Capturing the essence of Salisbury and telling our story

The Experience Salisbury, partnership initiated this pioneering project to help the city to once again confidently tell its story to the world.

The project drew inspiration from the city’s rich heritage as a magnet for travellers and pilgrims seeking inspiration, farmers and fishermen bringing produce to market, artists and artisans laying out their wares. 

Creativity, commerce and craftsmanship have always been in the DNA of Salisbury. 

Salisbury has always been a beacon of original thinking and the city has evolved over 800 years to be highly relevant today as the modern medieval city.

The city wanted to welcome the modern-day makers and innovators, the enlightened sightseers and shoppers, the independent traders and travellers. Salisbury wanted to be a guiding light for all who value originality.

With this in mind, the partnership started to develop a new vision and story for Salisbury, co-created with more than 1,000 of our residents, visitors and stakeholders.

What became clear was that at the heart of the Salisbury experience was a blend of tradition, imagination and individualism that makes the city unique and different from other places.

Salisbury is a city that respects tradition but also celebrates originality and is always looking for what comes next.

This thinking has been distilled into just 2 simple words that perfectly capture the essence of this great city: Traditional, Original.

Traditional Original underpins the city’s unique identity and now as the world begins to open up again, the partners and wider business community are gearing up to welcome people from far and wide.

The message is clear.

Salisbury is a place of great life and energy. Salisbury is vibrant and connected and is a place where fascinating conversations and ideas flow.

To celebrate all of this, an exciting new Salisbury marque has been created, inspired by the stonemasons that chiselled and crafted the stones that built the city 800 years ago.

The angular characteristics of these stones have informed the shape of each of the letters in the word Salisbury. They were co-created using talented young designers from our local community.  

The letters come together to create a contemporary marque that reflects the ambition and creativity of Salisbury. 

Each letter has been crafted using a different part of the fascinating story of Salisbury. 

‘S’ reflects the patterns created by the Wiltshire College Design students inspired by the Chequers planning layout of medieval Salisbury. 

‘A’ echoes the shapes of local art, demonstrating the importance of art, in its many forms, to the city.  

‘L’ mirrors the beams and patterns of the Tudor building frontages in Salisbury city centre. 

‘I’ takes inspiration from Salisbury’s famous cathedral spire. 

‘B’ is shaped from the medieval arches seen across the city like the twin arches on the side of St Thomas’ church. 

‘U’ is inspired by the outline of remains of the cathedral at Old Sarum as seen from the sky. 

‘R’ comes from the RAF roundel on the wings of the “Secret Spitfires” built in Salisbury in WW2. 

“Y” is formed of the pillars and arches at the Cathedral. 

Whether you are a resident or a visitor, look out for a range of exciting initiatives using the new identity across the summer months.