MORE than 300 people attended a special service at the weekend to mark 800 impressive years of worship at Salisbury Cathedral.

Sunday (September 28) marked 800 years to the day of the dedication of the first three altars and the completion of the east end.

A special evensong service took place to mark the occasion, which ended with the congregation following a procession of the choir and clergy to the trinity chapel at the east end, where an anthem was sung by the cathedral choir and prayers were said at the altar.

A Salisbury Cathedral spokesperson said: “Building of the cathedral began at the east end, and was completed after only five years.

“The Bishop of Salisbury at the time held a special religious service, the first act of worship in the cathedral. As you can imagine, the east end has seen many changes over the centuries, both inside and out.”

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The East End of Salisbury Cathedral as it looks now Picture: Martin Cook

This includes two chantry chapels that were built during the 1400s which were later demolished in the 1790s.

Pilgrims visited the shrine of St Osmund for 82 years before it was destroyed during the 1539 English Reformation.

The A New Beginning exhibition Picture: Salisbury Cathedral

The stunning blue Prisoner of Conscience window was also installed in 1980.

Now called the trinity chapel, the east end continues to be at the centre of worship in the cathedral today.

The cathedral library saw more than 1,000 visitors over the weekend for the Salisbury Cathedral: A New Beginning exhibition, which contained a variety of items from the cathedral archive including a piece of carved stone from the Beauchamp chantry chapel, which was attached to the east end but demolished in the 18th century, and some of the original medieval floor tiles.

The Trinity Chapel at Salisbury Cathedral Picture: Martin Cook