eclipsed the reputation of the former.

The abundance of reed stops was typical of Harris' instruments and bears witness to the influence of the classical French organ.

The instrument, not only spectacular in style but also of good quality, had remained practically unaltered (beyond occasional repairs) for nearly 80 years, until it was replaced at the same time as the cathedral was "restored" by James Wyatt between 1789 and 1792: the Bishop had convinced George III to furnish the cathedral with a new instrument once the work was complete.

[122] This organ, by Samuel Green, was presented by the king in 1792[123] and was installed on top of the stone screen, which, unusually, did not divide the choir from the nave, but rather came from an unknown location in the cathedral.

[125] When the new Willis organ was installed, its distinct sound from 55 powerfully-voiced stops, directly in the choir with little casework, was quite a contrast to Green's more gentle 23-stop instrument.

[126] Walter Alcock, who was organist of the cathedral from 1916, oversaw a strictly faithful restoration of the famous Father Willis organ, completed in 1934,[127] even going to such lengths as to refuse to allow parts of the instrument to leave the cathedral in case any unauthorised tonal alterations were made without his knowledge,[128] while allowing some discrete additions in the original style of the organ (as well as modernisation of the organ's actions) by Henry Willis III, the grandson of Father Willis.

Among the notable organists of more recent times have been a number of composers and well-known performers including Bertram Luard-Selby, Charles Frederick South, Walter Alcock, David Valentine Willcocks, Douglas Albert Guest, Christopher Dearnley, Richard Godfrey Seal and the BBC presenter Simon Lole.

Six lay vicars (adult men) comprise the rest of the choir, singing tenor, alto and bass parts.